3-Day Deep Jungle Trek
with Bambo Rafting
This trek is for anyone interested in learning about how things used to be done. From catching your own meals, to the medicinal benefits of wild herbs, to the versatility of bamboo, you will come out of the jungle with a deeper knowledge of how local tribes lived before most modern nations had even been founded.
↓ Scroll to experience the trek ↓
(or see full itinerary here)
First Stop: Banlung Market
Every journey begins with a stop at the morning market. Here, we will get supplies and experience the bustle of local economy.
Journey to the Jungle
To reach the entrance of such a remote place, a multi-leg trip by tuk-tuk, then riverboat, then motorbike (as passengers) is required. This will take just over two hours.
Lunch in Kawet Village
Having spent the morning making our way to a more remote part of this National Park, we’ll enjoy lunch with the locals before heading off into the wilds.
Camping at Chai Janang Waterfall
We will trek for roughly three hours from the village, reaching the first campsite in the late afternoon. Feel free to help your guides set up camp, or relax in a hammock like royalty—your choice! This is also a great place for swimming, as we are at the base of a waterfall!
Food, Glorious Food!
After our guides are finished constructing their makeshift kitchen, they will prepare a multi-course meal for you. One guest told us it was better than a fancy restaurant in Phnom Penh!
Rest & Relaxation
To accompany the delicious dinner, local rice wine will be provided. Sip away and hear stories from your guides as the sun fades around you.
Optional: Night Trek
You can spend the rest of the evening relaxing, reading, skinny dipping, whatever! But you should know: after dark is optimal for spotting some of the rarest, most elusive critters inhabiting the area. And don’t fret—the night trek isn’t strenuous.
Sleep Beneath The Stars
When you’re ready, climb into your sleeping hammock, and rest easy beneath the mosquito net that will keep you bitefree all night long. Fall asleep to the sound of rushing water.
Day Two Begins!
We will rise early, as morning preparations must be done. This includes boiling the day’s drinking water, cooking (and eating) breakfast, as well as double checking equipment before heading off.
Hidden Wildlife
Day two puts us even further into this remote jungle, providing many more opportunities for spotting the rare birds, reptiles, and insects of the Virachey National Park.
Time To Build
Today, we will reach camp after only a half-day of trekking. Why? Because after lunch, we’ll need the rest of the day to build our raft! Help our guides chop bamboo, create rope, and tie everything together into a makeshift nautical wonder! Depending on the group size, more than one raft may be required.
Rest Easy
Once our rafts are complete, dinner will follow. On this second night, you won’t want to skip the night trek, as we are more likely to see the rarer creatures out here, away from the more trodden paths.
Day Three Begins!
We will rise early, as morning preparations must be done. This includes boiling the day’s drinking water, cooking (and eating) breakfast, as well as double checking equipment before leaving port.
Almost Like Time Travel…
It’s difficult to describe the sensation of traveling down an ancient river upon a craft you built yourself. Take in the sights as the river floats us back the way we came, relishing the calm of the waters, just as the locals did a thousand years ago.
Giant Tarantulas??
After stopping for lunch, we will begin our return to the ferry by motorbike. On the way, we will stop by the rice fields. Why? Because they are home to some of the largest, fuzziest, non-aggressive, non-venomous spiders you’ll ever see. Hold one, let it sit on your head, or kiss its cute little butt—they won’t bite!
A Reluctant Return Home
After a satisfying three days in the jungle, the ferry will take us back across the river, and we will return to the homestay by tuk-tuk.
Does this sound like the trek for you?
Don’t Leave Just Yet!
Having spent the past three days trudging through a remote jungle, we’d understand the desire to postpone your departure by a day or two, spend a whole twenty-four hours doing absolutely nothing. Lucky for you, our homestay is the only one in Ratanakiri that provides guests with a private bungalow, your own shower, and a porch (complete with hammock!) that stays shady and cool all day. You can easily extend your stay by a day—or a week!
Full Itinerary
Day 1/3
- Start Time: 8:30AM
- Head to the Minority market in Banlung to experience the local economy and stock up on supplies.
- Head out from town, drive for an hour and a half.
- Board the ferry to cross Se-San River.
- Board motorbikes (as passengers) and drive for forty minutes.
- Arrive in Kawet Village, a remote community of Animists.
- Have lunch with the locals.
- Begin trek, walk for three hours.
- Arrive at Chai Janang Waterfall
- Night routine
Day 2/3
- Wake up: 6:30AM
- Go through morning preparations, which includes boiling the day’s drinking water, preparing (and eating) breakfast, and double checking equipment.
- Start time: 9AM
- Begin trek, walk for three hours.
- Arrive at day two campsite, where we will first have lunch.
- Bellies full, we will spend the afternoon cutting bamboo, making rope, and building our rafts.
- This should keep us busy until evening, night routine.
Day 3/3
- Wake up: 6:30AM
- Go through morning preparations, which includes boiling the day’s drinking water, preparing (and eating) breakfast, and double checking equipment.
- Start time: 9AM
- We board the rafts that we ourselves built the day before, floating down the river for the next three hours, enjoying the surroundings as the locals once did a thousand years ago.
- Return to the shore for a riverside lunch.
- Board motorbikes and drive for half an hour.
- Arrive at the rice fields, where we will hunt for giant tarantula!
- Once we’ve had our fill of arachnids, we will take the motorbikes back to the ferry.
- Return home by tuktuk.