Stung Treng beautiful province of Cambodia

Stung Treng is a beautiful province located on a high sandy bank overlooking the Mekong River. It is about 455 km from Phnom Penh and some 40 km to the Laos border. This charming city is linked to Banlung (Rattanak Kiri) and is more than just a ‘stopover’. The Sekong Bridge, itself an attraction, serves as a convenient passage to the border of Laos.



There are several noteworthy attractions in the province of Stung Treng. The incredible Sopheakmith Waterfall never ceases to mesmerise visitors, and neither does the stretch of the mighty Mekong, which is home to the incredibly rare Irrawaddy dolphins.



The Thala Barivat is only 4 kilometers from the provincial town. This is accessible by crossing the Se Kong River. Thala Barivat is the historical site where the Preah Ko, a 7th century brick temple of King Jayavarman I is located. Preah Ko is consists of six brick towers arranged in two rows of three towers each perched on a sandstone platform. This is one of the earliest temples built during the Angkor era.

Here in the vicinity are a few other small ancient temples; the Prambuon Lveng Temple, Srei Temple and the Angkor Kmao Temple. The Hang Kho Ba Pagoda, a 300 year old temple in the Hang Kho Ba Village, is also only about 6 Kilometers from the provincial town and worth the while to pay a visit.

Stung Treng province is also famous for sweet tamarind Pa Si Yi fish, a local delicacy enjoyed by many tourists.

   

What to do?
There is nothing to do here except relaxing and enjoying the scenery of Mekong River, especially watching the sun set and rise over the landscape. Since the town is so small, you can stroll around on foot.
There exists a weaving co-operative towards the north end of town, which warrants a visit for the lovely fabrics and patterns they produce.



Getting there:
Stung Treng does have what could be considered an airport, and a journey from Phnom Penh to Stung Treng takes about an hour. Though this is a fast way to get to Cambodia's remote northeastern provinces, it's a much better idea to head up here either overland or by boat, because there's so much to see in between here and Phnom Penh. But to and from Kratie they only run from July through to December. National Highway 7 from the Laos-Cambodian border to Kratie via Stung Treng is being upgraded and the process is still going on. So it`s not a problem any more to do the trip by bus/ minibus in either direction. The minibus to the border takes about 1,5hrs while it's a 4-5h drive to Kratie (much more in the rainy season)