Mekong River Cambodia

Mekong River Cambodia flows south from the border with Laos to the border of Vietnam. As it approaches the Vietnamese border, it begins to widen out into more channels that forms the beginning of the vast and agriculturally rich Mekong Delta that covers virtually all of the southwestern part of Vietnam. Because Mekong Cambodia is navigable for its full length within the country, some of the best Mekong River cruises are possible here, as well as cruises that navigate all the way from northern Laos and Thailand through Cambodia and into the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

The Mekong River Cambodia is vitally important to the country, as it is to all the other Southeast Asia countries through which it flows. It is a main transportation thoroughfare and the primary source of water to irrigate crops and supply fish. A Mekong River tour in Cambodia is apt to include another important body of water, Tonle Sap (Great Lake), which is the largest lake in Southeast Asia and part of the Mekong River system. The lake is located about 50 miles north of the capital of Phnom Penh and the main river. For most of the year, the lake is small and shallow, but it swells to massive size during the monsoon season when water from the flooding Mekong pushes northward from Phnom Penh. This floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for freshwater fish that are staples in the Cambodian diet.

During your Mekong River tour in Cambodia to Tonle Sap, you can visit the area's famous floating villages where river life goes on much as it has for centuries and mangrove swamps that are refuge to myriad birdlife. Just to the north of the lakeshore are the incredible Hindu temples of Angkor Wat, built during the twelfth century. This is the most visited spot in the country, and offers a wide variety of accommodation from budget guest houses to five star international resorts. Almost everyone visiting the country will come to Angkor Wat. Even ships on Mekong River Cruises offer excursions to this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the wild and mountainous northeast of the country, the Mekong Cambodia runs through remote territories that are home to ethnic hill tribes including thirteen groups of the Khmer Loeu people. You can book an adventure Mekong River tour in Cambodia here that visits some of the tribal villages, offers mountain biking and cycling, hiking, swimming under pristine waterfalls, and visits to Virachey National Park that shelters elephants and other wildlife. If lucky, you may spot a rare tiger or panther.

In addition to the mountain biking in the north, you can book Mekong Cambodia cycling tours along the southern course of the river near the Vietnam border that are suitable for all ages and experience. This is where the land begins to flatten out into the fertile alluvial plains of the Mekong Delta, filled with rice fields, banana plantations, and local fishermen plying the river in sampans. Many of the cycling tours along the river will include home-hosted stays with local people and accommodations in intimate guest houses where you can enjoy cultural interaction with the rural people.

If you have more time and want to see more of the Southeast Asia countries you can book Mekong River Cambodia cruises that navigate the Mekong River in Vietnam, to the south, and north to the border formed by the Mekong River in Thailand and the Mekong River in Laos.