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Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia
Kratie
ក្រចេះ
Give Kratie one night, two at most: arrive by midday, cycle the Mekong islands, take the Kampi dolphin boat at 16:00, leave the next morning.
Kratie is a small Mekong river town in northeast Cambodia, known for the Irrawaddy dolphins at Kampi and for flat, quiet roads that make it the best cycling stop between Phnom Penh and the Laos border. There is no large-scale tourism here: you come for the river, the dolphins and a slow day on a bicycle, not for temples or nightlife. Most travellers pass through in a single night on the Phnom Penh–Stung Treng road.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Local name
- ក្រចេះ
- Best months
- Nov–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–May (hottest, 35 °C+), Sep–Oct (wettest)Apr–May (hottest, 95 °F+), Sep–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- US dollars for hotels, tours and restaurants; riel (KHR, about 4,000 to the dollar) for change and small street purchases.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$20–30 excl. bed · Mid US$35–55 excl. bed · High US$70+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Smart, Cellcard and Metfone sell tourist SIMs at the airports with passport registration; a week of data costs a few dollars.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins; newer hotels have UK-style type G.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Round up or leave US$1–2 where no service charge is added.; Tuk-tuk: Round up; US$2–5 extra for a full Angkor day.; Guide day: US$5–10 per person.; Massage: US$1–2 per hour.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many hotels have refill stations.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, restaurants and at the Angkor ticket office and main temples; squat toilets with a hose or scoop on the road. Paper goes in the bin in older places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or iced coffee at a market stall | 1,500–3,000 riel |
| Noodle soup or fried rice at a Khmer stall | US$1–2 |
| Beer: draught at a riverside bar / can at a shop | US$0.75–1.50 |
| Bicycle hire, one day | US$1–2 (check) |
| Motodop around town | 500–1,000 riel |
| Kampi dolphin boat ticket | about US$9 per person (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | US$5–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PNH · Phnom Penh (Techo International)
- No flights to Kratie; bus or share-taxi from Phnom Penh, 5–7 h
- REP · Siem Reap–Angkor
- Daily bus with a change at Skuon or Suong, about 8–10 h
Typical fares
- Phnom Penh → Kratie, air-con bus
- about US$8–12, 6–7 h (check)
- Kratie → Stung Treng, bus or share-taxi
- about US$5–8, 3 h (check)
- Kampi dolphin boat ticket
- about US$9 per person, less per head for groups of three or more (check)
Get around
The town is small enough to walk end to end in about 20 minutes. Bicycles are the best way out to Kampi and the islands: about US$1–2 (4,000–8,000 riel) per day from shops near the market. A motodop around town is 500–1,000 riel; a half-day out of town is US$3–5. Motorbike rental is about US$6–8 per day; roads outside town are rough.
See and do
Known for
- Irrawaddy dolphins at Kampi
- Mekong islands and river villages
- Cycling the Mekong Discovery Trail
- Krolan (sticky rice in bamboo)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kampi dolphin pool | Bicycle or motorbike 15 km north on Route 7, then the ticket office and a rowed boatBicycle or motorbike 9.3 mi north on Route 7, then the ticket office and a rowed boat | About 1 h each way by bike |
| Phnom Sombok | Bicycle or motorbike 10 km north, on the hill above Route 7Bicycle or motorbike 6.2 mi north, on the hill above Route 7 | About 40 min each way by bike |
| Koh Trong island | Short ferry from the Kratie landing, then cycle the loop | About 15 min to cross |
| Sambor and Wat Sorsor Muoy Roi | Motorbike or hired car about 40 km south on Route 7Motorbike or hired car about 25 mi south on Route 7 | About 1 h each way |
| Stung Treng | Bus or share-taxi north on Route 7 | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Riverside, Rue Sumamarit
- Guesthouses and hotels facing the Mekong; walk to the night food stalls and the boat landing. Best for one or two nights.
- Market and bus-station area
- Cheapest rooms and the morning market; the bus and share-taxi stands are a few minutes' walk away.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | សួស្តីsuostei |
| Thank you | អរគុណaw kohn |
| How much is it? | ថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន?thlai ponman |
| Too expensive | ថ្លៃពេកthlai pek |
| Where is the toilet? | បង្គន់នៅឯណា?bongkon nov ae na |
| I don't want it, thank you | ខ្ញុំមិនយកទេ អរគុណkhnhom min yok te, aw kohn |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Sampeah (palms together, slight bow); higher hands for elders and monks; avoid: Firm handshakes with older women
- Head and feet: Keep feet down and pointed away from people and Buddha images; avoid: Touching heads, even children's
- Temples: Shoes and hat off inside, shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Sitting with feet toward the Buddha; women touching monks
- Keeping face: Stay calm and smile when things go wrong; avoid: Shouting or public anger
- Giving and receiving: Use the right hand or both hands; avoid: Tossing money or objects
- Photos: Ask first, especially of monks and at memorials; avoid: Selfies at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
Scams and watch-outs
- Dolphin boat tickets at Kampi are a fixed government charge (about US$9 per person, less per head for groups of three or more); boats must use oars only near the animals. Confirm the current fee at the ticket office.
- The road north to Stung Treng and the Laos border has been rough and slow; ask locally before you plan an overland leg.
- Card use is limited outside a few bank ATMs; carry US dollars and small riel notes.
- No lifeguards and strong currents on the Mekong: swim only where locals do, and not at dusk.
- Mosquitoes are present year-round near the river; dengue is a risk in the wet season.
Kratie is a low-crime provincial town and the main risks are practical: fast traffic on Route 7, unlit roads after dark, river currents and dengue mosquitoes. Keep valuables out of sight at the market and on the ferry.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kratie yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Irrawaddy dolphins at Kampi
- Mekong islands and river villages
- Cycling the Mekong Discovery Trail
- Krolan (sticky rice in bamboo)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia: www.tourismcambodia.com/
- Mekong Discovery Trail: www.mekongdiscoverytrail.com/
- Wikivoyage: Kratie, revision 5240502 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5240502
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kratieក្រចេះ
ទៅអាសយដ្ឋាននេះ សូម
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Kratie; most are in Phnom Penh. Register your trip with your government's travel advisory service before you go.
Prices are 2026 estimates in US dollars; riel change is given at about 4,000–4,100 per US$.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kratie). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.