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Territory capital · Cambodia

Banlungបានលុង

Give Banlung 2–3 nights: one for Yeak Laom lake and the waterfalls, one for a guided jungle or village day. Skip it if you only have a week in Cambodia.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
USD
Best months
Nov–Mar
avoid Jun–Oct (mud, washed-out tracks, some park areas closed)
Airports
PNH · REP
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
  • Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
  • Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
  • Cambodia ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra. Some nationalities can also get a visa on arrival.
  • Cambodia ↗Angkor Wat and other active temples enforce a dress code: shoulders and knees covered, or you are turned away at the gate.
  • Cambodia ↗US dollars are used for most tourist prices; carry clean, undamaged small notes and some riel for change under one dollar.

Banlung is the small capital of Ratanakiri, in the far northeast of Cambodia, and the base for a volcanic crater lake, several waterfalls, Virachey National Park and the villages of a dozen ethnic minority groups. Roads here are now sealed, so the old two-day haul is a single long bus ride. There is no working airport, no train and no Grab: you move by motorbike, motodop or a hired car with a driver. Come for the landscape and the villages, not for comfort.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Banlung, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or a can of beerUS$0.50–1.25
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup or a rice plateUS$1.50–3
  • Museum or sight ticketWaterfall or lake entry2,000–8,000 riel
  • Budget bedGuesthouse dorm or tent, a night, per personUS$3
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, fan or air-con, a night, per roomUS$18
  • High-end bedDouble room, fan or air-con, a night, per roomUS$35

A day, not counting the bed: Budget US$25 · Mid US$45 · High US$90

Prices in local money; change the currency in the header to see yours next to them. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Yeak Laom volcanic crater lakeCha Ong and Ka Tieng waterfallsVirachey National Park treksEthnic minority villages and cemeteriesGem mining around Bokeo
Airports
PNH Phnom Penh (Techo International) (No flights to Banlung: the town airfield has no scheduled service. Bus or private car onward, 8–10 h.) · REP Siem Reap (Useful if you are coming from Angkor; you still finish the trip by road via Stung Treng or Kratie.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Banlung: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

31°C

18°C

2 rd

Feb

33°C

20°C

2 rd

Mar

34°C

22°C

4 rd

Apr

34°C

23°C

8 rd

May

33°C

23°C

15 rd

Jun

31°C

23°C

19 rd

Jul

30°C

22°C

21 rd

Aug

30°C

22°C

22 rd

Sep

30°C

22°C

21 rd

Oct

31°C

22°C

16 rd

Nov

31°C

21°C

7 rd

Dec

30°C

19°C

3 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Rent a 125cc semi-automatic motorbike for about US$5–7 a day, or a 250cc for about US$10; a car or 4x4 with a driver runs about US$30–50 a day and is the better choice for two or more people in the wet season. Motodops wait around the roundabout and market for short hops. Bicycles rent for about US$1 a day. Outside town almost nobody speaks English, so hire a guide for village visits.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Yeak Laom crater lake

go

Door to door: About 20 min each way

Motorbike or motodop, about 5 km east of town

Entry about 8,000 riel (US$2, 2019 rate: check). A 1-hour walking trail circles the water; go early, it is exposed by midday.

Cha Ong waterfall

go

Door to door: About 20 min each way

Motorbike on the waterfall road, about 7 km from town

About 18 m high with a hollow behind the fall you can walk into. Small entry fee, about 2,000 riel (check).

Ka Tieng waterfall

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way

Motorbike, further along the same road

About 10 m, with a pool for swimming; the Airavata elephant project has used this area. Pair it with Cha Ong in one morning.

Virachey National Park

overnight

Door to door: 1–3 days

Guided trek arranged through the park office or a tour shop in town

Ranger and community guides only; parts of the park are inaccessible in the wet season.

Kratiego

Door to door: 5–6 h

Minibus about 08:00, or the afternoon bus about 13:00

About US$8. The minibus seats four across a three-seat row, so it can be tight.

Stung Treng

go

Door to door: 3–5 h

Bus or minivan, later departures

The usual first leg if you are heading on to Laos or back to Phnom Penh.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Around Kan Siang lake

Guesthouses and the top lodge overlook the water, 10–15 min walk from the market; quiet at night.

Town centre and the roundabout

Walk to the market, banks and most restaurants; motodops wait here and tour shops are on the same block.

Highway strip west of the roundabout

Budget rooms, bike rental and a couple of bars; handy if you leave early by bus.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
US$20–35 excl. bed
Mid
US$35–60 excl. bed
High
US$60+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, fan or air-con1 × 3 nights × US$18US$54
Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × US$45US$270
Motorbike rental, one day2 × US$6US$12
Car or 4x4 with driver, one day1 × US$40US$40
Guided village or jungle day2 × US$25US$50
eSIM, about a week of data2 × US$10US$20
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUS$45
Trip total≈ US$82 per person per day, bed includedUS$491

2026 estimate in US dollars, the usual currency here; long-distance buses and guided treks excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or a can of beerUS$0.50–1.25
Noodle soup or a rice plateUS$1.50–3
Western main in a guesthouse restaurantUS$3–5
Motodop hop across townUS$1–2
Motorbike rental, 125cc, one dayUS$5–7
Car with driver, one dayUS$30–50
Waterfall or lake entry2,000–8,000 riel

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Ratanakiri is calm and the main risks are practical: unlit roads at night, motorbike crashes, malaria and cash running out. Do not walk or ride after dark, wear a helmet, and keep a second payment card and cash separate from your phone.
  • Village ceremonies can close a village to outsiders: fresh leaves hung at the gate mean do not enter.
  • Ask before photographing people or village sites; fines are possible and some places are taboo.
  • Do not eat forest meat: it drives poaching.
  • Carry enough cash. Acleda is the main bank and its ATM is unreliable; cards are accepted in few places.
  • The Vietnam border at O Yadaw/Le Thanh does not accept Vietnam eVisas: you need a physical visa or visa-free entry.
  • Malaria is present in Ratanakiri; talk to a travel clinic before you go.
  • Roads north of Kratie can still be rough in the wet season; check conditions before an overland leg.

Emergency numbers

Police
117
Fire
118
Ambulance
119

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Banlungបានលុង

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

សូមជូនខ្ញុំទៅអាសយដ្ឋាននេះPlease take me to this address

Emergency

  • Police117
  • Fire118
  • Ambulance119

Embassy

No embassies in Banlung; most are in Phnom Penh. The US embassy is in Phnom Penh (check the address).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Banlung → Phnom Penh, big bus: about US$10, 8–10 h, departs 06:00–07:30
  • Banlung → Kratie, minibus: about US$8, 5–6 h
  • Private car, Phnom Penh → Banlung: about US$120, 8–10 h with breaks

Say or show

  • សួស្តី — Hello (suostei)
  • អរគុណ — Thank you (aw kohn)
  • ថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន? — How much is it? (thlai ponman)
  • ថ្លៃពេក — Too expensive (thlai pek)
  • បង្គន់នៅឯណា? — Where is the toilet? (bongkon nov ae na)
  • ខ្ញុំមិនយល់ទេ — I do not understand (khnhom min yol te)

Carry small US dollar notes and riel for change; the riel trades at about 4,000–4,100 to the dollar.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Banlung. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Mar · avoid Jun–Oct (mud, washed-out tracks, some park areas closed) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 7 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap arrivals: last bus times, private-car fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: the roundabout and market, Kan Siang lake, the waterfall road, Yeak Laom.
  3. Place pages with verified entry fees and cutoffs (Yeak Laom, Cha Ong, Ka Tieng, Virachey) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Wet-season and border-day fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Cambodia

Sources