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Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia
Tatai
Stop for one night if you want jungle and river without crowds; skip if you need beaches, nightlife or a full-service town.
Tatai is a tiny truck-stop village on Highway 48 in the Cardamom Mountains, 19 km east of Koh Kong. It has no bank, no ATM and a handful of guesthouses and lodges. The reason to come is the river and the jungle: boat trips, waterfalls and quiet. One night is enough for most travellers.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Best months
- Nov–Apr (dry season)
- Avoid
- May–Oct (heavy rain, leeches, some lodges close)
- Stay
- 1 night
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$15–25 (dorm or basic room, self-catered) · Mid US$40–70 (Rainbow Lodge, all meals) · High US$130+ (4 Rivers Floating Lodge, meals extra) (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 |
|---|---|
| Budget guesthouse room | US$5–12 |
| Rainbow Lodge (per person, all meals) | US$30–50 |
| 4 Rivers Floating Lodge (per room) | US$115–200 |
| Boat trip (1 h, up to 4 people) | US$20 |
| Guide for jungle trek (half day) | US$25 |
| Bus Koh Kong → Tatai | US$3–5 |
| Meal at a truck-stop restaurant | US$3–6 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KOS · Sihanoukville International Airport
- About 2.5 h by road; check
- PNH · Phnom Penh International Airport
- About 4–5 h by road; check
Typical fares
- Bus Koh Kong → Tatai
- about US$3–5, 20–30 min (check)
- Boat from bridge to Rainbow Lodge
- free with booking; otherwise about US$5 (check)
- Boat from bridge to 4 Rivers
- included in room rate
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village is walkable. Lodges up or down the river provide boat transfers. For the waterfall or treks, arrange a guide or boat at your guesthouse.
See and do
Known for
- Tatai Waterfall
- Boat trips on the Tatai River
- Jungle trekking
- Rainbow Lodge and 4 Rivers Floating Lodge
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Koh Kong | Bus or taxi on Highway 48, about 20–30 min | About 30 min |
| Tatai Waterfall | Boat from the bridge, about 15 min | About 1 h round trip |
| Sihanoukville | Bus via Highway 48, about 2.5 h | About 3 h |
| Kampot | Bus via Highway 48 and National Road 3, about 3 h | About 3.5 h |
Sleep
- Near the bridge (Highway 48)
- Budget guesthouses and the pick-up point for river lodges.
- Up the river (Rainbow Lodge area)
- Eco-bungalows, all meals included, no air con.
- Down the river (4 Rivers Floating Lodge)
- Luxury floating tents, meals extra, boat transfer.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | សួស្តីsuos-dey |
| Thank you | អរគុណor-kun |
| How much? | ប៉ុន្មាន?bon-maan |
| Too expensive | ថ្លៃពេកtlai pek |
| Where is the boat? | កន្លែងណាទូក?kon-laeng naa tuek |
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
- No bank or ATM: bring enough US dollars cash from Koh Kong or Phnom Penh.
- Electricity may be limited (some guesthouses cut power at 10 pm).
- Rainy season (May–Oct) brings leeches and muddy trails; some lodges close.
- Mosquito nets are standard; bring repellent.
Tatai is safe; petty crime is rare. The main risks are road accidents on Highway 48 (no street lights, livestock on the road) and river safety without a life jacket. Bring a head torch for power cuts.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tatai yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Tatai Waterfall
- Boat trips on the Tatai River
- Jungle trekking
- Rainbow Lodge and 4 Rivers Floating Lodge
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Tatai, revision 5290174 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5290174
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/tatai). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.