Kratie, sitting on the banks of the Mekong,
shows some impressive though damp and crumbling French architecture. The
market place is its focal point.
Things to see:
During dry season,
when water levels in the Mekong are low, you can hire an boat to bring
you to Koh Trong beach in the Mekong river, right opposite the
town. Ideal for a swim and a picnic.
The rare Irrawaddy dolphins favour a stretch of water about 15
kilometres upstream of Kratie town. The greyish blue coloured mammals
have a rounded head with no beak, and a flexible neck. These endangered freshwater dolphins are rather shy and will not come
near to the people. Once there must have been a population of some one
thousand dolphins. They have survived decades of poaching by local
fishermen. Although Khmer fishers would not catch the dolphins,
introduction of nylon fishing nets and illegal fishing with explosives
killed them indiscriminately. Their survival is now threatened by the outcome
of dams upstream. Only around 60 now remain. The best time to go and see them is early morning or late afternoon
because of water temperatures drive them to the surface. Hire a local
moto-taxi to bring you to the Kampi pool, where the Kampi river joins
the Mekong. From there, hire one of the small boats to bring take you to
the dolphin area.
The Sombo pagoda
of 100 columns is situated 21 km further north of the Kampi dolphin
viewing site. This pagoda is a replica of one of the oldest pagodas in
the region.
neck. These endangered freshwater dolphins are rather shy and will not come
near to the people. Once there must have been a population of some one
thousand dolphins. They have survived decades of poaching by local
fishermen. Although Khmer fishers would not catch the dolphins,
introduction of nylon fishing nets and illegal fishing with explosives
killed them indiscriminately. Their survival is now threatened by the outcome
of dams upstream. Only around 60 now remain. The best time to go and see them is early morning or late afternoon
because of water temperatures drive them to the surface. Hire a local
moto-taxi to bring you to the Kampi pool, where the Kampi river joins
the Mekong. From there, hire one of the small boats to bring take you to
the dolphin area.