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Elephant rides from village Kateung. Travel with children. Ratanakiri. Ratanakiri: province of adventureOne of the most popular
Elephant rides from village Kateung. Travel with children. Ratanakiri. Ratanakiri: province of adventure One of the most popular provinces in Cambodia, Ratanakiri is home to a burgeoning ecotourism movement. Virachay National Park, the biggest protected area in Cambodia, remains largely unexplored and is home to several ethnic minorities as well as a range of wild animals. Ratanakiri means mountain of treasure and gem mining is an important industry for the locals. Beautiful sapphires, amethysts and zircon are produced here and it is possible to visit the mines, see the process and even try your own hand at it. Ban Lung, my hometown, is the best base from which to explore the province. While offering quality accomodation the provincial capital still retains its rural, small town feel. Around Ban Lung there are many beautiful waterfalls which can be reached by motorbike or even by elephant. A lazy trip along Tonle San river stops off at Laos and Chinese minority villages and the haunting Tompuon tribal cemetary where jungle strewn wooden effigies mark abandoned graves. At Boeng Yeak Lom you can swim in a mysterious seven hundred thousand year old jungle-clad crater lake so perfectly circular that some say it was formed by a meteor. Ratanakiri is a province of traditional villages, virgin jungle, and breathtaking scenery. No visit to Cambodia could be complete without a Ratanakiri jungle adventure.
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