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4 Days 3 Nights
Daily Tour
5 people
Multilingual
Jungle trekking into Virachey’s ‘Koh Pong’ Community forest – Engaging Indigenous People – Agriculture – Jungle Camping – Home Stay – Primary Forest – Boat trip Sesan.
In this unique adventurous trek into the Koh Pong community forests, a lot of high lights will pass along your way. Starting at the banks of the Sesan river, visit small settlements, engage with indigenous communities, learn about local farming, fishing and hunting techniques. Stay overnight in the jungle, and submerge in a beautiful unexplored forest. Visit the high lands and enjoy a breath taking view.
You will follow tracks that varies from small tracks leading from one small settlement to another, hunting tracks, wild life tracks and off the beaten tracks. Different sceneries will be presented to you like beautiful panoramic views, mixed forest, secondary forest and the primary forest. Numerous small creeks, streams and a river meander through this beautiful area. This trek has a high expedition experience. We go into the forest, have a great adventures and educative time. No fixed itinerary, and off the beaten track!
At some areas, wildlife tracks are the only paths available. Your foot prints mix with the foot prints of the giant Gaur: a wild buffalo. The Brao people are very friendly and will often invite you into their homes. According to the season you can watch their daily activities. We spend two nights jungle camping.
Trip lenght : 35km –
Difficulty : Medium / slightly difficult
You assemble at the DutchCo's office at 08.00 am unless you arranged pick up at your guests house. Departure time is 08.30 which gives you half an hour to organize your back-packs. At 08.30 we leave by car, minivan or trekking truck northern direction of Voensai. In Kachon we take take a narrow long boat that takes us up stream the Sesan river for about one hour. During this river trip you can enjoy beautiful panoramic views with the High jungle covered mountains of the Virachey NP in the far distance. Most parts of the river banks have dense vegetation where birds find shelter. Small farm houses at the Sesan river bank share the same habitat.
Once you arrive at Leng Auw village, you need to register at the at the village Chief's house and pay an entrance fee of $2.50 (Not included in the package price). We can make some final adjustments and once we met with the local indigenous ranger we start our trek. We start walking through a variety of landscapes. Patches of forests alternate with rice paddy fields. Soon we leave civilisation behind and trek through the jungle forests. After a 20 minute walk we have to cross the O’ Plong river. In the dry season (January -May) we can wade across and in the wet season we need to use a bamboo raft or take a small boat. The further north you go, the denser the forest. We take some gentle hill slopes up and down, but mainly the paths are flat.
When we arrive at the high lands, you can have a break and enjoy the beautiful panoramic view over the jungles canopy to the horizon. During the trek we take regular breaks to enjoy the surrounding and to rest a little bit. Your guide will explain about forest foods like edible fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants and trees. Also he explains some of the indigenous hunting techniques. We'll arrive at the campsite near a waterfal between 3.30 and 4 pm. Your guide will start boiling some for coffee or tea, while you can refresh in the nearby cascading stream. The hammocks will be tied and the campsite prepared for the night. You can enjoy a nice dinner at the campfire.
Around 6 am the guide and ranger get up to get the campfire going and boil water for coffee or tea. They start preparing breakfast. After you enjoyed your breakfast and the campsite is cleared, we start this day by following the small stream further up stream. In the dry season we can walk close to the stream while in the wet season we walk higher through dense vegetation. You will spent the whole day walking through primary forest. We take regular breaks to take pictures and be taught about the forest.
We take some gentle hill slopes up and down, cross a few small creeks and enjoy the silence of nature. At the end of the day we reach the campsite for the second night. This campsite is also close to a small stream. You can take a refreshing bath and relax a little while you cool of and rinse the sweat off of your body. Enjoy a great evening at the campfire.
The night hike (Optional)
Armed with a flash light, we take a small hike around the campsite. What we are looking for are small nocturnal animals. On quite some occasions we've spotted some Lorys Pigmy's (a very small primate) and some Civets (small jungle cats). You can find them in all layers of the trees canopy. We saw some deer as well. Though the chance to see wild life during the trek is fairly small, the chances increase during the night hike. Even if we don't see any wild life, the atmosphere during a night hike is definitely more exciting.
After the 'night hike' you can get comfortable. Get hypnotized by the flames of the campfire.
The night hike
Armed with a flash light, we take a small hike around the campsite. What we are looking for are small nocturnal animals. On quite some occasions we've spotted some Lorys Pigmy's (a very small primate) and some Civets (small jungle cats). You can find them in all layers of the trees canopy. We saw some deer as well. Though the chance to see wild life during the trek is fairly small, the chances increase during the night hike. Even if we don't see any wild life, the atmosphere during a night hike is definitely more exciting.
After the 'night hike' when we are back at the campsite where you can get comfortable and et hypnotized by the flames of the campfire.
In the morning you rise early. You enjoy a hot coffee or tea. Breakfast will be prepared on a wood fire. After breakfast you organize your back-packs while the team untie the hammocks and prepare for the day. This part of the track is mainly of the beaten track. So you can expect dense vegetation were a path is often cut with a machete. Beautiful forest with lush vegetation. At some points (this can vary by the season because of the trees canopy) there are some panoramic views to enjoy.
Around noon you'll get to a nice spot for a one hour break to enjoy lunch. If the small river has enough water, you can enjoy a refreshing swim. You change direction and loop in southern west direction. Again wonderful nature awaits for you. At some point you might see the evidence of the Asian black bear try to get some insects out of a big tree. It's always nice to discover new detailed things that is part of the whole.
We’ll continue South west back to civilization.
We cross a small river as on day one. In the afternoon you’ll arrive at Koh Pong deserted island (**) where you will spent the night. Food is being prepared while you can have a swim and relax on the sandy beaches.
Also today you will rise early and enjoy witnessing how the crickets and other insects get silence, and the birds taking over the orchestra. Breakfast is prepared while you enjoy your hot coffee or tea. Around 9.00 you leave the island for the last part of your four day trek. We take a boat down stream the Sesan river until we reach the Out Post. Here you can learn how Cambodian local farmers grow vegetables and fruits. A lunch box is prepared which we take to Koh Piek village where we visit the sacred Kachak cemetery.
After visiting the outpost, we walk along the sesan river bank to Koah Piek. We will take a small ferry to cross the sesan river to Koah Piek village. Here's where we visit the famous sacred burial site of the Kachak indigenous people. Your guide will tell you about the animist believes of the indigenous people and how they burry their deceased with a great ceremony. After the visit we take the boat back to Kachon. In Kachon transport is waiting for you to take you back to Banlung on a 45 minute trip. Appropriate arrival time in Banlung around 4pm.
(**) The natural appearance of the island changes significantly between the dry and wet season. With extreme high water levels (September/October) it might not be possible to visit Koh Pong island. Instead we organize a home stay.
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