Kratie, Cambodia: travel guide
Mekong riverside town, home to Irrawaddy dolphins and the island of Koh Trong
A sleepy Mekong river town of shuttered French shophouses, and the most reliable place in Cambodia to see the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin — the pool at Kampi, 15 km upstream, holds a resident group year-ro…
About Kratie
Kratie is a sleepy town on the Mekong, lined with French-era shophouses and a lively riverfront promenade at sunset. It is best known for the Irrawaddy dolphins that live in the river pool at Kampi, a short drive upstream.
A ferry crosses to Koh Trong, a farming island of dirt tracks and orchards that is ideal for slow exploring by bicycle. Further north the temples and turtle sanctuary around Sambor reward a longer day trip, and the town's market is a fine place for breakfast.
Kratie suits travellers heading overland between Phnom Penh and the northeast who want to see the Mekong at a gentler pace. The dry season from November to April is the best time to visit Kratie.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Currency
- KHR
- Time zone
- Asia/Phnom_Penh
Last updated
Top places to visit in Kratie
Kampi Dolphin Pool
Wildlife · 4.4 rating · about 1.5 h · entry $10 (≈ ₹950)
A deep Mekong pool 15 km north of Kratie holding one of the last resident groups of critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. Wooden longtails put out from the Kampi landing at dawn and late afternoon and cut their engines to drift; the…
Phsar Kratie (Samaki Market)
Market · 4.0 rating · about 0.8 h · free entry
The town's central market, a covered block a street back from the river selling river fish, fruit and the fried tarantulas the province is known for. Busiest just after dawn.
Kampi Rapids
Nature · 4.2 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
A broad braid of Mekong rapids and sandbars just upstream of the dolphin pool, with thatched stilt platforms let out by the hour over the shallows. Cambodians come to eat, wade and sit in the current; in the dry season the exposed rock…
Phnom Sambok
Temple · 4.4 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
A hilltop meditation pagoda on the road to Kampi, reached by a long stairway lined with painted panels of the Buddhist hells. Two terraces of shrines lead to a summit view over the Mekong floodplain, and monkeys work the steps.
Koh Trong Island
Nature · 4.5 rating · about 2.5 h · check the fee at the gate
A 6 km Mekong island reached by a five-minute ferry from the Kratie quay, circled by a single flat track through pomelo orchards, stilt villages and a floating Vietnamese hamlet. Bicycles and ox-carts are the transport; the loop takes…
Wat Roka Kandal
Temple · 4.4 rating · about 0.5 h · check the fee at the gate
A small nineteenth-century wooden pagoda 2 km south of town, one of the oldest surviving in the province and restored rather than rebuilt — dark teak columns, a low tiled roof and original painted panels inside.
Hundred Pillar Pagoda (Wat Sorsor Moi Roi)
Temple · 4.2 rating · about 0.8 h · check the fee at the gate
The largest wooden pagoda in Cambodia, at Sambor 33 km north of Kratie, its hall carried on more than a hundred columns. The present building replaced a much older one on the same site, and a legend of a girl sacrificed to a crocodile…
Koh Pdao Community Ecotourism
Cultural · 4.1 rating · about 2 h · check the fee at the gate
A community-run homestay and boat programme on a Mekong island 45 km north of Kratie, in the stretch where the dolphins range. Village-organised: ox-cart rides, rice-field walks and dolphin trips run by the families themselves.
Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre
Wildlife · 3.5 rating · about 0.8 h · check the fee at the gate
A hatchery inside the grounds of the hundred-column pagoda at Sambor, head-starting Cantor's giant softshell turtle — one of the rarest freshwater turtles in the world — from nests found by local villagers, then releasing them into the…
Where to stay in Kratie
Hotels
- Dary's Village Guesthouse & Restaurant
- Pomelo Homestay
- Sorya Guesthouse Cafe Restaurant & Bar
- Privada Lodge - Historic Hotel - Rooftop Bar & Grill
- Tonle Mekong Homestay
- Discover Kratie (dk) Homestay
Getting to Kratie
Nearest airport: Phnom Penh (Techo Intl) (KTI), about 173 km away in a straight line. The road or rail journey is longer.
Getting around
- Walking
Best time to visit Kratie
- Jan 33°C
- Feb 36°C
- Mar 38°C
- Apr 38°C
- May 34°C
- Jun 34°C
- Jul 33°C
- Aug 33°C
- Sep 32°C
- Oct 33°C
- Nov 32°C
- Dec 32°C
More in Cambodia
Frequently asked questions about Kratie
- What are the top-rated places to visit in Kratie?
- The highest-rated places in our Kratie guide are Koh Trong Island, Kampi Dolphin Pool, Phnom Sambok, Wat Roka Kandal, Kampi Rapids.
- How do I get around Kratie?
- Ways to get around Kratie covered in our guide: Walking.
- What is the weather like in Kratie?
- Average daytime highs in Kratie run from 32°C in Nov to 38°C in Mar.