 |
| Tatai river |
Curving softly through the world-famous Cardamom Mountains in Koh Kong province, the Tatai River is clear and warm. Stretching from the dramatic mountains in the province’s northeast to the picturesque mangrove flats of the western seaboard, it occasionally splits into tributaries and lake-like shallows.
The tidal waterway, which is several hundred metres wide and about 20 metres deep for the majority of its course, alternates from salt to fresh water through the course of each day — creating a layered phenomenon with cool water at the surface and warm water running beneath. A mild current makes it a perfect place for water-based activities.
“It’s pretty unique here. There are only two places with mountain ranges in Cambodia, and Koh Kong is one of those,” says Lois Woodward, a wilderness activities expert based at local eco-resort Rainbow Lodge.
“We are on the edge of the Cardamom Mountains, which is the largest surviving rainforest [in Southeast Asia] now. The community is very reliant on nature here; still very in touch with fishing and farming,” she adds.
With accommodation limited near the weaving Tatai, Rainbow Lodge provides access to a range of activities. Expert guides can lead visitors through primary rainforest, pointing out birds, wildlife and rare flora along secluded tracks.
A wide variety of berries and fruit line the way and trekkers can even spot the jungle’s namesake — the cardamom spice — in bright green, finger-length pods. It grows wild alongside green ‘jungle chillis’ that mature naturally in the soft, fertile soil.
With paths about one-person wide, trails often succumb to the overwhelming power of aggressive tropical jungle and guides carry machetes to clear bamboo or new branches. While there are some tricky root obstacles and the odd low-hanging branch to scramble under, a hike through the Cardamoms is suitable for almost every age and level of fitness, apart from a short, steep climb at the beginning of the trek.
“In reality we don’t know how much longer it will be here,” Woodward says of the wild forest that sees poachers and loggers alike coming to claim spoils. “There is a wealth of different wildlife you don’t find in other places. I spotted a baby sun bear once, but didn’t hang around for mum to come back.”
There is also a large variety of snakes, some venomous, in the area during wet season. The golden tree snake, part of a family of ‘flying snakes’, has the ability to jump from tree to tree.
Lasting for two, five or eight hours, the treks conclude at the Tatai waterfalls — a series of steep rapids that intermittently pool in naturally formed jacuzzi-like hollows. In wet season, the rocky enclave is bursting with gushing rapids and is a popular spot with local visitors. Nestle into one of the smaller falls for a one-of-a-kind back, neck and shoulder massage.
For bird enthusiasts the Cardamoms prove a rare haven for precious wildlife, while a guided or unguided kayaking adventure along the gentle flow of the Tatai can reveal secret inlets and tributaries perfect for exploring.
Woodward’s background is in wilderness therapy, a form of social intervention for young and at-risk people that helps them develop confidence, trust and social skills in an outdoor environment. From this experience, she is developing a range of activities in the Tatai area focused on children and young adults, such as rock scrambling and orienteering courses.
Along with kayaking, swimming and boat cruises, visitors can camp in hammocks at the Tatai waterfalls during overnight treks run from
the Lodge.
“We set them up with a BBQ and bottle of wine,” Woodward says, accenting the ready availability of creature comforts, despite the wild setting. “Because it’s less developed, you can have that experience of being in nature. It’s quiet — you can come away and have a good night’s sleep. The animals are the first sound you hear, not the traffic.”
Sourch:http://www.asialifemagazine.com/cambodia/tatai-river-in-koh-kong-province/
Koh Kong is the most southwestern province of Cambodia. It is one of the biggest provinces in the whole country with a long undeveloped coastline and a mountainous, forested and largely inaccessible interior, which embraces part of the Cardamom Mountains, the biggest coherent rainforest of Southeast Asia. Its tourist attractions include abundant wildlife; big waterfalls and casinos on the border to Thailand, while an Export Processing Zone and new port facilities are being developed for international trade.
The province is an increasingly popular gateway to Cambodia from Hat Lek in southern Thailand, in part of the reasonably direct access to the port and beach resort town of Sihanoukville. While this was previously a gruelling journey by boat and pickup on rough bumpy roads using small ferries at river crossings, the donation by the Thai government of new road infrastructure is improving access greatly.
The name means " Krong Island Province". Its capital is Krong Koh Kong, which is located in the West of the province right next to the Thai border. The city is surrounded with a large forested area connected to the mainland by bridges and ferries. It's generally a quiet town, but there are many reasons to stay in Koh Kong for more than one night such as the nearby islands, rivers, tours into the nature and the buzzing nightlife.
The people of Koh Kong speak mainly Khmer, and most speak some Thai as well. You can also find many Chinese and Vietnamese speakers as well as a lot of broken English. Your stay here will be economical as lodging, food and transportation is relatively cheap here. Please make this place a stop on your travels through S.E. Asia and you won't be disappointed.
Environment
Koh Kong town is located just below the southern end of the Cardamom Mountains. The Kah Bpow river which runs through the town begins in the Cardamoms and runs down to join the Gulf of Thailand. The town’s relatively remote location, close to the Cardamoms and the Thai border, has made it the centre of an active wildlife smuggling trade. Much wildlife captured in the Central Cardamoms goes to supply the restaurants and fresh markets in Koh Kong town. Wild meat is usually for local consumption but various animals parts, bones, hides etc. are sold to wildlife traders. In 2000, wildlife traders from Thailand were reported to come to Koh Kong town each month to purchase wildlife products. Some trophies are also reported to be sold to Trat Province in Thailand.[10]
In 2005, Cambodia’s infamous tiger hunter, Yor Ngun was finally captured in Koh Kong town. He was eventually charged with having killed and sold at least 19 tigers, 40 leopards, 30 elephants, 500 gaur, banteng and sambar, 40 Malayan sun bears and three Asiatic bears. Ngun who was 57 at the time of his arrest, is reported to have been trapping and snaring animals in the Cambodian jungle since 1970s.[12] The organisation Wildlife Alliance (known at the time as WildAid) had Ngun on their "top wanted hunters list" since 2001 due to his reputation as a "notorious tiger hunter." Authorities captured him once in 2004, but he was released after signing an agreement to stop poaching. At the time of his arrest in Koh Kong, he was carrying animal parts, including 25 bear jaws and 82 bear nails. In August 2005, he was sentenced at the Koh Kong provincial court to seven years in prison.
Koh Kong township and the area nearby was also the centre of widespread illegal logging of broad leaf deciduous forests in the Cardamoms. According to environmental agencies, the government logging ban in 2001, has slowed but not prevented the logging trade.
Botum Sakor National Park is a national park of Cambodia. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, Botum Sakor is a peninsula projecting southwest from the Cardamom Mountains. The National Park comprises 183,408 hectares of designated park land and spans three districts of Koh Kong Province: Kiri Sakor, Botum Sakor and Koh Kong. The park is under the administration of the Cambodian Ministry of Environment.
The majority of Botum Sakor’s area comprises gently sloping lowland and flood plains. The climate is characterized by a tropical monsoon and the area has two high tides per day with a range of approximately 1.5 m. The human population of Botum Sakor National Park is unknown. Disturbance is however known to be extremely high with an estimated 229 km² (~30 km²/year) of evergreen forest lost from 1997 - 2002 through illegal logging2. Although this large scale illegal logging has been halted in the last few years, the area is now under extreme threat of destruction under the pretext of so-called development1. A Chinese company named "Chinese Development Group Co" started the clearing of around 36.000 hectares of land in the district of Kiri Sakor in August 2010. This project, situated to the east of the peninsula, is officially worth US$5 billion and will include the construction of new roads, an airport, a port, a golf course, an ecotourism site and a large commercial area with residential living, hotels, restaurants and retail stores. There are serious concerns in the conservation community as well as in the local population that little, if any, international-standard environmental impact assessments were made prior to the approval of this massive development project, which is expected to last up to 25 years.
Wildlife in Botum Sakor National Park
Recent camera-trap evidence suggests that the area is home to several critically endangered species such as the Asian elephant, the Indochinese tiger, the clouded leopard, the sun bear, and other endangered species. Local poachers affirm that there is also quite a considerable population of pilaeted gibbons. Several kinds of snakes including charismatic species such as the king cobra and the Malay pit viper are regularly seen, and subsequently hacked to death by local residents, at local plantations. There is also a known small population of Siamese crocodiles in some of the parks creeks. As for the remote interior of the park, no scientific investigation has ever been carried out due to the area's extremely hard terrain. Although Wildlife Alliance conducts conservation and wildlife and forest protection programs within Botum Sakor National Park, poaching remains extremely rampant and it is generally believed that what this area of Cambodia, classified as one of the world's 25 top biodiversity hot spots by Wildlife Alliance, is destined to be turned into a ghost-forest unless radical measures are taken.
