Unlike some of the rural villages in Cambodia that are tourist traps seemingly designed to part you with your dollars, the Cham villages around Kampong Cham give you the opportunity to see village life and meet villagers.

Your guide (organized from a local guesthouse) usually brings toothbrushes and shampoo for the kids, who love posing for the camera. Learn about house building and fishing techniques and how villagers adapt to the changes of the seasons. The villagers are poor, but have beautiful, wide-open spaces where they grow their own vegetables, raise their own cattle, and have started growing high-grade tobacco.

On the way, pass by Vietnamese fishing villages and wave hello to the children. The money goes toward improving the lives of the people there. On the way back you catch the sunset, and get a waterside view of the lighthouse and the bamboo bridge.

By local ferry. Take a boat which can be arranged by the guesthouses and restaurants along the river. Lazy Mekong Daze donates a portion of the profits to benefit the village, especially the education of its children.

  • What it is: Island villages along the Mekong River.
  • When to go: Accessible in the late afternoon
  • Nearest town: Kampong Cham
  • Trivia: The villages in the area grow tobacco to help raise money for their whole village.
  • Entrance fee: Guided tours are around $6
  • Contact: Dary (Lazy Mekong Daze) +855(0)11 624 048