An authentic village in the skirts of the Cardamom Mountains
This authentic village in the skirts of the Cardamom Mountains has something unique for you. Trek, cycle, kayak or boat in the Cardamon Mountains to discover the real, peaceful Cambodia, far from the crowds. The village itself offers tranquility and beautiful sunsets from the riverside. The forest is all around, so it doesn't take more than a short walk or kayak ride to listen to the birds and other animals. Check about housing and activities to find more about what the village has to offer.
With the help of Wildlife Alliance, our community is little by little changing from our old ways of exploiting the forest to a new sustainable way of making our living based on ecotourism. There are many activities to try in Chi Phat, from relatively challenging trekking tours sleeping in the forest, to relaxing tours to learn about the community. Guides, once poachers, lead you on jungle treks to waterfalls, grasslands and mountains that they know well, but few others have seen.
We, the people of Chi Phat, welcome visitors to our friendly community-based ecotourism project. Your visit provides many of us with worthwhile jobs. We can support our families sustainably. This improves our health, education and environment. Ecotourism helps prevent unsustainable use of forest resources, protecting our heritage and culture.
The Chi Phat community is led by own villagers, it employs a high percentage of its population with the services offered to tourists. The system is unique and this is one of the most interesting reasons to visit Chi Phat. The community ensures a fare employment to all by rotating work through the villagers. For example, there are over 80 cooks to serve tourists, only a couple are needed per day, so each day you'll be served food cooked by a different villager. This brings an interesting bit of excitement on the randomness of the services you'll get. For example, some guides speak good English, some guides almost none, as many other services, things are based a bit on luck.What to expectChi Phat is a small village far away from big cities, this means that you should consider a few things while planning a visit:Animals and insects are part of the environment. There is no big risk inside the village of encountering dangerous species, mostly you'll notice their noise at night. Mosquitos are active and if you plan to go to the forest there is chance of encountering malaria and dengue ones and, thought it's not a big risk, it is very good to be prepared with medicine and good Deet repelent. There are many dogs around, they are friendly but they might be noisy at night, as some other animals ... Facilities are basic, staying in bungalows is the most fancy option, where you'll get a private toilet and comfortable room, other options will give you a more village-like experience... No ATM or credit cards in the village, neither in Andoug Teuk, the closest town. Please make sure you bring enough cash with you.Medical care is also basic, make sure you bring all necessary ...Accessibility is not great, there are no good services for wheelchairs, visually impaired or other kind of disabilities in Chi Phat, please let us know if you require some special service to make sure if there is something we can do to make your visit feasible.