The temples surrounding Siam Reap are among the most renowned cultural sites in Southeast Asia. Photo: Philip Round
For several decades Cambodia suffered through a seemingly unending civil war, which effectively closed the country off to all tourism. But all that has ended now, and the Cambodians have opened their country to the outside world. Certainly the most outstanding tourist attractions are the temples surrounding Siam Reap in the heart of the Khemer Empire, an empire that lasted from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The best known of these temples is Angkor Wat, with its soaring towers and intricate carvings on the walls. But there are many more, lesser known temples, some of which seem to grow right out of the jungle.
Beyond the archeological highlights, which are spectacular in themselves, Cambodia also offers outstanding birdwatching opportunities. Many of the larger species that have been largely or completely extirpated from surrounding countries can still be found in Cambodia, sometimes quite commonly. In particular, we have a chance of seeing seven species of stork—including the highly threatened Milky Stork and the Greater Adjutant—Sarus Crane, Spot-billed Pelican, Bengal Florican, and the highly endangered White-shouldered and spectacular Giant Ibis. While vultures have been virtually extirpated from southeast Asia, moderate numbers of up to three species still occur in the Chep district of northeast Cambodia, which we will visit. Cambodia’s dry savanna and dry dipterocarp woodlands are probably the most pristine left in Southeast Asia. Here a number of specialized landbirds can be found, including up to a dozen species of woodpecker. We will also visit the great Mekong River in search of the newly described and striking Mekong Wagtail and the endangered Irawaddy River Dolphin.
Day 1: The tour begins this afternoon at Siem Reap airport, Cambodia. After transferring to our hotel, we’ll experience the sunset at Angkor.
Day 2: We’ll have a full day to explore one of the architectural wonders of the world, the ruins of the old Khmer capital, Angkor, forgotten in the jungles for almost five hundred years until discovered by French explorer Henri Mouhot in the mid-nineteenth century. Notwithstanding the restoration work that has been carried out, the sense that the jungle is waiting to reclaim Angkor is never far away. Besides giving our full attention to the magnificent carvings and temple friezes at the Bayon, we’ll also find many birds, including Alexandrine and Red-breasted Parakeets, Lineated and Coppersmith Barbets, Asian Barred Owlet, Black Baza, Black-headed Bulbul, and Asian Brown Flycatcher.
Day 3: We’ll take a full day’s excursion to the Ang Trapaeng Thmor protected area. This reservoir, constructed for irrigation during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s and 1980s and surrounded by rice paddies, is now an important area for waterbirds. We expect to find over 200 Sarus Cranes, hundreds of Comb Duck, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Purple Swamphen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, and Greater Painted-snipe. We may also find Small Buttonquail, Australasian Bushlark, and, if we are lucky, Milky Stork, Greater Spotted Eagle, and perhaps some other scarcer waterbirds. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 4: We’ll take a full-day boat excursion to the magnificent waterbird breeding colony at Prek Toal, the core area of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. Among many other species, we expect to see hundreds of Oriental Darters, Great and Indian Cormorants, Spot-billed Pelican (listed as threatened), Painted Stork, Asian Openbill, Lesser and a few of the endangered Greater Adjutants, Black-headed Ibis, and Gray-headed Fish Eagle (listed as “near-threatened”). We may also find Milky Stork, a few pairs of which nest here. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 5: We’ll have an all-day drive to Thmatboey, in Preah Vihear Province on the northern plains, stopping en route near Kompong Thom to search for the endangered Bengal Florican and Manchurian Reed Warbler in the floodplain grasslands. Other grassland birds may include Small Buttonquail, Australasian Bushlark, and Asian Golden and Streaked Weavers. As we near Thmatboey, we’ll look out for dry dipterocarp woodland birds such as the Alexandrine Parakeet and the near-threatened White-rumped Falcon, endemic to southeast Asia. We’ll settle into our accommodation in the village’s ecotourism cottages, arranged under the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Ibis Tourism Project.
Days 6 and 7: We’ll have two full days of birding around Thmatboey, one of the richest lowland habitats in Southeast Asia. While birds can be hard to see in many other forested habitats, birding in these relatively open, dry dipterocarp woodlands, savannas, and pools is an absolute delight. At times we’ll be seeing birds faster than we can possibly note them down. The diversity of woodpeckers is outstanding, with fully sixteen species recorded; among them are Black-headed, Streak-throated, White-bellied, Great Slaty, and Yellow-crowned Woodpeckers. There is also a chance of Rufous-belied Woodpecker. Other medium-to-large birds include Indian and Javan Nightjars, Yellow-footed Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Blossom-headed and Alexandrine Parakeets, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Rufous-winged Buzzard, White-rumped Falcon, Blue Magpie, and Rufous Treepie. The many smaller birds include minivets, Common Woodshrike, Indochinese Cuckoo-shrike, White-browed Fantail, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, and Brown Prinia. We have at least a reasonable chance of seeing the vulnerable and elusive Pale-capped Pigeon. We’ll also expect to see Woolly-necked Storks, but the real prizes awaiting us are the two critically endangered ibises, Giant and the even rarer and more threatened White-shouldered. The bugling of Giant Ibis may be heard from our accommodation in the early morning. Overnight in Tmatboey Ecotourism Committee Cottages.
Day 8: After stocking up on supplies in Tbeng Meanchey and adding cooks and a local escort to our number, we’ll drive six hours to Chhep, along rough roads that in places are little more than a cart track. We’ll take short breaks along the way, which will allow for some birding in better-quality forest. We may expect to see some of the same species we have already encountered, including Lesser Adjutants, Black Baza, raptors, and woodpeckers, but there is always the possibility of surprises and new additions. Overnight in wooden field house.
Day 9: All day will be spent birding in Chhep, the vulture restaurant. We’ll observe the vultures from blinds, and should see all three of the globally threatened vultures, Red-headed, White-rumped, and Slender-billed, the latter two critically endangered. The grasslands and surrounding mature deciduous forest here are largely undisturbed, and reflect what parts of Southeast Asia looked like many decades ago. Raptors are numerous here, and the surrounding forests are full of birds. We may see Black-necked and Woolly-necked Storks and more Gray-headed Fish Eagles, and there is also the possibility of Aquila eagles. We’ll drive to a site for White-winged Duck before settling in to our campsite for the night.
Day 10: We’ll have an early stake-out at the duck site this morning. We’ll encounter many forest birds in the area, and in addition to White-winged Duck, Giant Ibis, Lesser Adjutant, Siamese Fireback, White-headed Duck, Swinhoe’s Minivet, and Black-necked Stork are possible. Overnight at campsite.
Day 11: After a final morning of birding around the duck pond, we’ll spend the rest of the day on the long drive to Kompong Thom. Night in Arun Ras Hotel, Kompong Thom.
Day 12: Transfer to Kratie from Kompong Cham, approximately 3 hours. We’ll take a boat on the Mekong River to look over a diverse section of river with sand and shingle banks. We should find the endemic and strikingly plumaged Mekong Wagtail, in addition to Spot-billed Duck, Small Pratincole, and River Lapwing, and if we’re lucky, we’ll see River Tern and the endangered Irrawaddy River Dolphin. Overnight in Santepheap Hotel, Kratie.
Day 13: Breakfast in Kratie will be followed by a lakeside stop before we travel approximately 2.5 hours to Keo Seima town, our base for the next day and a half as we bird the evergreen forests of southern Mondulkiri. This little-explored corner of Cambodia preserves one of the largest remaining blocks of Southern Annamitic forest, providing a chance to see birds not encountered elsewhere in the country. Some of the species that could be seen here are more commonly associated with Vietnam, among them Germain’s Peacock-pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pittas, Golden-crested Myna, and Gray-faced Tit-babbler. All of these are possible during our seach for the localized, globally endangered Orange-necked Partridge. The first evening will be spent looking for this enigmatic bird in its favored bamboo forest. Overnight in Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area (SBCA).
Day 14: In the early morning we will continue the search for Orange-necked Partridge and take the opportunity to try to track down the other Southern Annamite specialties. In the evening we will travel deeper into the conservation area to some less disturbed forest. Green Peafowl are seen regularly in the area and are sometimes observed by the main road. Evenings are the best time to see the area’s mammalian specialty, the Black-shanked Douc; it is thought that more than half of the world’s population of this endangered primate is found in the SBCA, where it is commonly seen in roadside trees. Night in Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area (SBCA).
Day 15: The tour ends with our transfer to the airport in Phnom Penh.
Updated: 11 June 2008
Prices
- 2009 price about $4,610
- Single Occupancy Supplement $210
Notes
Maximum group size 12 with two leaders.