Angkor Wat

After travelling extensively throughout Cambodia, popular Naturetrek tour leader, Neil McMahon, was instrumental in helping to design this exciting new tour which he thoroughly enjoyed leading earlier this year. Three groups embarked on an exciting journey to explore this wonderful country in January and February 2020, shortly before the world went into lockdown. Here we interview Neil about his love for Cambodia, the tour itself and why you should certainly consider this holiday for the future.

Can you give us a brief summary of the itinerary?

Our Cambodian adventure takes us initially to Siem Reap where we visit world-famous temples, and from this vibrant, travellers’ town, we enjoy excursions to the waterbird colonies of Tonle Sap Lake, search for the iconic Sarus Cranes and many other wildlife highlights in the west of the country. Day four takes us south-east to seek the rare Bengal Florican and other special birds of the grasslands before moving on to Tmatboey, where our 3-night stay provides the opportunity to see Giant Ibis, White-shouldered Ibis and other specialities of this seasonally flooded forest. A visit to Preah Vihear Temple on the Thai border and our first view of the River Mekong follows, before continuing on to the ‘Vulture Restaurant’ where we hope to find the three endangered species of Asiatic vulture: Red-headed, Slender-billed and White-rumped. We then enjoy a boat trip on the Mekong to find the wonderful Irrawaddy Dolphins before touring east towards the Vietnamese border as we go in search of the primates and birds of the forests and highlands of this special region. We finish our fascinating tour in the capital Phnom Penh to savour more cultural and historical delights! On every tour we also have an expert local guide and all temple tours are enjoyed with qualified local guides. All in all this tour really covers the very best areas for wildlife, while also ensuring we do not neglect the special culture and people of Cambodia as we travel.

Why do you love Cambodia?

South-east Asia is a region rich in history, culture and wildlife. Cambodia itself is a country relatively new to eco-tourism but provides an opportunity to see many birds in particular which are almost impossible to see elsewhere. Poorer and less influential politically than some of the countries in the region, the modern and historical culture provides a unique blend as Cambodia opens up to the rest of the world. In addition to the special wildlife that can still be found here, the respectful, unassuming and polite manner of the Cambodian people is truly charming.

When is the best time to go?

Cambodia is a country that retains a wet and dry season, and tourism and eco-tourism tends to be most popular in the dry season between November and April. Some of the wildlife breeds all year around but many of the birds time their breeding season commencing in December/January. The dry season also permits ease of travel for us, with the wet season ensuring that access to some sites is difficult.

How do you get around on the tour?

For visiting some remote areas, well off the usual tourist trail, getting the transport right is very important. For this tour we use comfortable, air-conditioned 4x4 vehicles to travel between sites and accommodation which works very well indeed. We utilise small boats for excursions on Tonle Sap Lake and on the River Mekong.

What does the Naturetrek tour seek to achieve?

We strive to show you the special wildlife of this country first and foremost – concentrations of waterbirds, birds of the forest and of course internationally rare birds such as Bengal Florican, White-shouldered and Giant Ibis, Milky Stork, Cambodian Tailorbird and many more. Butterflies, odonata and other insects in general are poorly known but plentiful. Mammals we hope and expect to find are rare langurs and gibbons, Irrawaddy Dolphins, flying squirrels and more. Remnant populations of Asian Elephants, Gaur (forest cattle) and Eld’s Deer are here in small numbers, but they are hard to find and any sighting would be considered a real bonus. We also seek to provide a taste of the religion and modern and historic culture of the people that live here. Our local guides provide a personal view of the relatively recent conflict in the country and proudly showcase how people live and prosper in modern-day Cambodia.

What wildlife can I expect to see?

All of the 2020 tours produced an amazing 295 species of bird or more, over 14 species of mammal on every tour and a whole host of butterflies, moths and dragonflies which we tried to identify, along with reptiles and amphibians too. We take an interest in everything. We succeeded this year in seeing ‘Cambodia’s Big 5’ on every tour (Giant and White-shouldered Ibis, Red-headed, Slender-billed and White-rumped Vulture) and a whole host of other special species. Mammals can be a challenge but we target some exciting species including Black-shanked Douc Langur, Germain's Langur, Pileated Gibbon, Southern Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon and Irrawaddy Dolphin which we had great success in finding, along with a number of squirrels this year and even Gaur on one tour!

What about the weather, mosquitoes and other troublesome insects?

The weather will typically be hot and sunny. Cloud cover can cool the days and nights and sudden downpours of rain or winds are possible. Long-sleeved, collared shirts/blouses, long trousers and walking shoes/light walking boots would be suitable attire for most activities. Mosquitoes persist in small numbers throughout but are rarely an issue. Most of Cambodia is malaria free but we will visit border areas where it does exist, but with low risk. Most travel clinics advise against the need to take precautionary medication but this is an individual choice. Leeches are very rarely encountered in the dry season but ticks and occasional other biting insects are present but to a lesser extent than in, for example, middle England in the summer!

What is the food and accommodation like?

The Cambodian people are very proud of their produce and food preparation. Locally-grown rice accompanies all meals and most meals are not spiced like many in SE Asian countries – chilli pepper and sauces are often offered separately. Fish is popular and there is a selection of locally grown vegetables and fruit for all main meals. The most commonly-encountered meat is chicken, pork or beef. The standard of food on all three of our tours in 2020 was very good and often excellent. Vegetarian and vegan opportunities and food allergies were catered for well. At some of our venues it was possible to opt for Western-style dishes. All water to be consumed should be bottled water, which is provided. Soft drinks and beers are readily available at restaurants and our accommodation. Opportunities exist for us to visit community markets and see what the locals savour! Most of our accommodation will be at comfortable tourist hotels or nature lodges, with three nights at a basic community lodge at Tmatboey and one night camping. Electricity for charging will be available at the majority of our venues for most, if not all, of the time. Laundry facilities exist at most of our accommodation with free Wi-Fi available apart from Tmatboey and when camping.

What efforts are made to conserve the wildlife of Cambodia and how does our visit help?

We work with the very best local guides and organisations which set out to preserve local wildlife by involving the local communities in conservation/monitoring programmes and by promoting eco-tourism. The areas we visit rely on groups such as ours and as well as the benefit our visit brings, over US$2,000 for each group went specifically to further safeguard ‘Cambodia’s Big 5’ at Tmatboey and Boeng Toal in particular. Vultures are fully protected in Cambodia with the veterinary drug diclofenac banned and the feeding programme we support is vital in making sure the vultures don’t need to stray into neighbouring countries, and the monitoring and guarding of the ibis is critical for their survival at Tmatboey.

What were the highlights of the 2020 trips?

Gosh where do we start? Encountering two bull Gaur standing in the track in front of us one evening was definitely one of them! The proximity and numbers of waterbirds on Lake Tonle Sap is always exciting, as is the challenge of locating rare storks among them. Visits to the floating village, the fascinating temples, the charismatic primates, the grace and presence of the dolphins, the fluttering of gaudy butterflies and metallic dragonflies, with the endearing manners of the Cambodian people are constant highlights. The first exciting views of the prehistoric-looking Giant Ibis, the manic Great Slaty Woodpecker and the exquisite beauty of the minivets are always exciting, memorable encounters. All three tours were successful at locating Giant Ibis, White-shouldered Ibis, Milky Stork, Sarus Crane, Bengal Florican, Red-headed, White-rumped and Slender-billed Vultures, Mekong Wagtail, Cambodian Tailorbird, Irrawaddy Dolphin and at least one species of gibbon and langur. One tour struck lucky with the exceptionally rare White-winged Duck and two of the tours saw the stately Greater Adjutant. Chuckle moments were created by our local guides, particularly Mardy Sean who endeavoured to live up to his claim of knowing more jokes than any other guide in Cambodia!