Northeast Cambodia is a world unto itself, a landscape of rolling hills an secret waterfalls, and home to a patchwork of ethnic minorities, man of whom still use elephants to get around. It's not only the sights an sounds that are different up here, the temperature is notably cooler, i both Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri Provinces lie at almost 1000m.

Leaving the capital Phnom Penh, pass through the bustling Me kong town of Kompong Cham  before heading east to Sen Monoroi , the charming capital of Mondulkiri Province. Spend a few day here to bathe at Bou Sraa Waterfall, one of Cambodia's bigges waterfalls, take an elephant trek and explore Pnong villages be fore heading back to the Mekong at Kratie. This attractive littl town is the base to encounter one of the rarest mammals on earth, th elusive Irrawaddy river dolphin which lives in ever-dwindling number upstream from here.

Push north by express river boat up the Mekong, passing hundred of tiny islands and sand bars on a very scenic stretch of the river ti Stung Treng. To the east lies Ban Lung , provincial capital o Ratanakiri Province and your base for an adventure to remember. Fron here plunge into Cambodia's most beautiful natural swimming pool i Boeng Yeak Loam, ride an elephant through the rubber plantation to the stunning waterfall of Ka Tieng or visit the medieval gem mini  where much of Cambodia's zircon comes from.