Kampong Cham and the Bamboo Bridge

A Mekong River Town With The Kizuna Bridge, A French Colonial Centre And Wat Nokor Bachey, A Modern Pagoda Built Inside An 11th Century Khmer Sandstone Temple. A Seasonal Bamboo Bridge Crosses The River To Koh Paen Island In The Dry Season. Quiet, Cheap And Out Of The Way · Kampong Cham, Kampong Cham

Kampong Cham is a calm Mekong river town about 120 km from Phnom Penh, two to three hours by road. It has a French colonial centre, a long riverside and the Kizuna bridge, a Japanese-funded crossing that opened in 2001. About 3 km north-west stands Wat Nokor Bachey, where a modern pagoda has been built inside an 11th-century Khmer sandstone temple, so monks pray beside carved ancient walls. Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei, the hills of the man and the woman, are small pagoda hilltops nearby. Each dry season villagers build a bamboo bridge across the Mekong to Koh Paen island, and the rains wash it away again. The town suits people who like cheap, quiet river life and short temple stops. It is worth a night on the road to Kratie or the east, especially in the dry season when the bamboo bridge stands. It is not worth a special trip from Siem Reap alone, as it is gentle and small, not grand, and it will disappoint anyone who expects another Angkor.

Kampong Cham town on the Mekong, and Wat Nokor Bachey 3 km to the north-west, about 120 km north-east of Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampong Cham, Cambodia

Wat Nokor Bachey is usually open in daylight, with a small foreign visitor fee that you should confirm at the gate. The inner shrine can be CLOSED during ceremonies or for lunch, and the temple can be busy on Buddhist holidays. Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei are open in daylight and are FREE to climb, though a donation to the monks is welcome. The bamboo bridge exists only in the dry season, usually from around November to May, and is CLOSED and gone in the rains when the river rises. The riverside promenade and the Kizuna bridge are FREE and open at all hours.

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