Kratie is known for the endangered Irrawaddy fresh water dolphins. They are found in the tiny bit of water on the Mekong Delta, quite far indeed from the Irrawaddy River in what is now called Myanmar. This is the first mystery of dolphins. The other mystery is what exactly they look like.
I was in Kratie just after the New Year for the wedding of a colleague. It was a classic overnight trip; leave Friday morning, drive five hours, arrive at noon, have lunch, take a nap, attend wedding, wake up, see dolphins, lunch, back in the van, sleep all day Sunday.
This wedding was convenient. Kratie is quite far West. I needed an excuse to go for the dolphins. Kratie is a charming little town. My colleagues and I voted it one of the nicer provincial capitals, as well as counting at least four restaurants catering to Westerners, solidly pleasant while not overwhelming. Kratie is off the beaten trail for backpackers, but it's still makes the cut for enough, based on our observations.
The dolphins are located at least 14 kilometers away from Kratie town. It's a quick 20 minute tuk tuk ride through villages which all looks very typical rural Cambodia. Then you pay a fee covering the cost of a renting a boat for one hour to cruise around the one specific river area where there are dolphins. I was with a group of around seven coworkers and we were determined to not only see these dolphins, but photograph them.
I gave up on photographing the dolphins around five minutes into it. I just barely got one, and this was sufficient. They reveal their backs and tails, the boat charts a course towards them, they resurface if they will, but typically they do not. You cruise around on the boat which thankfully has an awning, and enjoy the cool breezes on the water.
The best part of the dolphin adventure was paying just a little extra and cruising north towards the river sandbars. There we climbed out and saw the rapids, crawled through the sand, and had the time of our lives in this beautiful nature. This was the best, undoubtedly. Then again, how often does one see freshwater dolphins?
I gave up on photographing the dolphins around five minutes into it. I just barely got one, and this was sufficient. They reveal their backs and tails, the boat charts a course towards them, they resurface if they will, but typically they do not. You cruise around on the boat which thankfully has an awning, and enjoy the cool breezes on the water.
The best part of the dolphin adventure was paying just a little extra and cruising north towards the river sandbars. There we climbed out and saw the rapids, crawled through the sand, and had the time of our lives in this beautiful nature. This was the best, undoubtedly. Then again, how often does one see freshwater dolphins?
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