Sopheakmit Waterfall

Sopheakmit is the Cambodian end of the great Mekong falls that straddle the border with Laos, where the river spreads into a maze of channels and drops over ledges of rock in a series of chutes and rapids rather than a single curtain; on the Lao side the same system includes Khone Phapheng, the fall that stopped French plans to use the Mekong as a route into China. The volume is the thing here rather than the height. The village of Preah Rumkel nearby runs a community tourism project with homestays, and boat trips go out to look for Irrawaddy dolphins in the deep pool below, one of the last places in the Mekong they survive, with only a handful of animals left.

What you actually see

• The rapids and chutes - the Mekong dropping over rock ledges.
• Braided channels - the river split into many arms at the border.
• Irrawaddy dolphins - the tiny remaining population in the pool below.
• Community homestays - the Preah Rumkel project on the bank.

When to go

November to February, when the water has dropped enough to expose the rock and the boats can work. In the high-water months the falls are a brown flood and the shapes disappear. Dolphins are seen year round but with difficulty.

Honest expectations

Dolphin numbers here are extremely low and sightings are brief glimpses at best; this population may not survive. The road from Stung Treng is rough. Boats are hired whole. Facilities at the village are basic homestays.

Nearby

Stung Treng lies south; the Lao border is immediately north.