Where it sits
Kratie straddles the Mekong in the country’s east, a long day north of Phnom Penh. The provincial town is essentially one riverfront and a grid of shophouses behind it, and it is one of the more pleasant small towns in Cambodia to do nothing in.
What to see
The dolphins are the draw. At Kampi, about fifteen kilometres north of town, small boats take groups out at dawn or late afternoon to the deep pool where the animals gather. The Mekong population is critically endangered and numbers only in the dozens, so choose an operator that cuts the engine and keeps its distance.
Directly opposite the town, Koh Trong is a river island you can cycle around in a couple of hours — pomelo orchards, a floating Vietnamese village, homestays and some of the best sunsets on the river.
Phnom Sombok, a small hilltop pagoda on the road to Kampi, gives a view over the whole floodplain.
When to come
December to May, when water levels drop and the dolphins concentrate in the deep pools, gives the best chance of a sighting.