Siem Reap (TAN): An agro-tourism company in Cambodia’s Siem Reap city is aiming to take visitors down memory lane on a history trip.
Tourists can visit the dwindling traditional farms of the country and experience rural living preserved from the time Cambodia was ruled by the royals.
Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. It is a popular resort town and a gateway to the Angkor region.
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The Chreav community, located about 10km from the Angkor Wat temple complex, harks back to the days of oxcarts, dirt roads and manual farming.
Krouch Ly promotes Chreav community as an agro-tourism destination. He began arranging tours around the community in March 2013.
“The oxcart tour is a unique experience. The oxcart is useful for serving many purposes, from family transportation to farming activities. Taking a trip on a cart drawn by two oxen is an affordable and safe adventure, allowing you to conveniently explore the countryside and the country’s ancient civilisation,” he told Phnom Penh Post.
Tourists can watch farmers grow crops in the natural way and even cook local traditional Khmer food with them. They can also shop at a local market, visit local schools, ride an oxcart, do some bird-watching and enjoy a meal together with the locals.
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Chreav is a community of seven villages and is home to more than 2,500 families. Now, with several private tourism companies bringing guests to experience village life, many of the families earn their living by offering homestays to visiting tourists.
“The local people earn income from tourism by providing a homestay service, as well as selling home-grown vegetables and fruit,” said Ly, who is founder of eco-tourism company Agro-tourism Cambodia.
With each passing year, the number of homestays is increasing, with some even offering air-conditioning and swimming pools. At Chreav, homestays and guesthouses are available from USD 8 to USD 18 a night.
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