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NOT every diver’s dream is to watch shimmering shoals of fish swim through coral reefs in dazzlingly blue seas. For Laura Tuominen, the ultimate diving experience is not to be found in the Red Sea or the Caribbean, but in a labyrinth of spectacular underwater caves beneath the pavements of Budapest. The Hungarian capital is already famous worldwide for its steaming hot spas and thermal baths. But the underwater Janos Molnar cave system, named after the Hungarian pharmacist who discovered it in the 19th century, has become a hot tip for diving aficionados. Around seven kilometres in length and previously open only to scientific expeditions, the cave became accessible to the public – that is, qualified divers – when a diving centre was opened here in 2015. “We are under Budapest! It’s amazing!” shouts Tuominen, a 39-year-old Finnish anaesthesiologist and passionate amateur diver, as she jumps into the warm waters from a platform mounted in the narrow space at th

Raising sheets of white paper with numbers written on it, Chheav Taing Kouch a travel agent from Peak DMC Cambodia calls each one as he assembles his group prior to trekking inside the Angkor archaeological park. This was the first-ever trekking journey organised by the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) on November 4, in the park and its jungle fringes that’s located beyond the famous Angkor temples. As the trekkers progressed through each of the 12km journey, sweat began to soak their t-shirts. The heat of the morning sun added to the strain of their long walk. The first-ever organised journey through the park served to promote and expand tourism packages beyond the temples. It also included planting trees and a charity fundraising for the Angkor Hospital for Children, says CATA president Chhay Sivlin. “We want to extend our tour packages by introducing trekking to tour operators. This way, they can arrange packages for visitors apart from just exploring our beau

It's time to feed his livestock, and Neuom Deuk, 37, who used to work in construction for some 20 years, gets to work feeding his chickens. He has been raising them for the past year. Trained in animal husbandry with other locals, he does not use any harmful chemicals or steroids in his feed. His livestock is sold at chicken and duck shops in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Among his many customers is the Phum Sla Eco-Resort, which supports community projects like vegetable growing and livestock breeding so that its guests can have good, healthy fresh meat and greens. To get to the resort, one has to travel along an urban road leading to Chork pagoda about 2km away. Along the way, one can see rows of replanted trees sprouting new leaves in the middle of the road. There is a sign announcing one’s arrival at Phum Sla Eco-Resort, where huge ponds located on the left, with Phnom Krom in the background, help to reduce the sun’s heat. Three canals, connected to each other by woo

Chhay Roka Waterfall, with its beautiful wild flower strewn waterfall and its natural swimming pool, is fast becoming a popular spot for both local and foreign tourists, and its isolated location down small, winding paths means that motorbikes are the transport of choice for those who venture to this glorious location. Located near Veal Veng district’s O’Som commune, situated in Pursat province, Chhay Roka Waterfall is a natural wonder estimated to be 40m high and 25m wide, with its swimming pool 2m deep. “Visitors can hire motorbike from nearby villagers or a homestay guesthouse. They reach the area by passing though banana plantations and forested areas." “It only takes one hour, but drivers can easily lose their way if they do not have experience, so we recommend a guide,” said homestay owner and local guide Noun Lim. Lim is head of Osoam Community Centre and runs a homestay guesthouse situated on the villages’ famously cold lake. He also acts as a local gui

A wooden staircase with over one thousands steps, built in August 2017 to transport supplies to soldiers on the site of a contentious military frontier with Thailand, has now become an unlikely tourist attraction for many in the Kingdom. The staircases’ 1181 steps lead to Than Temple at the summit of the Dangrek mountain range – in which Cambodian troops patrol in a long running border dispute with neighbouring Thailand – offering breathtaking views over the national frontier into the Thai countryside. Located in Samrong town’s O’Teuk Chaol village, Oddar Meanchey province, the wooden staircase was initially built for the benefit of soldiers to transport supplies to the mountain’s peak, but it now also attracts tourists who want to experience the views from the top. “Soldiers make a bit of money from selling food and beverages to tourists,” Oddar Meanchey provincial Department of Tourism head Thiny Mony Raksmey said. Before reaching the temple, tourists encounter a giant anc

Most people travelling to Mondulkiri province head to its most famous waterfalls Bou Sra, Kbal Preah, Romanear I & II and Monorom. But what most visitors generally don’t experience, however, are the province’s shortest and highest waterfalls. Leng Ong and Leng Khin waterfalls are officially the province’s shortest and tallest waterfalls respectively, and in an ironic twist of fate the two record breakers are located less than 300m apart in O’Reang district’s Pou Yam village, 26km from Mondulkiri town. Leng Ong Waterfall measures less than one metre in the dry season and 1m in the rainy season. While Leng Khin Waterfall, the province’s highest, measures 25m in the dry season and 28m in the rainy season. Both waterfalls are covered by dense trees in a cool and calm environment, and at each waterfall’s base there is a big water reservoir in which tourists can swim. Mondulkiri Tourism Department head Ngin Sovimean explained that a lack of infrastructure and knowledge of the

Two Cambodian brothers broke new ground and found a creative way to earn a living after teaching themselves to build an airboat, now using the vehicle to provide tours of Tonle Sap lake. In 2012, Som Samnorp and his younger brother Som Samnang – both engineers from Arey Ksat Village near Phnom Penh – came up with the idea of modifying an airboat to use on Tonle Sap lake. Their vision was to provide a safe and effective way for tourists to explore the area. Following three years of rigorous self-taught study in 2015, the brothers became the first people in Cambodia to build an airboat. Soon after, they launched Komnob Airboat Tours. Today, the tours are proving a hit with visitors, both Cambodian and foreign alike. “My goal is to use this airboat to serve the tourism industry in our country, providing tours around amazing ancient temples, the Tonle Sap lake, and other potential tourism destinations,” Samnorp tells The Post. The brothers also have charitable aspirations, as

A new hair raising attraction on Kulen Mountain has finally opened to the public, with people flocking to the protruding cliff edge overlooking green mountainous forests to take photographs. The giant overhanging rock is situated in an area known as Mahendraparvata – an ancient city of the Khmer Empire era in Cambodia only uncovered in 2012 – with views extending over the beautiful and luscious Phnom Kulen National Park. Its moon-like cratered surface only adds to the otherworldly feel. Van Vorng, 35, a security guard stationed near the attraction, warns families with children and those suffering from acrophobia (a fear of heights) to be cautious. “We are worried about people’s safety because the cliff is quite high. People could easily become too bold and fall off, especially when taking photographs carelessly,” he said. Vorng, a resident of a village on Kulen Mountain, said a popular activity among tourists and locals is a night time picnic and camping under the stars. “

Sitting slap bang on the Cambodian-Lao frontier, the upper Mekong waterfall is a spectacle to behold, as its turquoise-blue stream cascades over a gauntlet of limestone rocks, frothing and churning as it races downstream. Located in Preah Vihear province’s Preah Lean Community Forest, it is Cambodia’s largest waterfall with 26m of tiered rock-face, and goes by three names; the Sopheakmit waterfall, the Lbak Khoun waterfall and the Preah Nimith waterfall. Previously, due to poor infrastructure leading to the waterfall, both local and international tourists who wanted to see the beautiful view had to travel via Laos to visit the site. But a recently constructed road has now opened up this attraction for tourists and locals in Cambodia, says Kong Vibol, the provincial tourism department head. “This cascade has been in Preah Vihear since the province was established in 1964. But at that time we did not have good infrastructure to reach there, it was quite hard to develop the com