Cambodia is a country with more to offer then a quick visit to Angkor Wat and other areas of the country are very deserving of people’s times and also the benefit of their tourist dollars. The Mekong Discovery Trail offers visitors the opportunity to see much more of Cambodia and is also helping to promote further tourism in places off the well beaten path. MDT offers a diversity of activities that visitors can participate in that benefit and empower local communities. They are developing new tourist activities in a sustainable way, not for profit but for local/environmental benefits. I think that MDF are doing a fantastic & honorable job, it’s great to see people promoting tourism for the right reasons, rather than being motivated only for profit. Hopefully others in Cambodia will learn by the example that they set so that ordinary every day Khmer’s will also be able to reap the rewards of tourism in a positive fashion. Good Luck MDT.

Mekong Discovery Trail is a journey to the Wonders of Exotic Nature. A well connected provinces of Cambodia, where we can witness the livelihoods around the Mekong River.. A life line for the Mekong Region. I experienced the same when i went for the first time and there upon I always feel to experience the same again and again. Its a journey to the nature.. Mekong is the Regions economic strength. One Can experience the beauty of the river and the warmth of the people. Its an unforgettable experience.. Come and explore the mighty Mekong Discovery Trail. I wish the Project Team a great success and also for bringing this discovery train through a well defined website.

The Mekong Discovery Trail(MDT) is a truly holistic project which has been able to map AND (help) develop all the potential tourism sites on and around the Mekong in the northeast of Cambodia. Moreover, while doing so they are actively seeking to alleviate poverty/improve the living standart of the people who live in Kratie and Stung Treng trough tourism while at the same time conserve their cultures, social customs & habbits and the natural environment of the northeast.

Personally I have experienced great help from the MDT-team in linking their project -and other non-governmental and public projects related to responsible tourism-development- to the Cambodian private (eco)tourism sector and in identifying interesting places for this sector. The MDT is a project willing to facilitate external tourism-development initiatives, as long as they are responsible with respect to the locals and natural environment, as well as economically sustainable!

Besides being a great addition for the people who live in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, their work adds another dimension to the "tourism product-portfolio" of Cambodia and it represents a valuable tool in diversifying the tourism industry of the "KINGDOM of WONDER".

All the best to the MDT, that you may continue and expand your work for many more years to come, 1L

Bram Vissers
Intern at the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA)
Student International Tourism Management and Consultancy @ the NHTV, Netherlands

Cambodia is a lot more than just Angkor Wat and the Mekong Discovery Trail ensures that visitors have the opportunity to see much more of this beautiful country and to help diversify the country's outstanding tourism potential. The MDT offers a wealth of variety and that's vitally important to attract more visitors to extend their stay and extend their wings to other parts of the country. The Mekong River is a vital part of the Indochina experience and the MDT will undoubtedly encourage visitors to travel its length through Laos into Cambodia and onto Vietnam.

Mekong Discovery Trail is an innovative approach to support poverty reduction and sustainable development. It is a new concept in Cambodia since it is a combination and series of tourism trails along the upper Mekong River in Kratie and Stung Treng Provinces. There are diversity of activities that visitors can do along the trails.

Since I have involved with the Mekong Discovery Trail, I find out that more visitors come to visit the trails and spend more in the communities. Moreover, local people's capacity is also built and strengthened in order to provide quality services to improve visitors experience and to attract more visitors to communities.So that local people can earn more income from tourism.

I am one of the adviser working to promote Mekong Discovery Trail. I can see that there are also more support from private sector the trail development based on my survey with tour operators and journalists. This is due to the fact that the trail is developed to support and build capacity of the poor through sustainable development approach.

I have accompanied few international journalists from Germany and Netherlands to visit the Mekong Discovery Trail. They were very happy with the trips. They are now writing articles in tourism books about it.

Saing Sodany

Hello SNV team-

PEPY has operated trips in the region: bike rides along the Mekong, and homestays outside of Kratie with NGO partners, but now that it is all connected via the "Mekong Discovery Trail" it will be even easier to coordinate. Plus, you have brought many additions to the activities we knew about in the area. PEPY looks forward to offering more trips to the region soon. Many thanks for all of your work!

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Daniela Papi
PEPY Founder
www.pepyride.org

The Mekong Discovery Trail is an example of a well-designed responsible tourism project being executed by a group of highly experienced professionals who "leave no stone unturned" when it comes to implementing this project. All facets of the tourism industry have been engaged as stakeholders: national and provincial governments; private sector including tour operators, hoteliers, etc.; dedicated local community members ranging from village leaders to resident monks; SNV staff and consultants with a wide range of tourism experience both in Cambodia and globally; and a talented graphic designer to create a logo, booklet and website.

Cambodia is often thought of as a one-stop destination, which is the famous temples of Angkor. However, tourists often find themselves falling in love with the people and their warm smiles, despite their often harsh living conditions and abject poverty. The Mekong Discovery Trail project attempts to diversify the tourism products available in this country and get tourists off the beaten track and into the real heart of the country along the Mekong River. The project is sure to succeed in the long run if it receives further financial support, allowing for continued education and training for the local community.