The best way to get around Ratanakiri is by motorcycle, either by renting one and then driving it yourself, or by hiring one of the ubiquitous motodop drivers hanging all around town. Be mindful of the fact that almost no one outside the town will speak English, so it may be a good idea to hire a guide to go with you to some of the villages. Also, going alone into the indigenous villages may offend them at times of taboo, when they close the village and hold ceremonies to please the spirits.
Banlung Town Map
You can possibly rent bicycles near the roundabout. Sometimes they are sold out, and one shop is quite stern about taking passports as a desposit. It is better instead to go do Bona's (?) just southeast of the roundabout. They have motorbikes and bicycles, and Mr. Bona is a friendly, English-speaking owner.
For motorbike rentals, there is a shop on the highway just west of the roundabout, the Ratanak Hotel, a shop near Tribal Hotel, or most Guest Houses. Readily available are the smaller 125cc semi-step through bikes for about US$5-7/day, these are the types that you will be seeing every Khmer driving. If you'd prefer a bigger bike, they will be able to track down a 250cc bike for US$10/day.
You can also rent trucks or 4 wheel drive vehicles if you'd like, but the cost (US$30-50/day) is often quite prohibitive to drive yourself. However, renting a car with a driver is usually helpful. This rent can be organized by various hotels and restaurants, and at Parrot tours. For bigger groups Dutch Co & Co and Terres Rouges lodge rent a Landcruiser with driver/guide which can carry up to 8 persons; a bit more expensive.
Most guesthouses will arrange guides and these seem to get good reviews generally. A number of shopfront tour shops have sprung up since early 2009. See the "Do" section for details of guides.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Banlung
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Banlung - updated May 2024
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Banlung Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
