Dolphin watching in Cambodia, on the swirling waters of the broad Mekong, may sound like an unlikely activity, but it can be immensely rewarding. And getting to the remote upriver settlement of Kratie is half the fun. It's a five- to six-hour journey by fast river ferry from Phnom Penh to the sleepy riverside town (which fortunately missed much of the heavy bombing of the Second Indochina War). Today, Kratie retains a faded colonial elegance as well as a handful of reasonable places to stay and eat. The rare Irrawaddy Dolphins favor a stretch of water about 10 miles north of town, and the best time to go and see them is early morning or late afternoon. Local boatmen will know when and where to go for the best close encounters with these rare, shy, and intelligent creatures which remain seriously endangered.
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