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Kampot Zipline Adventure

Kampot Zipline River Park in Cambodia offering cheap ziplining adventures

A New Adventure in Town

zipline instructor with rope, harness, and carabiners

Alexis

We met up with French native Alexis to try his all new zipline adventure on the Kampot River in Cambodia. Kampot Zipline River Park officially opened on the 16th of March 2016, and contrary to what you may think, this action-packed experience receives most of its customers among Cambodian thrill-seekers. So far, 80 percent of the customers have been Cambodians, while the remains 20 percent have been expats living in Cambodia and foreign travelers visiting Kampot.

KAMPOT ZIPLINE
Area:
  Kampot River, Cambodia
Opened: March 2016
Price: USD 5$ (super cheap, right!)
Price includes: Safety equipment, instructions, tree walk, ziplining, and return boat
Duration: Approx. 30 minutes
Conditions: Minimum height 120 cm, maximum weight 110 kg 

As Alexis says, the River Park gives Cambodians a unique opportunity to try out ziplining in a fun and safe environment while not having to empty their pockets. The experience currently costs only 5 USD and includes safety equipment and instructions, an exciting walk up the spiralling bamboo stairway to the zipline platform at the top of a tall tree, ziplining over the Kampot river, and a pleasant rowing trip back across the river.

Zipline Gallery from Kampot Zipline River Park

Alexis worked on the project for 6 months before the grand opening. He has constructed the setup himself to ensure that every single step in the experience is smooth and secure, and every morning he conducts safety checks. Kampot Zipline has received local publicity through newspapers, TV, and a good dose of social media sharing by Cambodians who are eager to share their exhilarating adventure over the Kampot River.

The plan is to expand the experience with a return zipline journey along with new fun trials on the riverside.

If you are in the Kampot area in southern Cambodia, don’t miss your chance to try out this new and exciting experience at the River Park.

Kampot Ziplining – Practical Information

Since the Kampot Zipline adventure requires a bit of climbing and balancing it is advised only for persons in a good physical condition. The experience will not boost your adrenaline level to a maximum like a bungyjump, but you will challenge yourself if you have a mild fear of heights. The minimum height of participants is 120 cm, while the zipline is suitable for people weighing up to 110 kg. Do note that the more you weigh, the more speed you will gain on the journey over the river, and the closer your feet will be to reaching the river water.

More About Kampot Zipline River Park

If you like more information, images, and videos from this zipline adventure, check out their facebook page.

Wai Chaek, Koh Chang’s Robinson Crusoe Beach

Old rusty boat on the deserted Wai Chaek Beach (Haad Wai Shak) of Koh Chang, Thailand
Our Wai Chaek expedition turned out to be something special.
EXPEDITION FACTS
Date:
 Unknown, May 2014
Time: Morning
Deadline: 4 hours later (hotel check out)
Starting point: Khlong Kloi Beach, southern Koh Chang
Armour: Kayak, camera, ½L of water
Weather: Clear blue sky, calm water
Mission: Hunt down Koh Chang’s Wai Chaek beach

The evening before, we had spotted a long yellow strip on our Koh Chang map on the very south of the island. On the map it said “Wai Check Beach”. According to the map, no roads let to the beach, but since we were already on Khlong Koi Beach just a “map inch” away, we decided to check it out the following morning.

Finger pointing on map showing Khlong Kloi Beach and Wai Chaek Beach (หวายแฉก) in southern Koh Chang, Thailand

Only an inch of kayaking on the map

Our idea was to rent a kayak, visit the beach in the morning, and get back in time for check-out at our resort at noon. We paddled along rocky shores of the island with the sun beating down on us with increased intensity. After about half an hour of intense paddling we arrived at a small bay. The beach was covered with rocks and pebbles, so we decided to continue on for another 15 minutes. We arrived at another bay where we stopped to cool down in the sea and try to figure out if this was Wai Chaek Beach.

We hoped it wasn’t, because this bay was also filled with rocks and pebbles, and didn’t look like the long sandy beach portrayed on the map. We decided to continue for a bit. Because of the curves of the island and the cliffs sticking out of the water, we could only see as far as the next little cape along the island. Every time we passed a new cape, we were disappointed to see that there was no beach to be found. The sun felt a little more merciless, and we began to doubt that we would get to the beach in time – if it even existed.

Patience and perseverance are central to hunting expeditions, so we continued. After curving around yet another island cape without a beach on target, we decided to paddle to the next rock and turn around from there, if Koh Chang bid us yet another stretch of rocky island coast with no beach. Just as our turning point approached, the spectacular view of a long, sandy, palm-fringed beach appeared. Wai Chaek Beach! What an absolutely wonderful view. The beach lay outstretched before our eyes with nobody in sight to take away the feeling of arriving at an absolutely deserted Robinson Crusoe beach.

We lost time on the beach, in the sea, and while investigating the beach from all possible corners and angles.

 Mission accomplished.
 Deadline not met.


  • Wai Chaek?
    The beach is somtimes spelled Wai Shak, Wai Chek or Wai Check. Surely, there are more transliterations out there. In Thai, luckily, Wai Chaek Beach has always been spelled หาดหวายแฉก.
  • Is there no other way to get there?
    Yes, a few days later we found our way on a small bumpy path guided by our GPS. Without this aid, we would never have found it. As the main road on Koh Chang is a reverse U-shape, you have to go all the way to the northern tip of Koh Chang and then down along the eastern side. We zig-zagged along bumpy dirt roads and barely visible paths to get there, but apparently, there is a bigger road leading to Haad Wai Chaek. Ask the guys at Ting Tong Bar on Lonely Beach, Koh Chang.
  • Is there accommodation at Wai Chaek?
    Yes and no. First, define accommodation (yes, it’s that “rustic”). Travel Fish recently (2015) reported that the bungalows are now closed, and that it was unclear whether this was a temporary situation. We checked this information by contacting the owners of Ting Tong Bar who also run the bungalows at Wai Chaek. They informed us that we could just let them know when we desired to visit and they would open. So, if you plan to spend some nights at this beautiful place, be sure to contact them first either directly at the Ting Tong Bar on Lonely Beach, Koh Chang or through their facebook page.You will find some simple bungalows on a hill at the western end of Wai Chaek Beach. They were in the middle of adding a few more bungalows when we came. The old bungalows actually hardly qualify as such. They are more like shaky shelters with no facilities whatsoever. The newly build ones are equally simple but bigger and better built. You get a mattress and a mosquito net. Toilet and shower room (the cold water scoop style shower) are shared. They serve meals there, and they managed to cook really delicious food for us. There is a nice chill-out area with wooden chairs a few hammocks and a superb sea view. Electricity, not much. If you need to charge any electronic device there is a plug at the bar cum restaurant cum reception. Air-con, fan, tv, hair-dryer – forget about it. Lighting at night? – nope, but you get a kerosene lamp. Amazingly, however, they do manage to keep cold drinks in the bar.
  • More information on Wai Chaek?
    A fantastic resource on Koh Chang, explorekohchang.com has an interesting story on finding the beautiful “Haad Wai Chek”.

Here are a few images of the Wai Shak Bungalows. This should get you an idea of whether spending the night here is for you:

In short, if you plan to stay at Wai Chaek Beach, you have to love the simple, back to nature kind of experience. The beach is stunning, the sand is smooth, the sea is clear, and you are likely to have a 400 meter beach to yourself. If Robinson Crusoe beach charm is your thing – Wai Chaek Beach will send warm sun rays of bliss through your entire being. That’s what it did to us.