Oddar Meanchey motorbike route leads to Ator Reservoir

A two-hour motorbike ride through rural Oddar Meanchey offers travellers a close view of cassava fields, cashew groves and village life before reaching the increasingly popular Ator Reservoir.

From Anlong Veng to Chong Kal

The route leaves National Road 67 for a dirt road of about 30 kilometres running between Anlong Veng and Chong Kal. Houses are scattered along the way, sometimes standing about 100 metres apart and sometimes grouped in small villages.

Freshly ploughed land is being prepared for cassava cultivation, alongside cashew trees, woodland and working farms. Tractors cross the open fields while children make their way to school. Morning is cooler for riding; later in the day, many villages become quiet as adults work in the fields and children are in class.

A reservoir with a wider role

Pagodas provide shaded stops before the road reaches Ator Reservoir in Chong Kal district. The reservoir covers more than 7,000 hectares and is an important water resource as well as a growing domestic tourism destination.

Its 2,800-metre dam was completed in March 2017, linking Phnom Kambor and Phnom Rong Dek. The reservoir has a storage capacity of about 259 million cubic metres and supports irrigation for more than 25,000 hectares of farmland across Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey provinces.

Wildlife and access

Nearby Sang Rukhavoan Wildlife Sanctuary covers 30,256 hectares across Samraong city and the districts of Chong Kal and Anlong Veng. The protected forest was designated in 2001 and upgraded to wildlife-sanctuary status in 2018. Visitors may see monkeys and hear birdlife and cicadas in the surrounding woodland.

What it means for foreigners in Cambodia

The trip is best suited to confident riders prepared for rural dirt roads, heat and limited services. Travel early, carry water, fuel and basic supplies, and check local conditions before setting out. It offers an alternative to Cambodia’s better-known tourist circuits while supporting awareness of a region shaped by farming, water management and protected landscape.

27 August 2026