Floating on a bend in the Tatai River in south-west Cambodia a four-hour drive from Phnom Penh
Why is it amazing?
Twelve eco-conscious tents, a library, restaurant and bar are suspended over a series of wooden platforms on a serene and very private part of the Tatai River in the Cardamom Mountains.
Rich in wildlife – including Indonesian tigers and wild Asian elephants – the Cardamoms are otherwise known as the last great tropical wilderness of South-East Asia. Miles from civilisation, 4 Rivers Floating Lodge offers an affordable wilderness escape in this little-explored corner of the world, but with full services at your fingertips.
The fan-cooled canvas tents, each spanning 45 square metres, evoke thoughts of an African safari, but with wooden bathtubs, flat-screen TVs, and private decks with cosy sunbeds. Catch a fish from your deck and ask the chef to prepare amok, the local specialty; borrow a kayak to explore the mangrove forests and fishing village of Koh Sralau; or with fresh coconut juice in hand, just watch the world go by.
It's early evening in the Cambodian jungle, and the last rays of sun are piercing through a dark backdrop of towering clouds.
We're floating on a river in a luxury safari tent, and within minutes we're in the midst of a storm.
There's only one noise: the torrential rain pounding the tarpaulin. Every minute or so the tent becomes a dome of light as thunderbolts rip through the sky.
By dawn, there's no trace of the wild storm from the night before. The river is so calm, we forget we're floating until we jump out of bed and the room sways.
The tents are huge and luxurious – despite being five hours' drive from Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh and then a 20-minute boat trip – you still have all the comfort of a hotel.
But there's one big difference: with no wi-fi, it's the perfect retreat for a digital detox.
The lodge is also designed to leave no trace; the waste is all composted and almost everything is made of recycled material.
The walk to breakfast along the floating pontoon is idyllic, the water so glassy calm it creates a perfect reflection of the coconut palms lining the other side of the river.
Breakfast is huge, and you can order all you want. Convenient, because I've found doing nothing but relaxing works up quite the appetite.
After breakfast, we head to the lodge's star attraction – the Tatai Falls. It's a beautiful hour-long trip up the snaking river, deeper into the Cardamom Mountains, one of the least explored rainforests in all South East Asia.
The waterfall is as stunning as it is thunderous, with dozens of turquoise pools that you can spend hours in - a refreshing respite from the intense tropical heat.
After the waterfall, it's back to the lodge for more of what it offers in abundance: relaxation.
We request a coconut, and one of the wait staff heads away in a red kayak down the river, returning 20-minutes later with a freshly picked bunch ready to drink.
Tourism in Cambodia has only started to flourish in the past 10 years. The country spent decades struggling to emerge from the dark shadows of the 1970's, which saw the mass killings of up to 2-million people at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.
Millions of tourists now flock to the Angkor ruins in Siem Reap, and the capital Phnom Penh.
But for a slice of the real Cambodia, and undoubtedly one of the world's best glamping experiences, you can't go past floating in a remote jungle.
For the latest prices and to book visit: https://ecolodges.asia/
