Introduction To Pursat

Pursat is the fourth biggest province of Cambodia. The province is located in the western part of the country and borders clockwise from the north with Battambang, the Tonle Sap Lake, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Speu, Koh Kong, and Thailand. Pursat offers a perfect access to both the Tonle Sap (just 35km far) and the Cardamom Mountains (right to the West). The name of Pursat refers to a type of tree. 

For the time being, Pursat receives few travellers and the two main attractions, the Cardamoms and the Tonle Sap require a little initiative on the tourist's part to visit. Pursat is predominantly accessible by the National Highway No 5 form Phnom Penh (174km) and Battambang (106km). There is also an old slowly train working between Phnom Penh and Battambang, which stops outside (2km) from Pursat. 

The provincial capital of Pursat is also called Pursat town. The city is located right in the middle between the Tonle Sap and the Cardamom Mountains on the riverbanks of the Stung Pursat. There isn?t that much to do in that small town, so most of the tourists coming here are more or less on their way to Battambang or Phnom Penh. For people just driving by, the ... More Detail...

Pursat Geography

Pursat province is 12,692 square kilometres big. It?s located in the Southwest of the country and is bordering to the North with Battambang, to the East with Kampong Chhnang, to the South with Kampong Speu and Koh Kong and to the West with Thailand. The province consists of some typical plain wet areas near the Tonle Sap Basin, covering rice fields and other agricultural plantations. The Tonle Sap itself covers a big part in the province?s Northeast. Most surface area of the country is the Kr?vanh Mountains, or literally called "Cardamom Mountains". This is a green, forested mountain range in the southwestern part of the province, near to the border with Thailand. The highest elevation is the 1,813m high Phnom Aural in the Southeast corner of the ... More Detail...

Pursat Climate

The country has a tropical climate - warm and humid. In the monsoon season, abundant rain allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops. This year-round tropical climate makes Cambodia ideal for developing tourism. Travellers need not to fear natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes or earthquakes, and the country is not directly affected by tropical storms.

Climate: Cambodia can be visited throughout the year. However, those plans to travel extensively by road should be avoided the last two months of the rainy season when some countryside roads may be impassable. The average temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius; the minimum temperature is about 16 degrees. December and January are the coolest months, whereas the hottest is April.

General information about the provincial climate:

- Cool season: November- March (18-28c) 
- Hot season: March- May (22c -34c) 
- Rainy season: May - October (22-32c, with humidity up to 90%.)

Pursat?s average temperature throughout the year is definitely lower than in other areas of Cambodia (except Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri ... More Detail...

Pursat Population

The current population in this province is about 442,973 people or 3.1% of the country?s total population (14,363,519 person in Cambodia, 2007, provincial government data), with 214,651 male and 228,342 female. The population density is therefore 35 people per square ... More Detail...

Pursat Economy

Pursat's economy consists basically of agricultural farming, fishery, rice and fruit cropping in the North of the province near the Tonle Sap Basin. Beside this the harvesting of sandalwood oil, which fetches huge prices in Asia (but sandalwood trees are disappearing fast in Cambodia) is another livelihood for the locals. Unfortunately the illegal logging of precious hardwoods and the poaching of endangered species give some people an additional ... More Detail...

How to Get To Pursat

Phnom Pich Hotel:

This hotel is about 200m North from the main bridge on the westbank of the river. The smart and modern hotel offers clean and very spacious room equipped with Western bathroom, satellite TV and air-con. The attached restaurant has a very good reputation in town. The prices range from US$6-15.

Vimean Sourkear Hotel: 

The pretty old looking hotel from the outside shows another face inside with air-con rooms and hot water. It's probably the cheapest hotel with air-con in town.

New Tounsour Hotel: 

This hotel is long-running by friendly people and offers quite the same standard as the Phnom Pich Hotel. Clean and very spacious room equipped with Western bathroom, satellite TV and air-con. Don't wonder about the kitschy dcor it's just a Khmer update. Prices from US$5-10.

These next two places have similar good locations, close to the river and market:

Thmar Keo Guesthouse: 

There is a nice outdoor terrace here. The best bet is the fan room with a Western bath and single bed for US$ 5. An a/c room goes for US$ 10.

Hotel T'mei: 

Next to the ... More Detail...

What to See In Pursat

Pursat's own bamboo trains - much less tourist-oriented than their Battambang cousins - stop at the train crossing 800m south of NH5 along the road to Kravanh. A three- or four-hour private excursion costs around US$10, or you can hop on with the locals; departures are most frequent in the morning.

For the best scenery, head towards Phnom Penh. One option is to get off at the village of Chheu Tom and catch a moto to Chhuk Laeng Cascades (Chroek Laeng Waterfall; one hour), situated 73km southeast of Pursat and 41km south of Krakor (on NH5 near Kompong ... More Detail...

Where to Eat In Pursat

Like in Kampong Chhnang the most restaurants close quite early as the city falls apart after 9pm. To have reasonable and quite tasty food you may look for the ordinary food stalls and noodle cookshops at the market near the NH No 5.

Magic Fish Restaurant: 

This riverside restaurant is located in the far north of the town. You have to look for the yellow building on the right as you drive north from town (no English sign). Nice fish dishes, for sure, as the name already promises.

River Front Restaurant: 

Located about 20 meters north of the dam on the main river drag this is by far the most pleasant spot to have a meal. It?s right next to the river, so there is plenty of entertainment on hand watching the locals swim, fish and socialize. The food is good and the beer girls are very friendly. Show off and practice your newly acquired Khmer language skills with them.

Stung Pursat Restaurant & Nightclub: 

That?s the top nightclub in town, which isn?t saying much. The food is fair to okay and the nightly Cambodian dance  a  thon, complete with band, starts at 8:30 pm. The beer girls will greet ... More Detail...

Where to Stay To Pursat

Phnom Pich Hotel:

This hotel is about 200m North from the main bridge on the westbank of the river. The smart and modern hotel offers clean and very spacious room equipped with Western bathroom, satellite TV and air-con. The attached restaurant has a very good reputation in town. The prices range from US$6-15.

Vimean Sourkear Hotel: 

The pretty old looking hotel from the outside shows another face inside with air-con rooms and hot water. It's probably the cheapest hotel with air-con in town.

New Tounsour Hotel: 

This hotel is long-running by friendly people and offers quite the same standard as the Phnom Pich Hotel. Clean and very spacious room equipped with Western bathroom, satellite TV and air-con. Don?t wonder about the kitschy dcor it's just a Khmer update. Prices from US$5-10.

These next two places have similar good locations, close to the river and market:

Thmar Keo Guesthouse: 

There is a nice outdoor terrace here. The best bet is the fan room with a Western bath and single bed for US$ 5. An a/c room goes for US$ 10.

Hotel Tmei: 

Next to the ... More Detail...

Shopping In Pursat

As it is quite common in Cambodia even small cities, such as Pursat have at least one bigger market. You may also find a market in Pursat centre, which are very busy areas with local shops dealing the local daily consumer products, like lots of fish, fruits, vegetables, meats and packed products. Most of the food and drink shops are surrounding the market. To take something special from this province along, buy some marble ... More Detail...