Moss-covered temple ruins at Beng Mealea surrounded by jungle vegetation.
Swirling text with the words: Darleng is travelling without rushing, where the journey matters as much as the destination.

Darleng means ‘to travel’ in Khmer, but it’s about more than simply getting from one place to another. You can darleng by taking a walk along the river, heading to a waterfall with the family or visiting the local pagoda. Or it can mean piling 15 members of the family, a few sacks of rice and possibly a chicken into a van to visit a new road that has just opened.

It’s something you see everywhere in Cambodia. People stop along the roadside to enjoy the sunset, swim at waterfalls, explore a new pagoda or simply spend the day somewhere different.

That’s the idea behind Darleng. We travel around Cambodia and write about the places we’ve actually visited, from the well-known destinations to quiet riverside towns, small pagodas and the places we find along the way.

Sometimes where you’re going is only part of the story.

Discover

There’s far more to Cambodia than Angkor Wat, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Darleng takes you from the forests and waterfalls of the northeast to the beaches and islands of the coast, through Cambodia’s cities, towns and villages and plenty of places that receive far fewer international visitors.

We’re slowly building Darleng to cover all 25 provinces, adding new destinations as we travel and write about the places we’ve visited. Start with one of the four regions below and see where you might want to go next.

A traditional wooden boat rests on the right side of the Mekong River in Kratie, Cambodia, with calm waters reflecting the soft morning light.
Dense tropical forest with tall trees and lush green vegetation in Ratanakiri, Cambodia.

Central River Plains

Northeast Forests

Lush rice field illuminated by the setting sun with a mountain visible in the right-hand background.
Quiet sandy shoreline at Lonely Beach on Koh Rong, Cambodia, with calm water and tropical trees.

Northwest Lowlands

Southwest Coastal

Selfie of Nehru and Mel at Phnom Sampov near Battambang with rice fields stretching across the landscape behind them.

About Us

We are Mel and Nehru, an Australian and Cambodian couple living and travelling in Cambodia. Mel moved to Cambodia in 2019, while Nehru was born in Moung Ruessei in Battambang Province.

We travel whenever we get the chance, from Cambodia’s well-known destinations to small pagodas, waterfalls, quiet towns and plenty of places Mel has saved on a spreadsheet somewhere. Nehru’s local knowledge, Khmer language and work as a journalist and documentary filmmaker also mean we often hear about places we might otherwise never have known about.

We started Darleng because friends and travellers were always asking us where to go, what to see and how to get there. We realised that some of the places we’d visited were quite difficult to find practical information about, particularly for international travellers.

Everything we write about on Darleng comes from places we’ve actually visited. We share what we saw, how we got there and the little things we learnt along the way, hopefully making your own travels around Cambodia a little easier.

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Popular Provinces

Temple building on Mount Sampov with the green rice fields in the background.

Battambang

A large blue crab statue standing in the shallow sea off Kep Beach, with the Gulf of Thailand and the coastline in the background.

Kep

A river is in the foreground with large green mangrove trees in the background, growing in the water.

Koh Kong

4 dolphins skimming the Mekong River water.

Kracheh

Drone shot of Nam Lear with large rock face and forest all around.

Mondulkiri

A concrete path leads to the National Museum. The roof is red with ornate corners.

Phnom Penh

A lush green forest with tall trees covered in vines and a small stream running through the middle.

Ratanakiri

The top of an old temple with moss growing over the top of it.

Siem Reap

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