​Kiwis in flight: The world’s first floating glamping, in the Cambodian jungle

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.

After more than a year travelling the world – it’s the most relaxing moment I’ve had: nothing to do but listen to Mother Nature unleash.

READ MORE:
* Avoid the backpackers: The other way to see Cambodia
* Kiwis in flight: Cambodia’s Angkor ruins – better than Rome
* Ask an expert: Getting a visa in Cambodia

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.

Then it’s time for the ‘pool’ – a dive straight off the front deck of our tent into the refreshing Tatai river.

The next day, we head an hour in the opposite direction to a local village.

Three children come to the wharf to greet us because they are so excited to show us their school, which the lodge has helped fund.

The classroom is heart-breakingly basic with a dirt floor and no windows, but it gives the kids something they’ve never had: hope of an education which may just provide a ticket to a better life.

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.

More information: For the latest prices and to book visit: ecolodges.asia

The writer was a guest of 4 Rivers Floating Lodge