Oddar Meanchey Province

Oddar Meanchey province is 6,158 square kilometers big. It's located in the far Northwest of the country and is bordering to the North with a lengthy borderline to Thailand, to the East with Preah Vihear, to the West with Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap to the South. In the North the province consists of the re-known Dangrek Mountains, which are more or less the hill foods of the massive mountain range (the real Dangrek Mountains) coming from Thailand. There is a nice interesting wildlife sanctuary called Kulen Promtep in the Southeast of the province. The rest of the province is an agricultural used strip, where the illegal logging of the 1980s and 1990s shows its rampant face.

Economy

 The province's economy is 93% based on farming and the remaining other 7% are based on fishing and trading. Because of its border with Thailand, the international trade is also booming and becoming another important sector of the province's economy. There is several developing plans from province based NGO's, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Thailand and Cambodian government itself. The economy and infrastructure of the province was sustainably destructed during the Khmer Rouge stand and needs therefore a whole new stabile backbone.

Population

The current population in this province is about 102,835 people or 0.7% of the country’s total population (14,363,519 person in Cambodia, 2007, provincial government data), with 52,650 male and 50,185 female. The population density is therefore 16,7 people per square kilometer. 

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. Travelers 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°C; the minimum temperature is about 16°C. December and January are the coolest months, whereas the hottest is April.

General information about the provincial climate:
- Cool season: November- March (22°C -28°C)
- Hot season: March- May (27°C -35°C)
- Rainy season: May - October (24°C -32°C, with humidity up to 90%.)

 How to Get There

Bus/Share Taxis
If you wish to go to Anlong Veng you best come from Siem Reap via Major Road No 64 (distance: 142km). The time of journey vary depending on the season between 4-6hours. The easiest transport mean is a share taxi, which will charge you around US$4-5. Anlong Veng is also connected by reasonable roads to the provincial capital Samraong (US$4) in the West and Prasat Preah Vihear to the East.
Coming from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (Bus)
Several guesthouses, travel agencies and bus companies offer daily bus transport between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It is a smooth 314 km, 5-7 hours trip. The bus makes at least two stops along the way (at Skun and Kampong Thom). All charge the same, $3.50 (14,000R) one way. The earliest buses depart starting at 6:30AM and that last buses between noon and 1PM.
Phnom Penh bus station near the southwest corner of Phsar Thmey (Central Market). Coming from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: (Share Taxis) Local shared taxi: 25,000 riel per person. Departs from southwest corner of Central Market in Phnom Penh. 5-8 hours Private taxi: US$38-$45 for the whole car. 5-6 hours. Due to rising fuel costs, prices are in flux.
Motorbike Info to Anlong Veng
The road to Siem Reap is in good condition, but driving in Cambodia is still challenging in the extreme, and should be attempted only by experienced riders. Speeding taxis, slow cows, and oblivious children are the norm. The trip calls for a dirt or road bike, no smaller than 250cc. It can be made in a day, but two days with a layover in Kampong Thom is a more relaxed alternative and allows time to visit the pre-Angkor ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk. Leave Phnom Penh via the Japanese Bridge and follow National Highway No 6, 75km to the North. You'll reach the Skun intersection (Skun is known for its exotic foods - check out the fried spiders, turtle eggs and more at roadside stands.), where you have to turn left and follow NH 6 to Kampong Thom - about 2-3 hours.
From Kampong Thom to Siem Reap the trip takes another 2 hours. From there you’ll have to search the Major Road 64 to Anlong Veng. This will take you another 6h on bumpy unpaved dirt roads through monotonous dry forest changing sometimes to jungle sections. Going to Samraong: (Share Taxis/Pick Up/Motorbike)  Heading west on the NH 6 from Siem Reap you'll reach an intersection after 51km. Turn right and you enter after some 100m a small town called Kralanh (US$1.5 from Siem Reap or Sisophon). From here you take another pick up or share taxi to the North on laterit-paved and bumpy Minor Road 68 (US$2-3, 2-3hours, 65km). Sometimes you can find early taxis leaving to Samraong from Siem Reap (US$4-5).

Additionally, there is a pile of tires in the forest that is thought to be the funeral pyre and burial site of Pol Pot, the leader of Khmer Rouge. Visitors who stop in Oddar Meanchey often make the visit to Anlong Veng to see and photograph the sites associated with the former regime.

The Cambodian-Thai border check point of Ou Smach is about 41km from the provincial town. At the border, there are restaurants, casinos and hotels.