Don Det, Laos to Kratie, Cambodia

How long do I realistically need to get from Don Det, Laos to Phnom Penh, Cambodia? I know I'll need to break the trip up; I'm hoping to make it to Kratie in one day.

I am just wondering if I can SAFELY get to Kratie if I leave Don Det early in the morning. The LP says that the river can be a dodgy proposition if I leave Stung Treng too late in the day - best to do that trip while there is plenty of light, it says. Are there boats that go directly from Don Det - border crossing - Stung Treng? (or better yet, to Kratie?)

What are my options?

Thanks.

I was there in February. I didn,t go to Kratie from Don Det though but to Ratanakiri first(Ban Lung) and made it without any problems in one day. I went by car, first hiched a ride to the border, then mini bus to Stung Treng. I could have probably got to Stung for the same price if I got one ticket. If I remember correctly the bus ride from Ben Lung to Kratie took about 8 hours. The road between Stung and Kratie is in a very good condition(actually all the way to Phnom Penth. Even the road from Stung to Ben is much better than I expected(2.5hrs). You can get to Kratie in one day(no problem). Make sure you leave Don DEt early.If you in a hurry you could probably get a bus all the way to Phnom but I reccommend breaking this trip in Kratie. Good luck on your travels.

I did the trip in April 2006 - Don Det to Kratie in one day. Pretty easy, just buy a ticket (~$15) and leave in the morning (8am is good enough). You should be at the border by 10, then just a few hassles, then continue with another vehicle to Stung Treng where they stop for the compulsory lunch break. Then a couple more hours and you're there. We arrived in Kratie at 3pm, which is a bit later than normal just because two others in the same vehicle held things up by wanting to change Kip to dollars at the border, pay for the visa on arrival in Kip and other such nonsense. Dollars rule in Cambodia, tourism-wise and Kip are semi-useless. Kratie is IMO the best stop after entering Cambodia this way. Many people try to make Phnom Penh same day and (A) arrive inconveniently late and (B) miss out on Kratie and surrounds.

In OCT 06 you could go from Don Det to Kratie by a boat/road combination for $16. Dependent on number of customers I think. We had 8 people (2 boats for the water stretch)
It involved slow long tail boat Don Det to Nakasang. Then minibus to the river border post. Then once in Cambodia, longtail speedboat to Stung Treng. From Stung Treng another minibus to Kratie.
Just ask around for this deal at the guesthouse/agencies on Don Det (price may have gone up a little). This trip will get you to Kratie around 3 or 4pm with an 8am start.
Or as #2 suggests you can go by road all the way from Nakasang, which would be quicker not having the boat section. But the river trip is the much better way to go IMO.

Okay, thanks a lot!