32 km

We rode a few kilometers north of town to see if we could get a view of the Irriwaddy dolphins, the endangered freshwater dolphins that inhabit the Mekong in this area. There are only about 80 dolphins left, and this is supposed to be the best spot to see them.

We got to the viewing area and read the brochure on the boat rides. We’d already heard from another cycling couple that the boat ride is good and they don’t seem to try to get too close and there are not too many people out there at any given time. Some of the money goes toward their preservation, and it also shows the local people that the dolphins are valuable for saving, since they bring in tourist money to the area. So we went ahead with the ride, $14 for both of us.

It was a wonderful time, and we saw many dolphins, or at least a few dolphins many times. The boat driver would get us to an area and then cut the motor and paddle us around. When we floated too far away, he’d motor us back to the good spots and do it again. We got some great views. These dolphins don’t jump out of the water, but they do come up for air. They’re very shy, but we did see and hear them and it was really a special thing to see.