STAR-CBET covers a large area that includes 4 Visitor Centers for tourists: 1 main center and 3 sub-centers. Every Visitor Center is comprised of a CBET restaurant and office, along with facilities for taking a break. It often serves as a meeting place for both visitors and locals alike.
Our Visitor Centers are built with traditional materials such as bamboo, as well as recycled plastic bottles, with a modern style. Both Khmer and English-speaking staff are ready to answer your questions from 7a.m. to 7p.m.

CBET Restaurant
The main community restaurants are located within each one of the Visitor Centers. The restaurants are run by the Steung Areng community, including 34 workers from the local villages. All meals are made from locally-sourced ingredients and are freshly prepared using traditional cooking methods. Vegetarian and vegan dishes can easily be accommodated and if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies please advise our staff so that we can ensure you a delicious and comfortable dining experience.  
Menu in CA-CBET
Normal menu of food:

• For Breakfast:
• Rice with pork and Egg
• Fried rice – vegetable, meat mixed with egg (**can be made vegetarian/vegan on request)
• Pancakes – served with fruit (**vegetarian only)

For Lunch and Dinner

• Lok Lak with Beef – traditional Khmer dish of sautéed beef served with rice and salad
• Fish Soup  –  fish, lemon, lemongrass, onions
• Chicken soup  – chicken, lemon, lemongrass, onions
• Grilled chicken (BBQ) – served with rice and green vegetables
• Grilled beef and vegetable (BBQ) - served with rice and green vegetables
• Fried mixed vegetables – served with rice (**mixed with oyster sauce but vegetarian on request)
• Kor Ko  soup – mixed vegetable soup with meat
• Brohok khtis  – traditional fragrant Khmer dish of coconut cream curry and pork
• Keng Vegetable  – spicy sour vegetable soup (**can be vegetarian/vegan on request)
• Keng Jackfruit - spicy sour soup made with jackfruit(**can be vegetarian/vegan on request)
• Hot fried chicken – served with rice and vegetables
• Hot fried pork - served with rice and vegetables
• Hot fried Beef - served with rice and vegetables
• M’Chou Khmer – traditional Khmer sour soup with morning glory and fish
• M’Chou Vietnam  – Vietnamese style sour soup with mixed vegetable with chicken, pork, or fish (depends on availability)
• Fried egg with Pork ) – served with rice

Special food in Areng:

• Bok Ki  – smoked dry fish, shrimp paste, garlic, lemon, chili, and vegetables served with rice -Suitable for vegetarians

Homestays offer a unique insight into the village daily life and give visitors a chance to connect with local people. Most families have small farms in which they grow rice and vegetables and have buffalos, chickens, and pigs.
Our homestays have solar panels to create electricity, and filters to provide fresh drinking water. All rooms include a bed, a mosquito net, towels, a fan, and flip-flops. Toilets are located in a separate building, and water is also available for washing. Guests might want to bring their own flashlight and toiletries.
Homestays cost $6 per night for one room (2 persons). Many guests like to have dinner with the homestay owner - you can join with them to eat whatever they have for the meal. However, very few of the homestay owners speak English so if you have any special dietary needs please speak directly with STAR-CBET staff who can help make necessary arrangements with the homestay family.

STAR-CBET is located in the Cardamom Mountains in Koh Kong Province, southwest Cambodia. Visitors can reach us by:

BUS
From Phnom Penh: take the bus to Koh Kong town that leaves at 7:00am from Mao Tse Tung Blvd, near Domkor market. Get off the bus at Veal Pi/Thmar Bang junction on National Road 48, which arrives around 1:00pm.
From Koh Kong: the bus leaves from the central bus station for Phnom Penh at 8:00am; get off the bus at Veal Pi/Thmar Bang junction at 10:00am.
From the Veal Pi/Thmar Bang junction you can arrange a motor taxi to Steung Areng by yourself, or if we know when you are coming, we can arrange for a local moto taxi to bring you the remaining 60km to Steung Areng. The moto taxi ride takes approximately 45 minutes.

OWN VEHICLE
From Phnom Penh take National Road 4 to National Road 48. Follow Road 48 for approximately 119km to the Veal Pi junction/ Thmar Bang junction. There is a large sign for STAR-CBET at this junction. Turn onto the dirt road and continue around 60km to reach Steung Areng.

You can book bus tickets from Steung Areng to Phnom Penh and Koh Kong in our community. Please book your return tickets at least one day in advance, so that moto taxis to the junction on Road 48 can be arranged.
From Veal Pi/Thmar Bang junction, you can reach Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kep, Kampot, Koh Kong, Trat, or Bangkok on the same day. Other destinations will require an overnight stop in Phnom Penh, or a night bus from Phnom Penh onwards to Siem Reap or Battambang.
If you are travelling on to Koh Kong or Thailand, you can take a moto taxi at 11:00am from Steung Areng to catch the bus at the Junction which arrives around 1:00pm. If you are travelling to other destinations, you will need to leave from Steung Areng by moto taxi at 6:00am to ensure you make your connection, as the bus to Phnom Penh arrives around 8:00am at the Junction. The moto taxi from Steung Areng to the Junction takes approximately 45 minutes.
If you have any questions or need some help with planning just send us an email at arengbooking@gmail.com, or call us at +855 97 35 55 638 (097 35 55 638 if calling from inside Cambodia).

One of the many attractions in Areng Valley is our camping tour which offers another choice of accommodation for visitors. For those who wish to camp, STAR-CBET provides visitors with sleeping mats, tents, pillows, blankets, and other basic necessities. There are many places to enjoy camping in Areng, from deep in the jungle, to the top of the mountain, to the nearby rapids. Enjoy your dinner by a camp fire, prepared by our skillful forest cook, and then wake up to a beautiful sunrise and birdsong for an unforgettable experience.

Camping

Camping

dinner

There are many ways you can directly contribute to the sustainable economic and social development in the community and the conservation of this majestic area.

Visiting

Visit us and see for yourself how STAR-CBET is working to protect and preserve the forest. The community offers many opportunities for a unique adventure and warmly welcomes you to enjoy their good hospitality and have an unforgettable experience during your stay here. By providing alternative income for local people, you are directly supporting the community and encouraging preservation of the forests and wildlife.

Volunteering

If you have time and are keen on making a positive difference, please consider volunteering in Steung Areng. We need volunteers who have skills and enthusiasm to be a part of our community, especially in the following areas:
•    Waste management
•    Local entrepreneurship
•    Accounting
•    Craft brewing for local beer and fruit wines
•    Forest products and handicrafts
•    English teachers (much needed)
•    Cooking and catering management
•    Communication and marketing to promote local products
•    Savings group management
•    And many more...
If you are interested, please contact us.
STAR-CBET does not have a budget to compensate volunteers, but affordable accommodation will be arranged, and an unforgettable experience is guaranteed. STAR-CBET has received training from partners such as the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Department of Environment, and Wildlife Alliance in hospitality, food and beverage service, food safety and cooking, guiding, as well as computers, English, and management skills but we still need more help. If this is something that interests you please join us!

Training

In addition to volunteers, CBET is looking for relevant stakeholders to join us. Especially, partners such as the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Department of Environment, and Wildlife Alliance are required to provide us more training such as:
•    Guiding skills
•    Food safety and security
•    Hospitality training on food and beverage services
•    Homestay preparing as ASEAN standard
•    Cooking skill 
•    English, computer and management skill

Adventures on offer
STAR-CBET provides many activities for you to get out and enjoy the spectacular natural wilderness of the Cardamom Mountains. With options by foot, bicycle, or motor bike, and ranging from a few hours to multiple days, there are many ways to experience the attractions that the area has to offer. Our knowledgeable staff will help you to choose the best activity for you, and experienced guides will ensure that you will get the most out of your activity.
Note: All prices are quoted in USD.

 Trekking

• Trekking to Kbal Touk 1D
• Trekking to Mrech Kongkep 1D
• Trekking to Tropang Bobos Touch 1D
• Trekking to Chhay Teuk Chrak 1D
• Trekking to Burial Jars Site 2D1Ns
• Trekking to Steung Da 1D
• Trekking to Veal Toap Klei 1D
• Trekking to Chhay Bek Pseng 2D1N
• Trekking to Chhay Tapang waterfall 2D1N
• Trekking to M'rechkangkeb Sea Forest
• Trekking to Chhay Young 2D1N

  Mountian Biking

• Biking and Trekking to Mrech Kongkep 2D1Ns
• Biking and Trekking to Trapeang Borbos Touch 1D
• Biking and Trekking to Burial Jars Site 2D1Ns
• Biking to Chhay Teuk Chrak 1D
• Biking to Khnang Kropeu 4D3N
• Biking to Chhay Young 2D1N
• Biking to Roung Chorneang 3D 2N

  Motorcycle

• Motorbiking and Trekking to Khnang Sek Bronang 5D4N
• Motorbiking and Trekking to Chhay Sngor 1D
• Motobiking to Peam Chrovek 2D1N

Guides
Our guides are from the local community, and know the forest better than anyone. As former poachers and loggers, they have now chosen to take part in the conservation of this special environment, and share their knowledge with visitors. Some of them can speak English and all are skillful in the forest and will ensure you have an unforgettable experience while visiting the incredible natural attractions.

Equipment
High-quality equipment is provided for every activity. Trekking packages include a backpack, hammock, blanket, binoculars, and a raincoat for each participant. Camping packages include tents, blankets, pillows, mats, portable toilet, bathroom, and solar lamps.