· SOUTHEAST ASIA · CAMBODIA ·
Cambodia’s Unlikely Heroes: Meeting the Remarkable Landmine Rat Detectives of Siem Reap
Scribbled by Claire ◊ 20 Feb 2025
Are you wondering whether the Cambodian landmine rat tour is for you? Here, we write about what it’s like to spend a morning in Siem Reap, meeting the special rats of APOPO, who are trained to detect landmines and unexploded ordinance.
Years back, I saw a short clip of a gigantic, harnessed rat sniffing out landmines and randomly thought ‘wow, being a rat wrangler in a minefield is such a niche career choice’. Maybe it was on a David Attenborough show or something, but the memory remained with me.
Imagine my elation when I realised that these clever little critters, with their associated handlers, were busy at work detecting landmines all over Cambodia, and that their visitor centre is one of the top attractions in Siem Reap!
Rats are divisive – people either love or hate them. Full disclosure, I love rats and always have – I even said hello to a particularly brazen one on the street in Bangkok the other day, while everyone else scarpered. They’re clean, clever, gentle little creatures, and I’ll always have time for them.
However, I know others have very strong, contrasting sentiments to me. So, I’m here to persuade you that these tiny life-saving detectives are just as important as sniffer dogs. They’re playing a vital role in changing people’s lives all over the world, from unexploded ordnance to tuberculosis detection.
The best part is you can visit them, in person. You can even hold one (but you don’t have to). Either way, by visiting the “HeroRATs” of APOPO in Siem Reap, you’re helping the world become a little safer (and maybe understanding rats a little better!).
IN THIS GUIDE //
The Rat Detectives of Siem Reap
LANDMINES IN CAMBODIA
WHAT IS APOPO?
WHERE IS THE VISITOR CENTRE?
WHERE DID THE UXO COME FROM?
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
– HOW MUCH ARE TICKETS?
WHAT IS THE APOPO RAT TOUR LIKE?
– THE TOUR
THE RATS AT APOPO
THINGS TO KNOW
IS THE APOPO TOUR WORTH IT?
– WHAT IF YOU DON’T LIKE RATS?
FINAL THOUGHTS
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LANDMINES IN CAMBODIA
Mines | there are an estimated 4-6 million mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO), such as mortar rounds and cluster bombs, in Cambodia.
Casualties | Cambodia suffered 49 casualties from landmines and other unexploded ordnance in 2024, including eight amputations and 12 deaths.
Landmine contamination | a 2023 report by the Landmine Monitor documented than Cambodia identified over 680 km2 of land as contaminated with antipersonnel mines.
Landmine clearance | in 2023, 167 km2 of land was cleared of mines in Cambodia.
At risk groups | the largest groups at risk are foragers in the forests, farmers working in fields and those trying to salvage the mines for scrap metal. Also, children who play with the small metal balls, thinking they are toys.
Amputations | per capita, Cambodia has the highest ratio of amputees from antipersonnel and antitank mines, mortars and other unexploded ordnance in the world.
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What is APOPO?
APOPO (Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling) is a Belgian NGO, started in 1997, dedicated to helping communities across the world using sniffer rats and dogs. These shrewd detection animals can pick up the scent of illnesses and explosives, improving the prospects of many 1000s of people across the world each year.
Initially based in Tanzania and Mozambique in the early 2000s, APOPO branched out to southeast Asia in 2010, where their rats did extensive landmine detection work along the Thai-Cambodian border. In 2015, ordnance removal work began in Cambodia, one of the most landmine-afflicted countries in the world.
In January 2018, the APOPO Visitor Centre opened in Siem Reap, giving curious tourists an opportunity to learn more about the severe issue of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia and how the HeroRATs make a difference in the demining mission.
RENTING A TUKTUK IN SIEM REAP
We rented our very own tuktuk in Siem Reap for our journeys in Cambodia.
This provides flexibility to explore Siem Reap and the epic Angkor Wat ruins independently and at your own pace, which we would absolutely recommend. It’s a fantastic option, especially if you don’t have a motorbike license.
For more information on tuktuk rental in Cambodia, check out our comprehensive guide.
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Where is the APOPO Visitor Centre?
The APOPO Visitor Centre is located on Koumai Road in the north of Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is quite close to the Angkor Wat ruins, so both can be visited same day, if you are strapped for time!
The location is correct on Google Maps.
How to get to the APOPO Visitor Centre
Grab Taxi | order one through the app. This is the more comfortable option, especially in the hotter months.
Grab Tuktuk | cheaper, quirkier option than a taxi.
Your own rented Tuktuk | if you rent a tuktuk, there’s space to park outside.
Rental motorbike or car | Siem Reap’s roads are easy to navigate. Parking might be more difficult on the side of the road for cars if the visitor centre is busy. For more information on riding a motorbike around Siem Reap, have a look at our scooter rental guide.
Walk | depending on the location of your accommodation, it might be possible to walk. From the centre of Siem Reap it’s likely to take around 30-45 minutes. We wouldn’t advise this in the scorching summer months.
Street cab or street tuktuk | it’s usually around two dollars for a tuktuk journey from the city.
If you get a taxi or a tuktuk, there are tuktuk taxis waiting around at the end of each tour if you need a lift back. Alternatively, use the Grab app.
WHERE DID THE UXO COME FROM?
Between 1955 and 1975, during the American/Vietnam War, the United States dropped an estimated half a million tonnes of explosive munitions on Cambodia. Many of these did not explode, leaving a long-lasting impact on the country, especially on the eastern side and around Phnom Penh.
In 1975, the Khmer Rouge came to power. In the following years, they committed numerous atrocities and planted millions of landmines, particularly in the rural north and west of Cambodia.
After being ousted in April 1979 by Vietnamese forces, the Khmer Rouge continued in a diminished capacity. During the ongoing conflict, landmines were used by the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (Cambodia) and Vietnam. In the 1980s, the K5 minefield or ‘Bamboo Curtain’, a 700-kilometre-long by 500-metre-wide strip of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines was built using forced labour, to prevent the Khmer Rouge regaining ground. This caused thousands of mines per square kilometre to be placed near the Thai border.
Many of these mines and unexploded bombs have remained in situ with the capacity to explode, even after many decades.
In 1999, Cambodia signed a bill to join the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention which prohibits production, storage, trade and use of antipersonnel mines.
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How to Buy Tickets to See the APOPO Rats
Tickets for the APOPO rats tour can be purchased online on the APOPO website (excellent, quality site, all in English).
It is also possible to purchase a ticket in person at the APOPO Visitor Centre– although we found that there were a few timed slots that were sold out during high season, so it’s best to check availability in advance.
How Much Do Tickets Cost?
A ticket to see the APOPO HeroRATs in action is $10 per person aged 10 and above. Children under 10 are free.
What is the APOPO Rats Tour Like?
Getting there | we drove our rental tuktuk which we easily parked on the side of the road outside.
Tickets | we showed our email confirmation on our phone at the ticket counter and received a plastic token. This was handed to the tour guide during the beginning of the tour.
Guides | the tours are in English, and the guides speak very clear, colloquial English.
Before the HeroRATs tour | there are loads of informative displays providing details of the rat training, the work the rats do and the countries they work in. Not all rats are trained for explosive removal, some (such as those working in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Mozambique) are experts in detecting tuberculosis in humans.
There is also a large display of what the different landmines look like, plus examples of other unexploded ordnance. It’s worth arriving ten minutes early to ensure you have time to have a quick look around (although you can do this at the end, too).
The Tour
The actual tour begins outside, which is *mostly* but not completely in the shade (if you’re visiting midday, bring a hat and sunblock, maybe an umbrella if it could rain!). There are some easy-to-understand maps and descriptions showing the significance of the mine problem across Cambodia (really interesting).
Then, there is a Q and A session where your tour guide presents examples of the mines and unexploded mortars ‘in the wild’ and explains the damage and triggering mechanisms of four types of explosives. Ours explained to us that the HeroRATs don’t weigh enough to trigger the mines (they weigh around 1-1.5 kilograms).
HeroRat mine demonstration | under the supervision of his two human handlers, we watched Jordan the giant pouch rat traverse a dummy minefield. This was a small, shaded sandbox area containing a decoy fake-explosive and a real one containing a tiny amount of TNT. It was explained to us how the rats are trained to identify targets and what they do in high-risk landmine environments.
Dressed in his tiny harness, we watched Jordan wander along a rope line in the sand until he located the targets. He didn’t dig at the decoy, only at the ‘real’ explosive and was rewarded with some banana.
Hold a rat | this was where it was obvious who liked rats and who didn’t! Anyone who volunteered to hold a rat had to wash their hands and arms because any sunscreen, lotion or perfume could irritate the rats as they love to lick things. The APOPO rats have a surprising weight to them, and love to clamber onto shoulders.
It’s totally okay just to observe this and not hold them. You don’t even have to get close if you don’t want. We got to hold a rat called Glen, and it was explained to us about rats suffering sunburn on their tails and ears. This means they have it applied before they go out in the sun each day.
After rat time | we were led into an air-conditioned room filled with desks and benches.
“Welcome back to school” our guide quipped, before playing several short films. These were made from the perspective of the Cambodian residents who benefited from the APOPO rat de-mining, and also from the handlers.
There was heavy emphasis on the importance of the rats and why they were needed, and why more funding is required – not just for Cambodia, but Laos and other countries too.
THE RATS AT APOPO
Currently, I think there are eight or nine giant African pouched rats at the APOPO visitor centre.
They live comfortably at the centre and take turns working, being held by tourists and demonstrating their unique skills to visitors.
There’s a leader board for the hardworking rats. Not all the rats are hardworking – one of the females (we won’t shame them!) is apparently the laziest rat on the APOPO team. The APOPO rats typically work for four to five years and then retire. If their health, or work performance declines at any point, then they are retired too.
After retirement the APOPO HeroRATs get to eat, sleep and go to the rat gym. Only working rats, like Jordan, take part in the tours. Retirement rats just hang out and have a good time.
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Things to Know and Take With You
Food and drink | in reception there’s a fridge containing soft drinks and water. Cans of fizzy drinks were $1. There’s also a café on site if you have time to spare.
Gift shop | adjacent to the display of landmines and ordnance is a small selection of surprisingly decent, interesting merchandise to help raise funds.
Fitness | you will be on your feet for almost the whole tour, which is around an hour. There’s nowhere to sit down outside, only when watching the videos or in the café area afterwards. There’s almost no walking, steps or physical activity though.
Heat | we’d highly recommend booking an early morning slot. We went around 9am in January and it pleasantly warm and not uncomfortable. I can’t imagine the sweaty mess I’d have been during the warmer months in the middle of the day.
Weather | go prepared for the season you’re visiting in. Cambodia can be rainy and very, very hot and lot of this tour is outdoors. Pack appropriately for this.
Language | the signs and tour are all in English. The tour guides are easy to understand, but if English isn’t your first language, bring a translate app for the signs and written information.
Parking | there’s ample motorbike and tuktuk parking on the roadside.
Bathrooms | there are decent, accessible bathrooms on site.
Opening Hours | the visitor centre is open daily from 08:30 until 17:00. The last tour is at 16:30.
WHAT IS HOLDING A RAT LIKE?
APOPO rats don’t bite.
In fact, they love to lick absolutely everything, including you (which is why you should wash your hands and arms before handling them)!
They are quite slow, not skittish at all, and they won’t jump from your hands.
They like to sit on your shoulders.
You hold them kind of like a baby, with cradled arms.
They’re incredibly gentle and well-behaved.
Their handler is always next to you, so the rats can just go back to them whenever.
They are genuinely just like tiny dogs.
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Is the APOPO Rat Tour Worth It?
Absolutely. The APOPO Visitor Centre is easily one of the best attractions we visited in Siem Reap and, without a doubt, our favourite.
The tour was super interesting, and I get *very* easily bored. The facts and figures were genuinely surprising, easy to digest and even mid/older kids would get a lot from it. There was enough information to communicate the scale of work still needed, without being overwhelming.
It also wasn’t depressing or sad, which considering the heavy subject matter, is impressive.
Our guide spoke great English and answered various questions from the tour group (and she was funny, too). The whole thing felt very well run and we never felt rushed during the tour. It was a great way to spend an hour in Siem Reap in between a few full-on days of exploring the multitude of temples at Angkor Wat in our rental tuktuk.
What if you don’t like rats, though?
It’s totally okay if you’re not that keen on rats.
Lots of people didn’t hold them, and you could always keep your distance if you choose.
However, I saw a few more nervous people, who warmed up to them throughout the tour. I think being exposed to these magical little ratties makes you realise that they’re really not that different to dogs and cats (they’re the same size as a small cat!).
Also, your money is going to a great cause and the work done by the organisation is genuinely noteworthy and unique. You’ll learn a lot about the country you’re visiting, too.
WHERE TO STAY IN SIEM REAP
We’ve stayed multiple times in Siem Reap, each time trying out a few different hotels.
Our favourites have been:
Hari Residences and Spa ($$) | this hotel is simply outstanding value for money. It’s located in central Siem Reap by the river and old town, so everything is walkable. The staff take customer service *way* above and beyond, and the super clean and comfortable rooms are enormous, with large balconies furnished with swinging chairs. It’s such an arty, thoughtfully designed hotel, even down to the welcome drinks and cake (it was actually decent cake!).
The hotel has one of the best rooftop pool views in the city too! Oh, honourable mention for their outstanding always-included breakfast, which was fresh, vegetarian friendly and massively varied.
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Viroth’s Hotel ($$$+) | this hotel was an immaculate dream that I never wanted to wake from (sounds dramatic, but it’s true). It’s bit pricier than our usual choices, but also worth absolutely every penny (it had a exceptional reputation and I wanted to test it out). With a location near the river, it’s perfect for exploring Siem Reap on foot, although we didn’t really want to leave after arriving.
The staff are second to none (I actually mean that, probably the best customer service we’ve received anywhere), the aesthetic design is top notch and the hotel is pristine. I’m a plant person, so this hotel was magical for me. The rooms are modern, with extremely comfortable beds, and are way brighter than any others we’ve had in Cambodia. Everything about this hotel was just so thoughtful. Also, the exceptional pool and restaurant are worth staying for, alone.
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Final Thoughts – Landmine Rats of Siem Reap
1000s of people visit APOPO in Siem Reap every month to witness their efforts at demining the countryside of Cambodia. It’s a worthy trip, even without an enthusiasm for rats.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance are an uncomfortable topic. These devices cause chaos, damage and death – a very difficult subject to chat about casually. This is especially true when you’re on the ground in Cambodia, a country that has suffered greatly due to these indiscriminate weapons of war. It’s not uncommon to see amputees across the nation, most of whom will have been victims of the landmine crisis.
Our guide told us that a farmer in northern Cambodia had died just three days before we visited due to his tractor hitting an old bomb. His vehicle was completely destroyed and he didn’t survive.
Understanding this significant part of Cambodia’s past (and the ongoing impact) should be essential for any visitor to the country.
So, we think everyone should take an hour of their time and go see the rats at one of Siem Reap’s best attractions. You can learn a bit about Cambodia’s difficult history, witness some cool, innovative methods of helping and, if you’re keen, hold a very special giant African rat!
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