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Litchfield National Park Guide to Waterfalls and Swimming Holes. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Florence Falls, Litchfield National Park.

Litchfield National Park Guide to Gorgeous Waterfalls, Swimming Holes and Bush Walks

Our Litchfield National Park guide gives you the lowdown on the many things to do at Litchfield, from swimming in cooling waterholes and gawking at breathtaking waterfalls to bushwalking, birdwatching and wildlife spotting, and camping under the stars. Do the direct drive from Darwin for a day trip or weekend escape or tack it onto a Kakadu road trip.

Only 100 kilometres south of Darwin in Australia’s Top End, Litchfield National Park is where Darwin’s residents retreat for a refreshing dip in a cooling waterhole when things get hot and sticky in the Northern Territory capital. The allure is Litchfield’s pristine easily-accessible swimming holes, stunning waterfalls, short but beautiful bush walks, and shady picnic grounds.

An added bonus are the enormous magnetic termite mounds, brilliant birdwatching, four-wheel drive adventures (in the dry season only), lush campsites with manicured lawns and tropical gardens, welcoming lodgings with swimming pools, and friendly locals in Batchelor, where you’ll find a few sights, a general store for supplies, and good pub grub and icy cold beer at the Rum Jungle Tavern.

Litchfield’s compact area of just 1,500 square kilometres compared to colossal Kakadu National Park’s 20,000 square-kilometres, its close proximity to the capital, and accessibility to its sights – there’s just one sealed road through Litchfield from which each waterfall or swimming hole lies a mere few kilometres – means that there is a downside. The park can often get crowded with locals on weekends, so go mid-week if you can or stay overnight so you’re the first in for a dip.

Now is a fantastic time to visit Litchfield National Park. With the first of the wet season rains falling, the waterholes are filling up, the waterfalls are more dramatic, and everything is incredibly lush and green.

Litchfield National Park Guide – When to Go, Where to Stay and Things to Do at Litchfield National Park

When to Go to Litchfield National Park

Litchfield National Park is best visited now, at the start of the wet season or during the early dry season when the waterfalls are still flowing. You would have heard the seasons talked about as ‘the wet’ and ‘the dry’, however, the indigenous Australians of the Top End use a calendar with six seasons.

At the time of publishing this guide, it’s nearing the end of Gunumeleng, the pre-monsoon season (mid-October to late December), which comes before Gudjewg (monsoon season, from January to March). April is Banggerreng, the “knock ’em down storm season”, before Yegge, the cooler but still humid season starts in May and runs until mid-June, when the cold weather season called Wurrgeng begins.

How Long to Spend at Litchfield National Park

You could visit Litchfield National Park direct from Darwin on a day trip if you had to, however, if you enjoy bushwalking, swimming, picnicking, and birdwatching, or you simply prefer a more leisurely pace of travel, you’ll get much more out of Litchfield if you stay overnight or even stay two or three days.

You could add Litchfield to a Darwin to Kakadu National Park trip to hike rocky escarpments, admire ancient Aboriginal rock art, cruise crocodile-filled rivers, and gawp at gobsmacking waterfalls. After Kakadu, drive via Pine Creek and Adelaide River to Litchfield and you’re doing what we consider to be one of the best Australian road trips.

While you could do that road trip in a rushed few days, you’re best off taking five days to a week if you want to do some cruises and tours. Alternatively, with a lot more time, you could spend a couple of days at Litchfield National Park, then on your way to Kakadu National Park, call into Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Windows on the Wetlands, Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises, and Mary River National Park.

After 2-3 days at Kakadu continue south to Nitmiluk National Park, Katherine, Mataranka, and Tennant Creek to Alice Springs and Uluru, an epic but easily one of Australia’s best road trips.

How to Travel to Litchfield National Park

You have two choices: self-drive or tour. If you’re short on time, you don’t drive, or you simply prefer to experience places with expert local guides, then a tour that takes in Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks is a great option. Various companies offer small-group 3-day, 4-day and 5-day 4WD camping safaris and tours from Darwin, some of which include Mary River, Kakadu and Arnhem Land, and a stop at the Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises on the way. Both Klook and Get Your Guide have a good range of Darwin to Litchfield National Park tours and safaris.

However, for us the best way to experience Litchfield National Park is by hiring a 4WD campervan or motorhome or rental car for pick-up in Darwin. Book well ahead for weekends and holidays. While you could stick to sealed bitumen roads, there are some fab sites that are only accessible on dirt 4WD-only tracks and a 4WD is a must if you’re including Kakadu National Park on your Litchfield National Park road trip.

Having said that, many of the 4WD-only tracks at Litchfield National Park close during the wettest months of the year. Before setting out on a road trip, check the Northern Territory Government website for road conditions and park access or call the Litchfield National Park Ranger Station on 08 8999 3947.

In the dry season, you’ll need a 4WD to explore the rugged 4WD-only tracks to places such as The Lost City and Reynolds River. These are closed during the wet season when the roads are impassable, which is when we definitely recommend you hire a motorhome – which also means you can self-cater and enjoy outdoor picnics overlooking waterfalls and sunset barbecues to the bush soundtrack of birdsong.

Eating options are also limited in Litchfield and while the General Store has some supplies and it’s always good to support local businesses, we recommend stocking up on picnic food, tropical fruit, gourmet snacks, barbecue ingredients, and beer and wine in Darwin, and preparing your own meals in your motorhome kitchen and outdoor barbecues.

What to Pack for Litchfield National Park

Start with a copy of Dr Marcia Langton’s Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia for insights into Aboriginal Australia’s 50,000-year-old culture, history, languages, customs, religion, ceremonies, dance, and arts, as well as invaluable tips on etiquette and cultural awareness, and a directory of Aboriginal tourism experiences.

Along with the swimwear, flip flops, sunhat, and high-factor sun-block, mosquito repellent and coils are essential. Also pack some walking shoes or hiking boots, refillable water bottles, and binoculars for bird-watching. Some 169 bird species have been recorded at the park and most of them during the wet season. Print off this list of birds and check boxes before you go.

You can’t sit on the grass or bare ground due to Scrub Typhus, which can be transmitted by microscopic bush mites, so take a fold-up table, chairs and sun-bed. (See our cute fold-up palm tree stools in our online shop on Society6 with products featuring Terence’s photography).

How to Get to Litchfield National Park

Litchfield National Park is around 120 kms south of Darwin off the Stuart Highway. Follow the signs, which will take you via the township of Batchelor, 95 kilometres south on a sealed road. With a 4WD, during dry season only, you can drive via the Cox Peninsula Road, which is unsealed in parts, or via the 4WD-only Reynolds Track if you were coming from Daly River in the south.

If you’re driving from Kakadu via Pine Creek and Adelaide River to Litchfield National Park, from Gunlom or Waterfall Creek you’ll need to return to Kakadu Highway and continue southwest to the park’s southern exit at Mary River roadhouse where you can refuel. It’s 68 kms to the Stuart Highway junction at Pine Creek, where you’ll head northwest for 118 kms in the direction of Adelaide River.

Pine Creek was the location of the Northern Territory’s first Gold Rush after gold was discovered in 1871, making Pine Creek one of its oldest towns. There are a handful of atmospheric heritage buildings around town including the 1889 Old Playford Hotel and Old Bakery. Miners Park has century-old mining equipment scattered across its dry grass and there’s a tiny museum on Railway Terrace with an old locomotive parked at the old station.

Few travellers stay at Pine Creek, however, if you have reason to spend a night, Pine Creek Hotel, the local pub, has basic rooms and serves the Best Chicken Parmi as voted by 900 Territorians. Pre-pandemic, Mayse’s Café was your best bet for a meat pie.

From Pine Creek, drive 118 kms northwest to Adelaide River on the Stuart Highway. Adelaide River was first settled while the Overland Telegraph Line was being installed but didn’t boom until it became the supply centre to support the defence of Darwin during World War II, suffering bombing from 1942-43 by the Japanese as a result.

Adelaide River’s sobering war cemetery is where victims of eighteen months of air raids are buried. A picturesque place with shady picnic tables and peacocks, it makes a pleasant spot to stretch your legs or enjoy lunch.

From Adelaide River, continue 17 kms north along the Stuart Highway then turn left to Batchelor Road for the 8km-drive to Batchelor, gateway to Litchfield National Park.

Where to Buy Your Litchfield National Park Pass

Unlike Kakadu National Park, for which you need a national park pass, there is no park entry fee for Litchfield National Park, which is free. You only need to pay for accommodation and camping site fees. Before leaving Darwin, download a national park map and information on camping sites, bush walks, birdwatching, and swimming. You should also find this and other tourist information at the Batchelor General Store on the corner of Tarkarri Road and Nurdina Street.

Tips to Visiting Litchfield National Park

Make sure to heed the crocodile warning signs as crocs can be found from time to time in Litchfield’s waterholes, even after the wet season ends. See this guide to swimming in Litchfield National Park and the kinds of warning signs to look out for and what they mean.

When picnicking near the waterfalls and swimming holes, only sit on the raised wooden platforms provided or on your own fold-up furniture, not on the bare ground or grass as Scrub Typhus can be transmitted by microscopic bush mites. This Litchfield National Park information sheet has lots more information on safety, park rules, and what you can and cannot do.

Where to Eat, Drink and Stay at Litchfield National Park

The closest township to Litchfield National Park is Batchelor, a village some 8 kilometres west of the Stuart Highway. It was originally established to serve the old uranium mine at nearby Rum Jungle, which closed in the early 1970s. For most travellers, Batchelor is little more than a stopover to guarantee an early start on the park, yet its leafy streets and lush gardens make it a pleasant one.

What to Do in Batchelor

The diminutive Batchelor Museum has a permanent exhibition on the Aboriginal heritage of the area and the traditional owners, the Kungarakan and the Warrai peoples, the Batchelor Demonstration Farm that was established in 1911 to explore the economic potential of the area, and Batchelor’s role during World War II. Its aerodrome was a base for allied air operations.

Check to see if the Coomalie Cultural Centre is open. Part of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE), it showcases art works by students, so expect to find stunning Aboriginal art, crafts and design products, from vibrant ceramics and metalwork to hand-painted jewellery and accessories. It was also good spot to pick up delicious edible souvenirs made from native Australian ingredients.

At the Batchelor Butterfly Farm, Christopher Horne offers tours of the indoor rainforest that is home to spectacular Australian butterflies, where you can learn about their lives as you admire their incredible patterns and colours. There’s also a small animal farm where kids can pet rabbits, goats and ducks, a licensed café and budget accommodation.

Where to Eat and Drink in Batchelor

The Rum Jungle Tavern is the place to eat and drink in Batchelor, as well as a good spot to meet the locals. Now ran by the friendly McElwee family, who have renovated the place since we were last here, there’s an award-winning pub grub menu that includes locally caught wild barramundi and big steaks with salads and chips, burgers with the lot, a popular Guinness pie, Coffin Bay oysters flown in during season, and a kids’ menu.

There is no supermarket in Batchelor, however, along with fuel, an ATM and a post office, the Batchelor General Store has plenty to offer if you’re self-catering, including groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs, cold drinks, water, and ice. They also do takeaway food and you can pick up snacks, picnic gear, insect repellent, sun-block, hats, and the like. The owners here are also good source of local information.

Where to Stay in Batchelor

On the outskirts of Batchelor, Litchfield Motel has clean spacious rooms in a range of configurations set around lawns and a green swimming pool. There’s free WiFi and free private parking, along with a bar, casual eatery (seasonal), shop, and petrol station. If the restaurant is closed it’s a 10-minute walk to Rum Jungle Tavern, which offers the best food in town.

Where to Stay in Litchfield National Park

Around 8 kilometres out of Batchelor near the entrance to Litchfield National Park, Litchfield Tourist Park has a variety of thoughtfully decorated cabins and bungalows set in lush gardens. They have microwave ovens and small fridges, and verandas with barbecues, dining table and chairs. If travelling with family or friends, book the Homestead, which has a well-equipped kitchen with proper stove, a big fridge and plenty of space.

There’s also a caravan and campsite and swimming pool. Their excellent little café is only open for breakfast and lunch, so you’ll need to take your own supplies from Darwin or Batchelor or book a BBQ kit for dinner when you book your accommodation. They’ll give you a time to pick it up or arrange to leave it at your lodgings.

At the far western end of the park at Rakula, Hideaway Litchfield consists of two stunning contemporary villas with timber decks with a barbecue and outdoor dining, kitchenettes with microwave, and floor to ceiling windows with bush views. Take supplies and prepare to self-cater as the closest eatery, Litchfield Café, 3kms away, however, is currently closed. The nearest swimming spot is at Wangi Falls.

There are camping sites with facilities scattered around Litchfield National Park that vary from no-frills to good. You will need to be self-sufficient and take enough food and drinks, including drinking water, for the duration of your stay. Litchfield Safari Camp has ensuite safari cabins and budget tents. See this link for more information on camping in Litchfield National Park.

Things to Do and See in Litchfield National Park

From Batchelor, follow the dog-legged Rum Jungle Road 15kms northwest then southwest to the park entrance. See this excellent guide to all the Litchfield National Park bush walks with a map and information on the walks, including durations and distances to waterfalls and important information such as whether swimming is permitted. Below are our picks of the highlights of Litchfield National Park.

Magnetic Termite Mounds

Soon after you enter the park, you’ll notice colossal 2-metre high magnetic termite mounds on dusty plains, looking like tombstones in a cemetery. Standing in a north-south orientation, their clever configuration prevents their total surface from being exposed to the sun at any one time, thereby acting as a temperature control mechanism. The mounds change with the light, appearing golden red in the morning and late afternoon, and a dull grey in the middle of the day.

Continue driving southwest to the next turn-off for Buley Rockhole, 3 kms off the main road.

Buley Rockhole

Consisting of an easily accessible series of small natural swimming holes through which mini waterfalls flow, Buley Rockhole makes a wonderful spot for a swim for children and non-swimmers especially. An easy 3 kms (1.5hr) walking trail follows Buley Creek to Florence Falls. There’s camping close by.

Continue driving along this road for another 5 kms to Florence Falls.

Florence Falls

The twin 20m-high Florence Falls are two of the most spectacular waterfalls in the park. They can be enjoyed from the lookout above or you can take the stairs – all 160 of them – down to a natural swimming hole at the base of the falls. An alternative 1km (30-minute) walking track passes through cool monsoon forest and more open woodland.

Return to Litchfield Park Road, turn right, and continue 15 kms to Tolmer Falls.

Tolmer Falls

Plunging down from two lofty rocky escarpments to pools far below, the magnificent Tolmer Falls, a mere 500m from the main road, must be the park’s most photographed cascades. The falls can be appreciated from the cliff-top lookout opposite due to the rare orange horseshoe bats and ghost bats that inhabit the area. With a professional guide, you can do the 30-minute cliff-top walk along the top of the falls to take in ancient cycads but swimming is not possible.

Continue along Litchfield Park Road for another 11 kms to the turn-off to Wangi Falls on your right.

Wangi Falls

Only 1.5 kms from the main road, beautiful Wangi Falls are the most accessible for swimming with stairs and ladders into the enormous waterhole. There’s a café, barbecues and wooden platforms for spreading out your picnic blanket (remember not to sit on the ground; see above) so naturally its gets crowded on weekends and holidays.

Note the swimming warning signs. The pool is closed during the wet season due to strong undertows and the usual crocodile threat. A 1.6 km (1.5 hour) walk winds along a boardwalk around the base before stairs climb up the escarpment above the falls. (Swimming not allowed).

Driving from Litchfield National Park and Bachelor to Darwin

From the Batchelor Road and Stuart Highway junction, drive north along the Stuart Highway for 40 kms to Cox Peninsula Road then turn left (west) in the direction of Berry Springs for 11 kms to the Territory Wildlife Park, which we highly recommend you see on your way back to Darwin.

Territory Wildlife Park

The sprawling Territory Wildlife Park is one of Australia’s best, with miles and miles of walking tracks running through a range of different habitats found in the Territory and an abundance of fauna and flora typically found in those environs. There are walk-in aviaries, aquariums, a nocturnal exhibit, and birds-of-prey display, and when you find it too hot to stroll you can hop on a free train that continually circles the park.

From the Stuart Highway and Cox Peninsula Road junction, it’s 47 kms northeast along the highway to Darwin

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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