APOPO Visitor Center

Small heroes This was such an informative and eye-opening visit. It is so important that every tourist taking in the beauty and history of Siem Reap and Angkor take the time to go to the APOPO visitor centre and learn about the amazing work that the hero rats and their handlers are doing. It's a terrible fact that Cambodians are still suffering horrendous injuries from land mines so many years after the end of the Khmer Rouge era. Please make sure to contribute something to their essential task. (The rats are really cute too!)

You will be shocked with how much you learn & how you now feel about rats! I was a bit dubious about visiting rats, but my goodness I'm glad I did! The work this charity does is extremely impressive & it shows how passionate they are when you listen to them talk & then watch the rats (huge!) in action. Before this trip I knew nothing of APOPO which is entirely charity run. Their work is invaluable. It really is worth the visit.

A very interesting insight A really nice gem to visit and find out about the very important mine-searching rats througout Cambodia.Very interesting tour, friendly staff and lots of new impressions on the „other side of Cambodia“.Very much recommended!

Learn about land mines and the hero rats I can’t say enough good things about this project. Go there learn about their mission and you will want to support the work they are doing. This visit is the highlight of our visit to siem reap area. More so than the angkor complex. This will leave a lasting impression on you. We decided to do our part to assist/support the mission by adopting a hero rat for a year.

Rats clearing mines! Vital work covered in an interesting way Apopo is situated about half way between town and Angkor Wat (3Km), right on the main road. They run a great presentation, highlighting the care they take off the animals in their charge and covering the vital work that they do. They have a small so of slightly overpriced goods which are sold to help find the service. You can also (as I did) symbolically adopt a rat if you believe in what they’re doing and want to help in a more substantial way. It’s not hard sell at all. The tour takes 30-45 minutes and it is educational and fun and you get an opportunity to handle the rays of that interests you.

Interesting tour/something different We hadn't planned to come here but one afternoon of visiting the temples it rained so as we were passing we stopped off. Very interesting - take the quick tour it's only 30-40 mins but you see the rats in action sniffing out landmines and learn a lot about how many landmines are stuck around the World. You can handle the rats if you want they were surprisingly cute and fun to handle. We really enjoyed this and it is a very good cheap backup option in Siem Reap if your scheduled stuff gets rained off as it is all under cover.

Amazing experience We cannot recommend this experience enough. After visiting Angkor Wat we were keen to experience and understand more about the area so we visited the APOPO centre and were blown away not only by the work they do, but also by the animals themselves. You’ll never think about a rat in the same way again. The experience teaches you a little history, explains current challenges, and shows you how these hero rats literally save lives. We also had the opportunity to hold one of the rats which was incredible. It was more akin to holding a puppy. If you wince at the idea of holding a rat then this experience will blow away any misconceptions you might harbour. Be prepared for a rat to steal your heart! That’s a line I never thought I’d say…

A fascinating and uplifting visit Don't miss a visit to see the HeroRats that are doing such a great job to rid Cambodia of its unexploded mines and bombs. Like most Brits we wouldn't normally go near rats but these giant African rats specially trained to sniff-out explosives were so delightful and my wife and I were happy to cuddle them!By visiting, you are supporting the vital work they are doing to reduce the appalling injuries (mainly to children) that are still happening thanks to civil war and foreign bombing.

Rats!!! APOPO - Humanitarian Demining Very informative! I wasn’t aware of the landmine dangersIn Cambodia.Also, I didn’t realize the advantages or even the capabilities of training large rats.

Brilliant, mine detecting rats from Tanzania These rats are incredibly clever. They are trained in Tanzania where they are bred. It takes 6 to 9 months to train a rat. They are huge, cuddly creatures with an enormous of whiskers, pink feet and pink ears. They suffer from sunburn so they have to have factor 50 put on their tails. They work early in the morning before it gets too hot and then are happy to return by 11 in the morning to their air-conditioned cage. They have cleared millions of acres all over the world of land mines, saving thousands of lives and allowing people to go back to their farming, allowing children to walk safely to school et cetera.