Koh Kong and the Cardamoms
The largest intact rainforest in mainland Southeast Asia sits four hours from Phnom Penh, and almost nobody visits it. Two or three nights of river, forest and mangrove, with no crowds anywhere.
What it is
| The range | The Cardamom Mountains, roughly two million hectares of forest |
| The town | Koh Kong, on the Thai border, 270 km from Phnom Penh |
| Drive from Phnom Penh | About 4.5 hours, mostly good sealed road |
| Nights we recommend | 2 to 3 |
| Best months | November to March; the wet season makes tracks impassable |
The Cardamoms are the largest remaining rainforest in mainland Southeast Asia and one of the least visited protected landscapes in the region. Elephants, sun bears, pileated gibbons and clouded leopards are present. You will not see most of them, and that is true of every rainforest on earth.
What you will see is forest that goes on past the horizon, rivers running clear out of it, and mangrove that has not been cut. What you will not see is other visitors.
Three ways to be in it
The Tatai
A wide green river between forested hills, with a waterfall upstream that is a torrent in the wet months and a swimming hole in the dry. Two or three lodges sit on the banks and are reached only by boat.
Peam Krasop
A large protected mangrove forest with a boardwalk through it and boats among the channels. Best at dawn. The bird life is the reason to go.
Chi Phat
A community-based ecotourism project in a village that was a poaching and logging community and now runs guided treks, mountain biking and river trips with former hunters as guides.
Chi Phat is the one worth explaining. It was set up so that guiding, homestay income and boat fees would be worth more to the village than the forest was worth cut down. That is a hard argument to win and it has largely been won here. Staying there is simple: a village homestay or basic guesthouse, no air conditioning, and a genuinely expert local guide.
What a visit actually involves
- Boat trips on the Tatai, morning and late afternoon, when the river is quiet and the hornbills cross it.
- Guided forest walks of two to six hours. Leeches in the wet season, heat in the dry, and total silence.
- Kayaking on the mangrove channels at Peam Krasop.
- Night walks with a guide, which is when the forest is loudest and when you have any chance of civets and slow loris.
- Multi-day treks from Chi Phat with camping, for people who actually want to walk.
This is the one destination in Cambodia where the accommodation is the experience. The eco-lodges on the Tatai are tented or timber, run on solar, and reached by boat. They are not cheap and they are the reason to come.
Getting there
Four and a half hours from Phnom Penh on National Road 48, or about two and a half hours from Sihanoukville. The Cham Yeam border with Thailand is 10 km from Koh Kong town, which makes this a natural entry or exit point if you are combining Cambodia with Trat and the Thai islands.
Roads within the range are unsealed and several become impassable between July and October. In those months we run the river and the mangroves and leave the forest tracks alone.
When to skip it
- From May to October. This is a rainforest and it rains, tracks close, and leeches are constant. The river lodges stay lovely; the walking does not.
- If your trip is under ten days. The Cardamoms are a detour from everywhere.
- If you are expecting to see large mammals. You will hear gibbons, you will see birds and macaques, and you will almost certainly not see an elephant or a cat.
- If comfort matters more than setting. Outside two or three lodges, accommodation here is simple, and at Chi Phat it is basic.
How we build it
The Cardamoms do not have a fixed tour on this site, because the right version depends entirely on how much walking you want and which lodge is available. Tell us on the contact page and we will build two or three nights into a longer route, usually between Phnom Penh and the southern coast.
Questions travellers ask most
Is it worth going to the Cardamoms?
If you have ten days or more and you want forest rather than temples, yes. It is the largest intact rainforest in mainland Southeast Asia and it is almost empty. On a seven-day trip it is the wrong use of two travel days.
Will I see wildlife?
Birds, macaques, and gibbons heard more often than seen. Elephants, sun bears and cats are present and almost never seen. Anyone promising otherwise is selling something.
What is Chi Phat?
A community-based ecotourism project in a former logging and poaching village, where guiding and homestay income replaced income from the forest. Guides are often former hunters and are exceptionally good. Accommodation is basic.
When should I go?
November to March. From May to October the tracks are impassable and leeches are constant, though the river lodges and boat trips still work and the waterfall is at its most impressive.
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