As part of the Cardamom Sustainable Landscape & Ecotourism Project (CSLEP), the Ministry of Environment and the World Bank helped lead an expedition off the beaten track to discover new destinations in the Cardamom Mountains. 

Day 1

Kirirom National Park 

Setting out at the crack of dawn, our group of adventurers travelled to Chambok to meet with the villagers. They were greeted by a traditional dance from the villagers and got a chance to try their hand at making kralanh, a traditional food of sticky rice in bamboo. The group then headed to their base for the night, the stunning Kirirom National Park. This National Park boasts some gorgeous photo spots like the hanging rocks that make for some breath-taking photos! 

Day 2

Chiphat 

The next day began with a presentation at the Kirirom Ranger Station and then the group carried on to the Shinta Mani Wild. It is known as one of the most luxurious tented camps in Cambodia and is equipped with fantastic activities like ziplining! Our crew then headed to Chiphat and ended up staying at the guesthouses of the Firefly Resort and Cardamom Cottages. 

Day 3

Peam Krasaop 

In the morning the group travelled in little boats through Botum Sakor National Park to the Cardamom Tented Camps. After exploring the campsite, they ventured to Southeast Asia’s biggest Mangrove Forest, Peam Krasaop. At the visitors’ centre, they got to meet with those in charge of protecting this other worldly treasure. Later that evening, they stayed at the Koh Kong 2000 Resort and feasted on a delicious seafood barbecue.  

Day 4

On the final day, the explorers trekked deeper into the Cardamom mountains to visit another Community Based Ecotourism site (CBET). Stung Areng CBET was founded in 2016 with the help of Wildlife Alliance and is surrounded by mountains, rivers and rare wildlife. Here they learned from the community about the possible connection between the eastern and western side of the Cardamoms, creating a one-way trek. Finally, that evening the community prepared them one of the best homemade meals they had had during the entire expedition.