Adventure in the Cardamom Mountains

Cambodia’s vibrant cities and ancient temples can leave you breathless, and sometimes you just want to pause and relax. Welcome to the serene natural beauty and astonishing biodiversity of the Cardamom Mountains rainforest. This craggy landscape is covered in swathes of rainforest, mangrove swamps and tangled woodland, with broad, gentle rivers and swirling rapids snaking in between. The heady spice for which the region is named is still grown on some of its slopes, delicately scenting the air.

Calmness and tranquillity wash over you as you sit in dappled shade and listen to the gentle sounds of the river. Hear the calls of birds, insects and monkeys, and perhaps even the distant roar of a male elephant through the stillness.

Choose from a wide range of eco-friendly accommodation options, ranging from hidden bungalows to luxury tents, and spend your days relaxing in the forest, diving into refreshing waters, kayaking down rivers and exploring nature trails.

What to do in the Cardamom Mountains rainforest

• Escape the crowds to enjoy one of the most important ecological regions in South-East Asia, home to an astonishing variety of plants, as well as sheltering Asian elephants, Indochinese tigers, clouded leopards and numerous species of birds, reptiles and amphibians.

• Take a morning dip in the river, or get in a kayak to explore further downstream.

• Watch butterflies drifting over the mangroves.

• Learn about local cultures in a welcoming homestay, or try to master the delicate art of Khmer cookery at a tented camp.

• Float further into the lush surrounds on a riverboat cruise, or take a trek with an ex-poacher into the heart of the now-protected forests.

Relax in the Cardamom Mountains

This is the perfect place to relax surrounded by natural splendour. Morning river swims, afternoon hammock swings and evening firefly-lit strolls are the order of every day. The Cardamom Mountains habitat has been preserved to an extent rarely found elsewhere, which means there is a great choice of sustainable and community-based ecotourism options that offer true hope for the future.

Get active in the Cardamom Mountains

While you are welcome to kick back as much as you like, there are plenty of active ways to immerse yourself in your surroundings too. Kayak down rivers, trek to hidden waterfalls, and marvel at the butterflies skimming the mangrove waters. Meet local villagers on a nearby island and learn about their lives, or just enjoy a wild swim in a lake secreted deep within the trees.

Cardamom Mountains sustainability

The Cardamom Mountains habitat is large, extremely well preserved and fiercely protected. This means that it is diverse enough to support a vast variety of birds, animals, plants, and insects. It also means that the larger animals can easily disappear into it, so you may well hear but not see them. A trip to the Cardamoms is very much about leaving the wild animals to do their thing while you share and support their habitats. 

Our tip: if you’re keen on a sustainable holiday which includes a wildlife project, combine your stay in the Cardamoms with a visit to the Elephant Valley Project sanctuary in Cambodia's north east.

Where to stay in the Cardamom Mountains

All of our accommodation options place you in the heart of the forest, but how you stay is up to you…

• Seek out eco-lodges with luxury tents on floating pontoons that provide a sundeck directly over the gushing river.

• To get away from it all in discreetly-placed bungalows hidden among the overhanging branches where you will hear nothing but the chirp of insects, the call of birds and the occasional howl of a monkey.

• Stay at the Cardamom Tented Camp (which is allied with conservation organisations, such as the Wildlife Alliance) to learn more about their work safeguarding the land against loggers, poachers and sand dredging operations. 

• For the ultimate forest pampering, nothing beats the ultra-luxe eco tents at Shinta Mani Wild.

• Community-based homestay options allow you to live with local families and learn more about their lives and deep connection to the land.