Northeast Forests

The northeast corner of Cambodia is where the elevation grows to feature dense evergreen rainforest. Its home to Virachey National Park and Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary and has the highest diversity and density of Indigenous peoples in Cambodia. Stung Treng sits along side the Mekong River and is connected to Laos, so it can make a great stop over if you are coming from Laos and heading south.

Green forest-covered hills stretching across the landscape from the Sea Forest viewpoint in Mondulkiri. — Views across Mondulkiri from the Sea Forest in Sen Monorom

Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri are often less visited areas but mainly due to their distance from Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Both have many things to offer from wildlife, jungle trekking and waterfalls. You can easily spend a few days in Ratanakiri visiting the local Jarai villages, the famous volcanic crater lake, Yeak Laom Lake or a day of waterfall hopping.

In Mondulkiri many come for the elephants and gibbons, but there is also great coffee, Bousra Waterfall and Nam Lear, a basalt hill, not far from Sen Monorom, the main town in Mondulkiri.

The Koh Ker pyramid temple (Prasat Thom) in Cambodia during the rainy season, with wet laterite stone and cloudy skies — Prasat Thom at Koh Ker on a rainy day.

I always think of Preah Vihear as the green province. Each time we have travelled through, there are colours of green like no other in Cambodia. It’s also where you can see the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Koh Ker complex or head further north to Preah Vihear Temple (currently not accessible).

If your schedule allows we would definitely recommend a trip into this corner of Cambodia.