Eastern Cambodiapop 6 million / area 68,472 sq km

Why Go?Home to diverse landscapes and peoples, the ‘Wild East’ shatters the illusion that the country is all paddy fields and sugar palms. There are plenty of those in the lowland prov-inces, but in the northeast they yield to the mountains of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri Provinces, where ecotourism is playing a huge role in the effort to save dwindling forests from the twin ravages of illegal logging and government-issued land concessions.

Rare forest elephants and vocal primates are found in the northeast, and endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins can be seen year-round near Kratie and Stung Treng. Thun-dering waterfalls, crater lakes and meandering rivers char-acterise the landscape, and trekking, biking, kayaking and elephant experiences are all taking off. The rolling hills and lush forests also provide a home to many ethnic minority groups, known collectively as Khmer Leu (Upper Khmer) or chunchiet (ethnic minorities).

Best Wildlife Experiences¨¨ Gibbons in ratanakiri

(p266)

¨¨ Doucs in mondulkiri (p281)

¨¨ kayaking with dolphins in stung Treng (p265)

¨¨ Birdwatching in seima protected Forest (p281)

¨¨ elephant Valley project (p280)

Best Places to Stay¨¨ Tree Top ecolodge (p269)

¨¨ Terres rouges lodge (p270)

¨¨ elephant Valley project (p280)

¨¨ le Tonlé Tourism Training Centre (p263)

¨¨ koh Trong Community Homestay i (p260)

When to Go

Sep–Oct Mon-dulkiri is particu-larly beautiful as blooming wild-flowers colour the landscape.

Mar–Apr Low water levels, great dolphin-watching and kayaking in flooded forests of Mekong River.

May–Jun High-lands of Ratana-kiri, Mondulkiri offer escape from the stifling heat of the lowlands.

F DNOSAJJMAMJ

Kompong Cham°C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm

0/32

10/50

20/68

30/86

40/104

0

4/100

12/300

16/400

8/200

Kompong Cham ........ 253Kratie ......................... 258Stung Treng ............... 263Ratanakiri Province ...266Mondulkiri Province .. 275

©Lonely¨Planet¨Publications¨Pty¨Ltd

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Ratanakiri

Kompong Cham

Trail

MekongDiscovery

TrailDiscovery

Mekong LomBoeng Yeak

ProjectElephant Valley

Kratie

0 50 km0 25 miles

1 disappear for a day – or a week – in the forests of Ratanakiri (p266) or Mondulkiri (p275)2 Kayak with rare Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins (p258) near Kratie or Stung Treng

3 dive into the crystal-clear waters of the crater lake of Boeng Yeak Lom (p267)

4 go on an elephant safari in Mondulkiri, or observe elephants at the Elephant Valley Project (p280) 5 observe rare gibbons (p266) in their element within Ratanakiri’s Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation area

6 Soak up the charms of Kompong Cham (p253),

gateway to temples, lush countryside and friendly locals

7 Experience a community-based homestay program on the Mekong Discovery Trail (p262)

8 Spot birds, black-shanked doucs and gibbons in Seima Protected Forest (p281)

Eastern Cambodia Highlights