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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.

Image gallery

Waterfall in Cardamom Mountains
View of Cardamom Mountains
River in the Cardamom Mountains

What to do in the Cardamom Mountains rainforest

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…

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Monk walking

Cambodia Encompassed

Discover the true breadth of Cambodian culture by exploring the Angkor Temples, bustling Phnom Penh before heading to the Cardamon Mountains and rounding up with a few days on Cambodia’s islands.

Price from: £2,290 US$2,990
Ideal length 13 days
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