Rattanakiri - Cambodia Eco-ourism

Ratanakiri became a province of Kingdom of Cambodia in 1960 under King Norodom Sihanouk's reign. Banlung is the capital city of Ratanakiri, situated in the highland, along the National Road No19 from Ou porng Moan to the Vietnam border about 200 km. ( Ou´ porng Moan-Banlung is about 120km, Banlung-Vietnam 80k.m) Ratanakiri is situated on the north - east plateau , 636 Km from Phnom Penh. It is bordering Vietnam on the east, Laos PDR on the North, Steung Treng on the West and Mondul Kiri on the South. There are two rivers crossing the province ( Sre Pork and Sresan River ) A sparsely populated province, it is renowned for its unique natural beauty and wealth of natural resources. The physical and environmental characteristic of the province forms an impressive range including undulating hills and mountains, a level plateau, watershed lowlands, crater lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Forest cover varies from area to area, from the dense impenetrable forest in the northern reaches, which are still rich in wildlife, to the drier and sparser forest, found in the southwest. Similarly, the soil types present range from rich volcanic soil to the sandy soil found near rivers.Thus Ratanakiri province offers wonderful opportunities for Eco-tourism in Cambodia.

Kirirom National Resort

Located at Phnom Sruoch district in the province of Kampong Speu, Kirirom National Park is established on a seven hundred meters hill covering an area of over thirty five thousand hectares in the Elephant Mountains. The name 'Kirirom' meaning Mountain of Joy was given to it by the King of Cambodia. Kirirom National Park, a high altitude plateau, is known for its unique high elevation pine forest, which forms the headwaters for numerous streams feeding Kampong Speu Town. This park is part of the 'Southwest Cluster Protected Areas' which include Phnom Bokor, Preah Sihanouk and Kep National Parks. Attractions at this hill station of Kirirom are its spectacular scenery and its astonishing waterfalls. Kirim ResortThis park is also the home to many endangered species of animals such as Pleated gibbon, sun bear and tiger . You can take a ride in the traditional ox-cart ride or trek along the walking trails among the pine trees. Since this natural resort is located one hundred and twenty kilometers to the west of Phnom Penh, visitors can hire taxis to get here. Traveling along National Road No. 4 will also get you here. The Kirirom National Park, whose official name is Preah Suramarith Kossmak, is about 80,000 acres of forested land on a rare plateau in southwestern Cambodia. The elevation is about 2,200 feet, high enough to support a large pine forest quite distinct from most of the country's tropical jungle. Our last stop in the park was a newly renovated visitor’s center which was small but quite impressive.The visitor’s center has some really attractive displays although there are too many for such a small space. Still it was refreshing to see such high standards applied to the center. Kirirom Resort Especially rewarding was meeting the woman in the picture, the manager of the center, who obviously was proud of her country, her park, and her job representing it to the public. Next to the visitor’s center are the ruins of a large old mansion. Pictured here is a tall, multi-part chimney on a foundation surrounded by a wooden deck that is falling dangerously apart. The house was a hot-season estate of Cambodia's King Sihanouk but it was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge who was not finally driven out of this area until 1992.