Mondulkiri is Cambodia’s largest province located in the Northeastern region with breathtaking natural beauty of thickly forested mountains, powerful waterfalls and the lush green rolling hills
Overview
Despite the growing deforestation, especially due to the valuable minerals remaining in the deep red, fertile ground, Mondulkiri has still one of the biggest successional woodlands of Cambodia. Except being in Sen Monorom, you'll find deep pure jungle, with a huge variety of flora and fauna. You may also find gigantic and beautiful waterfalls, where you can take an empowering shower, such as the impressive Bou Sraa.
Tourism
Sen Monorom is the provincial capital and doesn't show up as a typical Cambodian town, while it is the only town the province has to speak of. With approx. 7500 inhabitants, 20 guesthouses, 12 restaurants, 3 bars and no post office it is often compared to American Wild West frontier towns. Concerning the quietness and beauty of Sen Monorom people from other parts of the country move here and therefore the land price doubled from 2006 to 2007.
The town of Sen Monorom is the best base camp for travellers who want to explore the surrounding areas. A quiet but beautiful town nestled into the hills; it has a lot of potential to develop into a centre for non-intrusive eco-tourism. At present, it's very undeveloped, which gives you a feeling of going somewhere off the beaten tourist trail. Add to that the communities of hill tribe people, who are not affected by mass-tourism, as they are in neighbouring Thailand, and you have an area that is very attractive to the adventure traveller.
Also interesting is the variety of languages being used: Khmer, hill tribe languages, Vietnamese and Lao. 80 percent of the population in Mondulkiri is made up of ten tribal minorities, with the majority of them being the Chunchiet from the tribe of the Phnong. The remaining 20 percent are Khmer, Chinese and Muslim Cham. Most of the population lives off the land, planting rice, fruit trees and a variety of vegetables. Others grow, coffee, strawberries, rubber and cashew nuts.
More and more houses are built in the typical Khmer style. Visiting the hill tribes you still can find the traditional Phnong houses. In the houses you can find traditional gongs and big jars, whereby the last ones are said to be more than a thousand years old. There are various sorts of gongs used for different occasions. Jars and gongs are among the most valuable possessions in an indigenous community, whether in traditional, spiritual or material terms. During the Khmer Rouge Regime those objects were buried in hidden places in the jungle and in many cases they still wait in the ground.
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Places of interest
- Northern Vietnam
- Rice terraces in North Vietnam
- Hanoi, City of Peace
- Things to do in Hanoi
- Day Trips from Hanoi
- Huong Pagoda
- Tay Phuong Pagoda
- Duong Lam ancient village
- Bat Trang Ceramic Village
- Ninh Binh Province
- Halong Bay
- Hai Phong, Flaming red city
- Cat Ba Island
- Tam Coc, Halong Bay on land
- Mai Chau
- Lao Cai Province
- Sapa - a pearl in the mountains
- Bac Ha market
- Cuc Phuong National Park
- Ha Giang, majestic landscapes
- Meo Vac District
- Dong Van Karst Plateau
- Thac Ba Lake
- Ba Be National Park
- Cao Bang Province
- Dien Bien Phu
- Lai Chau Province
- Lang Son Province
- Son La Province
- Yen Bai Province
- Cultural Tourism Village
- Bac Ninh Province
- Central Vietnam
- Hue City
- Danang Province
- Hoian ancient town
- Phuoc Tich Village
- Thuy Bieu Village
- My Son Holy Land
- Cu Lao Cham Island
- Phong Nha-Ke Bang
- Son Doong Cave
- Tra Que Herb Village
- Quang Binh Province
- Nha Trang Beach
- Dalat, City of Eternal Spring
- Buon Me Thuot
- Kon Tum Province
- Pleiku - Gia Lai
- Daklak Province
- Southern Vietnam
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Cu Chi Tunnels
- Mekong Delta region
- Mekong Floating markets
- Cai Be Floating Market
- Ben Tre Province
- Sa Dec Town
- Can Tho City
- Long Xuyen City
- Chau Doc City
- My Tho City
- Tay Ninh - Cao Dai Religion
- Ha Tien Town
- Tra Vinh Province
- Vinh Long City
- Mui Ne Beach
- Vung Tau City
- Con Dao Island
- Phu Quoc Island