Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia

Shinta Mani WildTented suites on a river in the Cardamoms

A tented camp on a river valley inside a private protected area in southern Cambodia. Arrival can be a zipline across a waterfall, and after that the days belong to rangers, guides and the sound of the rapids. Tents, dining and spa sit along the water.

In a private protected area in the southern Cardamom Mountains, between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. You can enter by zipline over a waterfall, or by vehicle.

Discuss this journey Before you go

Read this page in Chinese

PlaceCardamoms, Cambodia

TypeTented camp

SuitsConservation, design, active

Stay3-4 nights

A zipline over the falls, tents by the rapids

Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia — Riverside tented camp.

The camp sits in a forested river valley between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, with tents, the dining room and the spa arranged around fast water. You do not step away from the rainforest: its damp, its noise and its water level are with you for the whole stay.

The programme ties conservation work to looking at the forest. It works well after the cities or the temples of Cambodia: a few days here reset the trip, and the shift from stone and traffic to river noise is abrupt in the best way. Three nights is enough to feel it.

It is for travellers who care about conservation, design and doing something rather than watching it. The zipline can be swapped for a vehicle, but the rainforest climate and the remoteness stay either way. Assess mobility and weather honestly before booking. Neither version is a soft option.

Folded towels and small bottles arranged on a green treatment bed, soft daylight from the side — Towels and oils set out on a green treatment bed

A freestanding outdoor bathtub on a wooden deck surrounded by dense green forest — An outdoor bath on a timber deck in the forest

A person in light-coloured clothing holding a mallet above a bronze singing bowl

Arriving on a 400-metre zipline

The approach crosses a waterfall and the valley, which makes the transfer the first activity of the stay. A vehicle is the alternative, and the two ask different things of you. Say in advance which you prefer and what anyone in the group can physically manage.

Tented guest suites with canvas roofs and timber decks standing beside a shallow rocky stream

Patrols with the rangers

Rangers and guides take guests out on patrol and on wildlife walks, so the protection work is something you see rather than read about. Forest, river and animal tracks get explained on the ground, and what turns up on the day decides the route. Ask questions; the guides answer them at length.

An open-sided lounge with low seating on a deck, looking straight into thick forest

Three days beside fast water

Tents, the dining room and the spa all face the river, and the hours you do not spend out walking are spent listening to it. The tent and the shared spaces are worth staying in for their own sake; the forest keeps changing while you sit still.

A bright guest room with white walls, a bed with an orange runner and a window onto greenery

Route

Three or four nights after the temples

Three to four nights works as the nature leg after Cambodia's cities or the temples at Angkor, and it pairs with Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. The road transfer in and out eats time at both ends, so do not arrive and plan to leave the next day.

Three nights on the river

The camp is reached by road and then by zipline or vehicle, so the arrival takes a good part of a day at each end.

Stay

At least three nights, which covers the river, the ranger patrol and time spent doing nothing in the tent. Two nights leaves no room for weather.

Getting there

Road transfer from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville to the camp entrance, then zipline or vehicle. The last leg is the adventurous part.

Season

The landscape changes through the year; wet and dry seasons alter the river and the kind of activity on offer. Ask what your month looks like.

Watch out

Arrival and activities are adventurous by design. Be honest about mobility and about weather, and do not treat the vehicle option as an easy version.

Plan this into a journey

Tell us what comes before the forest and whether you want the zipline, and we can place three nights at the end of the Cambodia route.

[email protected]

Read this page in Chinese

Discuss this journey