Preah Monivong National Park is located at the southern tip of the Elephant Mountains near the Cambodia – Vietnam border. Preah Monivong National Park, also known as Bokor National Park, encompasses 982 square miles of evergreen rain forests south of Phnom Penh.
View of Preah Monivong National Park
The park is home to several endangered species. Among the wide variety of animals in the park are Asian elephants, maybe some of the last Indochinese tigers, leopards, Asiatic black bears as Malayan sun bears, gibbon monkeys as well as the notorious macaques, rare slow lories, different kinds of deer, pangolins and many, many more. Among the almost 300 bird species are also several types of hornbills.
The park’s entrance has a visitor’s center. As with many other regions of the country, Preah Monivong National Park may have landmines, so don’t stray from marked paths.
A church at the Preah Monivong National Park
However, the main attraction in Preah Monivong National Park is the old French hill station at 1,080 m, known as Bokor Hill Station.
Bokor Hill Station is the highest point of the 140,000 hectares large National Park is (1080 m above sea level), which is close to the open sea at the Gulf of Thailand. A steep edge separates the forest from the more urbanized coastal stripe in the southwest.
Bokor Hill is located 42 km from the provincial town. It was erected by French colonists in 1922 during the reign of King Sisowath. Bokor was a resort location for affluent French colonists who needed a change of atmosphere.
The Bokor Hill is 1080 meters high, and promises good weather and magnificent views. Big trees casting shadows over the water and rocks shaped as animal figures hold particular interest for tourists. The mountain overlooks Kampot Town, Kep Beach, Preah Sihanouk Province and blue sea water. Read more: Tours in Cambodia
Waterfall, Bokor National Park, near Kampot
Bokor Mountain is notorious for cloudy conditions and sporadic rain. Rolling clouds can bring visibility down to almost zero in a matter of seconds. It is also a lot cooler up at 1080m than what you may be used to. Therefore, we recommend bringing at least a poncho or rain jacket and warm clothes. It can get cold up on the mountain.
The Indochina Voyages team.
Read more:
- Kirirom National Park, Cambodia
- Popokvil Waterfalls – floating clouds in Kampot, Cambodia
- Phnom Penh Highlights 4D3N
