Bokor National Park Travel Guide
Crumbling Splendour of Former Hillstation
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Bokor, to the east of Sihanoukville was in colonial times a famous hill station enjoyed by the French who used to visit at weekends to take pleasure in the cool air of the “Elephant Mountains”. The resort remained popular until the late 1960s before years of war brought devastation but now, after years as a no-go zone it is again enjoying a resurgence as Bokor National Park.
Bokor was established by the French as a hill-station and from the 1920s was a fashionable place to retreat to at weekends. Abandoned twice since (once in the 1940s in the face of the invading Japanese and again in the late 60’s as the Khmer Rouge overran the country) the hill-station and its famous hotel, the Casino, and the church decaying with the passing years.
Only established as a national park in 1993 and even then largely inaccessible because of outlaws that were active in the region it has only became reachable again in the late 1990s. Spanning four Cambodian provinces the park covers 1600 sq km and rises to 1079m at its highest point. Vegetation is mostly moist evergreen forest, with drier deciduous formations in the lower northern part; steep cliffs surround all but the park’s north-eastern edge. Logging and poaching are the principle threats to the park’s wildlife, which is said to include tiger (camera traps confirm this), leopard, elephant, Asian black bear, muntjac, banteng, gaur, sambar, wild boar, gibbon, macaque and more – all rarely seen.
Attractions in Bokor National Park
Most people come to enjoy the spooky atmosphere of the Casino and Church, atmospheric in the frequent mists.
Views are spectacular and the two-tier Popokvil Waterfall is certainly worth seeing. Wat Sumbpo Bpram has been recently restored and is perhaps a contender for “Camboia’s Loneliest Temple”.
Activities in Bokor National Park
Allow a full day to explore the area.
Relaxing
A quiet spot is not hard to find up here in the clouds.
Getting Around
The only realistic way to get here is with your own transport – an organised tour with a local guide. Make arrangements with a Travel Expert or through accommodation providers in Sihanoukville/Kampot.
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