Teacher Trekker

Located approximately an hour’s drive west of the town of Kampot, Cambodia is Bokor National Park. As a result of its proximity and rapid expansion in the tourism sector, Kampot is now often referred to as the gateway to Bokor Mountain and National Park. Travelers are gravitating to this area for a variety of reasons. Fans of outdoor activities and nature are the obvious group. There are hiking trails, flora, fauna, lookout points and the Popokvil Waterfall in the park. For history buffs like myself, there are the remnants of a dilapidated French settlement that failed to grow into the luxury resort it was originally conceived as. There are also a number of religious sites and monuments that may be of interest to some travelers. So before you book a direct bus ticket from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville consider visiting Bokor National Park and getting involved in some of the plethora of things to do in Kampot.

Ecology of Bokor National Park

Located in the Damrei Mountains is Bokor National Park, also known as Phnom Bokor National Park but is officially named Preah Monivong National Park. The park is a sprawling 1581 square kilometers and is only one of two national parks in Cambodia that has been awarded the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Parks title. The park is lush with a mixture of deciduous and evergreen forests. There is a vast array of vegetation including the odd looking Nepenthes flower. There is a wide range of endangered wildlife like Indian elephants, Asiatic black bears and leopards, as well as many other species of animals notably deer, civets, squirrels, porcupines and bats. There are also over 300 species of birds that live and migrate to the park annually. Don’t be surprised if you don’t see many of them, because the animals are nocturnal creatures that stay well hidden from human influence. That will explain the lack of photographs in this article. My apologies. Unfortunately, that is not always possible, which threatens their existence, but more about the impact of humans on the region in my article Cambodia in Peril.

History of Bokor National Park

Prior to the 20th century, the area surrounding the Damrei Mountains was connected to a number of notable Vietnamese mystics and other individuals who sought an ascetic lifestyle in the remote jungle highlands. That changed significantly during the 1920’s and 1930’s while Cambodia was still under the influence of French colonialism. Because of its high elevation, the mountains were much cooler than the surrounding flatlands and established city centers like Phnom Penh during the summer. As a result, in 1921 French settlers began a 4 year construction project where over 900 people were killed building this colonial retreat. In 1925 the Bokor Palace Hotel, which at no point was ever a casino opened for business despite it being referred to one in various sources. At its peak there were a total of 72 buildings including a church, police station, post office, hospital, and 2 schools (1 French & 1 Khmer). Everyone that lived there were extremely rich. Roughly twenty years later in the late 1940’s, the area was abandoned by the French during the First Indochina War where local insurgents led by the Khmer Issarak forced them out of the region.

In 1962, there was an attempt to reopen the “Cité du Bokor”. Built near the Sangkum and Kiri Hotels was a casino and a number of other buildings. Any efforts to reinvigorate tourism and business into the area was made impossible after the Khmer Rouge took power throughout Cambodia. To them these highlands were a strategic location that gave them elevated views of the surrounding countryside and Vietnam in the distance. When the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1979, the Khmer Rouge fought from entrenched defensive positions for months on end. They actually maintained Bokor Hill up until the 1990’s with the eventual disintegration of the Khmer Rouge. Presently, Bokor National Park has been opened for the public to enjoy and a contemporary resort construction project continues today, but more on that later.

Things to See & Do at Bokor National Park

The main attraction at the top of Bokor Mountain is the Bokor Hill Station and the remnants of an era of French colonialism throughout the Indochine that no longer exists. Today, the hilltop community is nothing more than a ghost town that provides some illumination into the social lives of the French elite. There are a variety of dilapidated structures to explore including the Bokor Palace Hotel, an Old Catholic Church, the former summer residence of King Sihanouk and a number of other buildings all of which have been abandoned. There area has an already creepy vibe, but when the fog and clouds roll in, it makes for an even eerier setting that can run chills down your spine. Nighttime visitations are not possible, but if they were I wouldn’t be surprised if you were greeted by apparitions like something out of the Blair Witch Project.

There are a number of additional sites worth visiting depending on your interests. You can head over to the Popokvil Waterfall. The falls are not safe for swimming, but it is a good spot to have lunch and enjoy the view. Booker Organic Farm which supplies a number of local resorts who offer all organic menus is also in the area. Just by the farm you can go looking for Nepenthes flowers and other interesting flora. Wat Samprov Pram sits at the edge of a cliff that drops off into the ocean below. Finally, a stop at the Lok Yeay Mao Monument will provide amazing views of the Gulf of Thailand & in the distance Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island. If you look carefully you can see the sun glimmering off of the salt fields in the valley approaching the ocean.

Options for Exploring Bokor National Park

There are a variety of ways that you can visit the national park and surrounding area. Many people choose to rent motorbikes and head to the park without any tour guides or companies. The primary benefit of exploring by yourself includes the ability to move at your own pace. You will also be able to visit all of the locations you are interested in that might not be covered with a tour. At the same time, without a tour guide it may be more difficult to navigate your way around the park and find all of those locations. Additionally, you may not get as much background and historical information venturing out on your own. Fortunately, there are a few tours available if traveling by yourself does not appeal to you.

People looking for more active pursuits have two basic options. First, there is a cycling tour. Be aware that this could lead to an extremely intense workout as you make your way to the park, then up the mountain and the return trip back to Kampot. Remember that the van ride takes around an hour one way so the bike ride will take much longer. The second option is a hiking tour. Trekking tours used to be more popular, but ongoing construction projects have reduced the available number of trails and tours. Those available will shuttle you to the park where you will get out and hike your way up to the top of the mountain, while visiting sites along the way. Most are multi-day trips where you will be carrying gear the entire time and camping at night. Extreme heat and heavy rains will seriously plague your trip. Pay attention to the weather.

Probably the most convenient option is to go on one of Bokor National Park tours. For $10 this single day excursion covers most of the main attractions in an air conditioned van with a tour guide. You will be picked up and then eventually dropped off at either your lodging accommodations or one of the designated tourism agency storefronts near the Old Market. If you are interested in this option you may want to consider contacting tour guide and tuk tuk driver Sovandara Sok of Dara Happy Hour Tuk Tuk Tours via his closed group Facebook page.

My Single Day Tour Itinerary

In customary fashion the tour agency will tell you to be ready at a specific time, but won’t show up until at least a half an hour later. By 9:15 a.m. we had everyone in the van and already picked up a cooler with our lunch and drinks. For the next hour as we drove to the park. Sovandara gave us tons of background information that has been included throughout the Kampot articles. I also learned other random facts like how a long nose and white skin tone are signs of beauty for Cambodian women. As a result, many women get nose jobs and that explains why they cover their skin regardless of the temperature. At one point Sovannara thought I wasn’t paying attention, but I was really in a frenzy typing notes on my phone. I’m always impressed by tour guides with extensive knowledge and good English. It made for an interesting ride to Bokor Mountain.

Once we arrived at Bokor National Park it was necessary to pass the guarded entry gate and pay the associated fees. To be honest I am not sure what the entry and vehicle fees were as they were included in the price of the tour. Travelers without a tour will be responsible for paying those fees. Once through the gate we headed up the mountain and arrived at the Bokor Palace Hotel by 10:15 a.m. giving us just about an hour to explore the property.

The clouds and fog covered the building creating a very creepy atmosphere. Years of decay and water damage were wreaking havoc on the former hotel. Broken tiles and garbage of all kinds covered the floors. After exploring all of the floors I made my way outside to what appeared to be disintegrating bathrooms covered with moss and overgrown vegetation. Whatever the Bokor Palace Hotel once was is long gone and all that remains is the concrete shell of the former hotel.

Our next stop was the Old Catholic Church. This was another decaying building with broken glass windows and moss covered bricks. Random and poorly executed graffiti lined many of the interior walls. With the exception of the cross at the top of the roof any remnants of Christendom no longer existed. The altar was long destroyed and many of the walls had holes in them adding to the feeling of abandonment that filled the foggy air at the peak of the mountain.

Before going to the Popokvil Waterfall we stopped at the Thansur Bokor Highland Resort & Casino Redevelopment Center. There was a large model of what the completed project will look like at its completion. Sovandara had a great deal to say about the negative impact of this construction project. Basically, goodbye Bokor National Park, but more on that in my Cambodia in Peril article. Afterwards we passed the Bokor Organic Farm.

We arrived at the Popokvil Waterfall around 12:00 p.m. for lunch. With the tour came a boxed lunch that was made fresh that morning. It included a vegetable fried rice dish, fresh fruit and water. While we ate I picked Sovandara’s brain about other questions that accumulated in my brain during the morning. After lunch we walked around the falls down a small trail to reach a clearing with a view from overhanging rocks.

We hung out there for a while taking photos and continued talking about changes that have occurred because of the construction. Apparently there used to be a lake there, but a nearby dam broke a year ago resulting in these waterfalls. As a result, a rest area including a large building, bathrooms and picnic benches were added to make Popokvil Waterfall a scenic spot to relax, eat and take in the natural environment.

We headed back into the van around 1:00 p.m. and went looking for Nepenthes plants. We found a lush field and walked through the brush to find them. This could have been much easier, but due to the construction projects and a very arid rainy season it took longer than expected. This carnivorous plant has a sweet juice nectar inside its “monkey cup” that with collected rain water attracts bugs. The top closes and the plant get sustenance. The Nepenthes have a very phallic look to them that made for some funny jokes along the way.

Following our brief flora lesson we headed back to the van and ten minutes later arrived at the Lok Yeay Mao Monument. In Buddhism and Brahmanism in Cambodia, Yeay Mao or Lok Yeay Mao also referred to as Grandma Mao is an ancient mythical heroine. One story says that prior to French colonialism she was the widow of a powerful warrior who helped lead armies against invading Thais. Another story says she was eaten by a tiger, which has resulted in travelers paying their respects in order to prevent the same fate from occurring to them. In 2012 this 29 meter tall monument was dedicated to Lok Yeay Mao. After the brief history lesson, we took some photos, but the passing fog made it difficult to get clear shots. I wandered off to an abandoned building at the side of the road that turned out to be the Domnak Sla Kmao, but I know nothing about its historical purpose.

Just before 1:45 p.m. we got back in the van and drove down the mountain. For some reason we didn’t stop at Domnak Preah Bath Monivong (King Monivong’s Residence) and Wat Samprov Pram. Perhaps the group took too long at the sites and they had to eliminate some others in the process. Along the way our driver picked up a kid walking down the road and drove him down the hill to a town on the way back to Kampot. The ride back was actually much faster, and we were back at the hotel by 2:20 p.m., but my day did not end there. Sovannara decided to come and pick some of us up with his tuk tuk and take us out for some drinks.

Conclusions

If you are traveling through southern Cambodia between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville and are interested in visiting a lush forested national park then make sure to head over to Bokor Mountain. It will be easiest for you to base yourself out of the riverside town of Kampot. Whether you plan on venturing off on motorbikes on your own or scheduling a group tour, you’re bound to have a spooky time exploring the last remnants of French colonialism at the eldritch Bokor Hill Station. You can witness natural beauty throughout the park at locations like Popokvil Waterfall or visit cultural and religious sites along the way. There’s a little bit of everything at Bokor National Park, so make sure to set a day aside to explore the area. Happy Trekking!