Mondulkiri Province, perched at an average altitude of 800 meters and located northeast of the capital Phnom Penh, is synonymous with escape and natural beauty. It is an ideal place to immerse yourself completely in the legendary landscapes of Southeast Asia, lush and dotted with countless rice paddies, offering a multitude of jungles each harboring authentic local fauna and flora. You will experience a stark contrast with more touristy areas like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, and will have the opportunity to encounter the region's iconic animal: the Asian elephant.

You will need between 6 and 7 hours by bus to travel from Phnom Penh to the capital of Mondulkiri Province: Sen Monorom. The roads deteriorate throughout the journey, transitioning from urban noise to the tranquility of the Khmer countryside. A sense of peaceful vacation takes hold. You can choose to engage in a wide variety of activities in Mondulkiri, though the common thread remains the natural aspect. Rice paddies, vast jungle, red dirt roads that contrast with the verdure, waterfalls, coffee plantations, Asian elephants, discovering the daily life of Phnong minorities... This ensemble, though hardly exhaustive, gives Mondulkiri undeniable appeal and contributes to its authenticity, its distinctiveness.

Bousra Waterfalls

One of the region's most striking attractions is undoubtedly visiting the Bousra waterfalls. Located northwest of Sen Monorom, at the border with Vietnam, these waterfalls are remarkably enhanced during the rainy season. Their power multiplies while remaining safe, tourist crowds are smaller due to the season, and their coolness can delight many travelers bothered by the humidity coupled with monsoon heat. This interplay creates, in fact, a highly aesthetic natural phenomenon—the water transforms into vapor and becomes a sort of mist that hovers above small pools and throughout the vegetation.

The Bousra Falls, like many others in the country, are organized in tiers, three in total. The natural pools formed by these waterfalls at the first and second stages are easily accessible. These two cascades reach heights of 12 and 25 meters respectively, and regularly feed the small pools they create themselves. The third tier is more challenging to reach, situated upstream several hundred meters away.

Visiting the Elephants of Mondulkiri

The other major activity during a visit to Mondulkiri is an encounter with elephants, these charismatic and highly emotional animals. A few organizations in the region offer tours with these creatures. Our local agency has selected two: the Mondulkiri Project and the Elephant Valley Project. These organizations do not permit travelers to ride on the elephants' backs, a practice that has become a symbol of behavior to be abandoned in the presence of these animals. That is not all that can be prohibited, of course—painting the elephant with its trunk or playing ball with it are also discouraged, gestures that seem charming and endearing at first glance, but which are entirely unnatural for the animal. These positions are clearly directed against training techniques, or animal torture, intended to make them work or be displayed to tourists.

Beyond offering educational treks with elephants, the committed organizations in Mondulkiri Province lease these sanctuarized lands for pachyderms to Phnong ethnic minorities in the region and enable educational development on site, including tourism employment opportunities that require English-language proficiency.