Bokor (Preah Monivong) National Park
This park, with Asian elephants and significant numbers of birds and other mammals—also a twotiered waterfall where both wildlife and humans bathe—occupies a 3,280-foot (1,000-m) plateau on the south coast with magnificent views over the forested escarpment to the sea. Roughly 118 miles (190 km) by road south of Phnom Penh, rangers are available as guides (if not away on park duties) and accommodation is available in the Ministry of Environment Park Center at the old French hill station at the summit—also lodging in nearby Kampot, where trips can be arranged.
You can reach Phnom Penh and Siem Reap by international jet, but as of recently Cambodia’s road system was arguably Asia’s worst, trains and busses slow, crowded, and dangerous, with infrastructure to match. Land mines remain an off-trail threat in some areas after quarter of a century of conflict. With all this, Cambodian people are pleasant and welcoming. Weather is good most of the year—October–March driest. Temperatures through the year average in the 80s°F (25–30°C).
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