Are you planning a visit to Cambodia? Interested in seeing more than just Angkor Wat? Maybe looking for a little nature break? Then keep reading because the lovely Cardamom mountains region is just what you’re looking for!
‘Cardamom mountains’ is a somewhat informal label, and the region is a lot more than just mountains. The landscape gradually slopes down to the coast and southeast Asia’s largest mangrove forest, and the whole region has lots of rivers and a few lakes. It offers a diverse range of activities, natural environments and rare plant and animal species.
The Cardamoms are also a great place for ecotourism, with quite a few new eco lodges and community-based enterprises. I’ll highlight each of the places I visited, and wrap up with some general tips to help you plan your own visit and know what to expect.
But first, check out my video highlights of the region. They include exclusive footage of all three lodgings mentioned below and a highlight of the activities that await visitors to the Cardamoms!
Table of Contents
Community-based tourism enterprises
Tourism is developing rapidly all around the Cardamoms, but fortunately there are some great community-based lodging options.
What makes ‘community-based’ a good thing? It benefits local residents and community projects rather than foreign investors. It also provides income for local guides, some of whom used to (out of necessity) be involved in wildlife poaching and trafficking. So by choosing to stay in a community-run lodging you are helping to end these practices, and improve the local economy.
Osoam Cardamom Community Center
I stayed at the Osoam Cardamom Community Center, located just off the (recently paved) main road and directly on the reservoir in the village of Moat Preah. The facilities are basic but comfortable, and meals are available on-site but more and more restaurants are also opening in the area. Like I said, tourism is developing rapidly here!
Numerous activities are available at Osoam: boat rides and fishing trips on the lake, hikes into the mountains, a motorbike ride and hike to waterfalls, and another motorbike ride to look for crocodiles. Be aware, the mountain hike to look for elephants is strenuous, and in the dry season you’ll have some beautiful views but you’re not very likely to see elephants.
One cool thing (literally!) about this place – it can get rather chilly at night at these higher elevations. This was a wonderful change after constant very warm to hot weather everywhere else. Nothing extreme, all I needed were long pants and a light jacket. We laid down on the boat dock and looked up at a sky full of stars in the cool night – heavenly!
Other community-based tourism enterprises
There’s another community-based tourism operation in the Steung Areng valley further south. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit this one, but people who have give it some fantastic reviews. Activities include trekking, mountain bike/motorbike tours, swimming in local watering holes and birdwatching excursions. Meals are coordinated through 4 visitor centers located around the community.
Further south still is Chi-Phat, another successful community-based tourism venture. It offers many of the same activities as the other two, plus river kayaking. Both Chi-Phat and Steung Areng are supported by the conservation NGO Wildlife Alliance, which is very active in the region.
Osoam and Chi-Phat both offer a choice between homestays, rooms and bungalows, while Steung Areng has only homestays. All three offer excursions with overnight camping.




Eco lodges
I stayed in two terrific eco-style accommodations in this region during my trip, and I highly recommend both as they are in different environments and offer distinct experiences.
First up is Rainbow Lodge, located just upriver from the village of Tatai and near the pretty Tatai waterfalls on – you guessed it – the Tatai River. This family-run eco-lodge is entirely off-grid and set on a hillside leading up from the river. The natural setting (they took pains to leave as much of the natural landscape as possible) and lack of road access create a peaceful and beautiful environment. The owners are avid wildlife watchers (birds especially) and they pointed out various critters we may not have noticed on our own.
One fun thing that happened during our visit was the spotting of a very rare bird, the colorful pin-tailed parrotfinch, just outside our bungalow! A group of avid Cambodian birdwatchers arrived the next day to photograph them, and we enjoyed watching their enthusiasm for their unique hobby.
Rainbow Lodge has 7 wooden bungalows on stilts, each with private bathroom, comfortable bed and a ceiling fan. The very reasonable nightly rate includes all meals, and I must say this was some of the best food we had on our entire trip. They can take you on two different hiking excursions in the surrounding area, on boat trips to mangrove forests or secluded beaches, or you can (for free) borrow kayaks and paddle around the river or to the waterfalls. Of course you can also just relax in the lounge area, on your bungalow’s private balcony or in a hammock by the river, and go for a swim when you want to to cool off.
It’s a lovely place run by equally lovely people, with a passion for conservation that I found inspiring.



Another terrific eco-lodge is the Cardamom Tented Camp, located within an ecotourism land concession in Botum Sakor National Park. Remember Wildlife Alliance? They’re also the owners of this concession, and one of three partners that oversee the Camp!
The term “Camp” is a bit misleading, as it’s more of a glamping experience. There are 9 luxury safari-style tents, each with comfortable bed, private semi-outdoor bathroom and fan. All meals and drinks are served in a dining and lounge area next to the river, which provides a meeting place for guests.
Like Rainbow Lodge, the Camp is accessible only by boat. It’s also very remote, so you’ll feel like you’re fully immersed in nature. The surroundings include lowland evergreen forest, mangroves and of course the river.
What makes Cardamom Tented Camp so unique? The fact that it exists to protect the land around it from poaching, logging and industrial development, and that it funds the rangers who patrol the 180 km2 concession. Their tagline ‘Your Stay Keeps the Forest Standing’ is more than just a nice catchphrase!
The Camp’s eco-friendly ethos runs deep. A solar array provides electricity, they recycle and use eco-friendly materials extensively, food is often locally-sourced, and an onsite wastewater treatment system prevents wastewater from contaminating the area. These measures all help minimize the Camp’s impact on the ecosystem.
Everything (meals, activities, boat transfers) is included in the rate, and activities include a guided jungle hike/kayak excursion, a nighttime wildlife-spotting boat tour, ziplining over the river, self-guided kayaking and even an overnight hike to one of the ranger stations. There’s also plenty of time to relax, swim and take in the natural environment.




What to expect
Expect there to be a lot happening!
When I visited the region in January 2024, I was quite surprised by the scale of development and how fast things were changing! Road construction (often to pave existing dirt roads) seemed to be happening everywhere, which made getting around in the dry season a rather bumpy and dusty ride. Some roads are being built to facilitate the construction of hydroelectric dams planned for the area, some of which have been quite controversial. Others seek to improve access to equally controversial tourism development projects, especially in the southern Cardamoms.
But the roads are also opening up this previously remote and impoverished region to economic development. Around Osoam, for instance, new tourism businesses were under construction all over the place. Thankfully, at the moment it all appears to be small-scale. Time will tell if it remains that way.
Don’t expect rugged alpine landscapes.
The Cardamoms aren’t high mountains, but they are quite beautiful. They’re home to enormous biodiversity, and animals like endangered elephants, sun bears, hundreds of bird species and the critically endangered Siamese crocodiles. And like just about everywhere in Cambodia water is never far away, whether a river valley with waterfalls, rivers and mangroves near the coast, or the recently built Stung Atai Reservoir. The further south you go, the flatter the landscape becomes; the southernmost areas of the Cardamom region in Koh Kong province consist of low-lying evergreen forests, calm rivers and mangroves.
Expect to meet some of the kindest, friendliest, most honest people you’ll find anywhere!
I know it sounds cliché, but Cambodians in general are just wonderful people. The hospitality we received pretty much everywhere we went was extraordinary. We felt safe, fairly treated, and above all welcomed! I still smile when I recall many of my interactions with people there. 🥰


Getting there and getting around
Getting to the Cardamoms isn’t very difficult, but it can be time-consuming. Driving times are rapidly changing due to all the construction, so you’ll want to ask for the latest status once you arrive. Above all, the key is remain flexible and allow yourself plenty of time to get from A to B!
In general, however, the region is reachable by road from larger cities such as Phnom Penh, Koh Kong, Sihanoukville and Battambang within 3-5 hours (less for Koh Kong), depending upon your specific destination. Access from Siem Reap is a bit more challenging, with the need to travel via either Phnom Penh or Battambang, and both routes generally taking up a full day.
Transportation options include buses, shared taxis and private taxis, and motorbikes for shorter distances. Interestingly, we didn’t see much of the normally ubiquitous tuk-tuks in the Cardamoms. This might change as tourism increases.
A note on rental vehicles in Cambodia: visitors are technically allowed to rent two-axle vehicles if they possess an International Driving Permit (IDP). However, road conditions are unpredictable and negotiating traffic is not for the faint-of-heart, especially in the bigger cities. I really don’t recommend it unless you are used to driving in chaotic traffic conditions and have comprehensive insurance coverage.
Once in the region, getting around is quite easy. Lodgings like Osoam generally include transportation (which might mean riding on the back of your guide’s motorbike) in the activities they offer, but renting your own small scooter or motorbike is certainly doable. There’s very little traffic in most areas.
We also rented a four-wheeler one day at Osoam, and had great fun navigating some of the hilly dirt roads. If you rent any sort of vehicle during your visit, just be sure that you have good travel insurance in case something unforeseen occurs.

My itinerary
My visit to the Cardamoms was part of a 4-week trip to Cambodia, and I essentially went counter clockwise through the country. I entered the Cardamoms from Battambang, so my stay in the region went from north (higher elevation) to south (lower). I stayed in the three featured lodgings in the order in which they are presented above, and after leaving the Cardamom Tented Camp I took a taxi and ferry to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem islands for some fab beach time. Check out my post about Sunset Beach on Koh Rong Sanloem to see just how fab it was!
This itinerary worked really well for me. Coming from a few city stays (Siem Reap and Battambang) to the rural Cardamoms followed by island beaches provided a great balance of activities, and ensured that things never started to feel too repetitive. And based upon the sheer scale of road construction I anticipate that the route I followed may soon be fully paved.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about planning your Cardamoms itinerary! 😀
Final thoughts
The Cardamoms, and Cambodia in general for that matter, are going through a period of unprecedented change and fast-paced development. Some of it is good, such as providing electricity to more of the region’s population. But sadly some of it isn’t so good, like the widespread burning of forest land to make way for monoculture plantations (such as rubber) and the destruction of formerly pristine forest ecosystems for industrial development and large-scale tourism projects (please, whatever you do steer clear of Dara Sakor!!).
Above all this means that it’s critically important for visitors to the region keep in mind its sensitive natural environment, and spend their money in direct support of those who both reside in the Cardamom region and seek to protect its treasures.

This Post Has 2 Comments
Yea! So neat! Loved the video, good job!
Cambodia is not on my list yet, but when it is I’ll be reaching out to you first!
Thank you, Erica, I’m so glad you liked the video!
If you’re interested in SE Asia I would recommend giving Cambodia a look. We also spent a little time in Thailand on that trip, and although the Thais have the edge concerning food, we really thought the atmosphere and people in Cambodia were so much more authentic! We felt very welcome and safe from start to finish, and had a wonderful time.