Visiting Mondulkiri on Cambodia Holidays
Many people on Cambodia holidays visit Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, taking in the grand architecture of Angkor Wat, before moving on to another country in Southeast Asia or flying home. But there are other regions well worth visiting in this beautiful country – one of these is Mondulkiri. Located in the east of Cambodia, close to the border with Vietnam, it is a sparsely populated region inhabited by ethnic minorities, predominantly the Bunong (also known as the Pnong). A tarmac road, completed in mid-2010, makes reaching this region on Cambodia holidays far easier than in the past.
The Bunong People
Despite relocations during the Khmer Rouge era and more recent pressures to adopt a Khmer lifestyle, many Bunong people still live a traditional life in the same forested hills they have inhabited for thousands of years. They live in distinctive low thatched huts that can be easily moved to a new area when required. The space around their houses is hacked out of the forest, with not a metre of excess space taken – for the Bunong people care deeply about the land in which they live, believing that it is home to numerous spirits. Where possible, they prefer not to cut vegetation at all. When farming rice, rather than cut the stalks and thresh the rice as is done elsewhere in Asia, they pick the individual grains by hand. It is possible to visit traditional villages on Cambodia holidays and see firsthand how the people live.
Activities in Mondulkiri
Aside from meeting the Bunong people and spending time in their villages, visitors to the region can enjoy several other activities. Traditionally mahouts, the Bunong people have a strong affinity with elephants and it is possible to include an elephant ride on trips to Mondulkiri. Riding through the untouched forest on the back of an elephant is a wonderful experience. The hills also contain a number of beautiful waterfalls – such as Bou Sraa, which has a double drop of 30 feet and 75 feet. Another highly recommended stop on Cambodia holidays to Mondulkiri is one of the local markets, where visitors have the opportunity to buy Bunong textiles and other produce directly from the people who have made them, thereby allowing the maximum amount of money to go back to the local communities.
How to Visit
Visiting Mondulkiri on Cambodia holidays is not as difficult as it once was. Organised small group tours are one easy way for visitors to get around and ensure that they see the best that Mondulkiri has to offer without impacting negatively on the local communities.
Jude Limburn Turner is the Marketing Manager for Mountain Kingdoms, an adventure tour company who run several Cambodia holidays . Operating in Asia for over 20 years, they now offer treks and tours worldwide, including destinations in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Central and South East Asia.
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