Cardamom and Elephant Mountains is a region of Cambodia and includes the provinces of Battambang, Koh Kong, Pursat, Kampong Speu (or Kampong Spoe), Kampot, Kep, Pailin and Sihanoukville. The region is one of the least developed in Cambodia, but also one of the most beautiful. It stretches stretching along the west coast and is densely forested and sparsely inhabited. It is one of the last forest wilderness areas in mainland southeast Asia.
Isolated by their remoteness and rugged terrain and forgotten during years of conflict in Cambodia, the Cardamoms have at their core a virtually undisturbed forest covering over 10,000 square kilometres. This range of mountains formed one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge, and many parts are largely inaccessible. The inaccessibility of the hills, however, helped to preserve the area.
Conservation study teams have found the forest ecosystem to be virtually intact, with animals and plants potentially new to science, and relatively high densities of globally threatened species such as gaur, pileated gibbon and tiger, and the critically endangered Siamese crocodile.
The mountain areas suffer from poor infrastructure and remain heavily mined. The highest elevation of the Cardamom Mountains is Phnom Aural at 1,813 metres (5,948 ft) high. This is also Cambodia’s highest peak. The Cardamom Mountains are an emerging tourist destination, with the opening of Wildlife Alliance’s Chi-Phat eco-tourism area in the southern Cardamoms in 2007.
Activities range from mountain biking and trekking to boat cruises and bird watching. The coastal areas around Sihanoukville are being actively developed for tourism but as yet remain largely unspoilt and still offer peaceful beaches. Other highlights include the seaside towns of Koh Kong and Kep and the pristine jungles around Kampot.
