The Cardamom Mountains

The Cardamom Mountains area is home to sprawling wild rainforest, magnificent waterfalls and remote beaches. Some of Cambodia’s and the world’s most endangered species still call the Cardamom mountains home, including 54 animals on the IUCN Red List.

But as the forest cover disappears, so does the wildlife, so we only deal with accommodation in this area that take their eco credentials seriously.
Spanning more than 4.4 million hectares of rainforest in southwestern Cambodia, the Cardamom Mountains remains Southeast Asia’s largest remaining rainforest. As with the rest of Cambodia, the area comes with a stinging contemporary history and, not so long ago, was one of the last bastions for Khmer Rouge soldiers. After the fall of the Pol Pot-led regime in the late 1970s, many of the soldiers fled to the forest, continuing to fight their battle with the few pockets of locals living there.
Its rugged landscape of the Cardamom Mountains, which takes in mountains, marshes, plains and gushing rivers, make it the perfect haunt for the vast collection of rare and endangered species that call it home including elephants, tigers (although actually seeing one is highly unlikely), the equally elusive clouded leopard, Malayan sun bears, crocodiles and gibbons. The vast woodland is also home to about 25,000 people, many of whom are ethnic minorities.

The Cardamom Mountains – Luxury Collection

Shinta Mani Wild$$$$$

The tents are rustic yet uber luxurious and elegant with safari-style décor using local materials such as hardwood, bamboo, and leather for customized, handcrafted furniture. Each tent has a beautiful salon, overlooking the wilderness, a dining table, and an air-conditioned master bedroom with a large en-suite bathroom all in Bill Bensley’s inimitable fantasy style.
The hotel’s restaurant at the lodge’s “Headquarters” serves delicious meals in addition to in tent dining. The ...

Canvas & Orchids Retreat$$$$

The retreat features African-inspired safari tents built on a pontoon which were the first floating tents in the world. Bearing a strong resemblance to luxury African Safari tents each villa is furnished to a high standard and features a large sunlounger balcony, perfect for enjoying a cocktail on and watching the sunset. A later addition were the Island Family Tents that are situated on the riverbank in a lush garden, some 5-10 meters from the water. At 65sqm, they are a more spacious and ch...