Chi Phat

Chi Phat sits on a river in the foothills of the Cardamom mountains, and the project there is the point: a community-based ecotourism scheme set up in the 2000s offering the village an income other than logging, poaching and charcoal burning, with former hunters trained as guides. Visitors stay in homestays or a guesthouse and take mountain-bike routes, river kayaking, treks of one to several days to waterfalls and old jar burial sites in the forest, and night walks. Wildlife includes gibbons, hornbills and, rarely seen, larger mammals. The forest around is one of the more intact blocks in Southeast Asia. Booking goes through the community office, and the boat up the river from Andoung Tuek is the traditional way in.

What you actually see

• Community guiding - former hunters and loggers leading treks.
• Cardamom forest - one of the region's larger intact forest blocks.
• Jar burial sites - old ceramic jar burials found in the hills.
• River access - the boat journey up from Andoung Tuek.

When to go

November to March, the dry season, for trekking and river travel. The rains from June to October make trails difficult and leeches abundant, though the forest is at its greenest.

Honest expectations

Everything is booked through the community office and options depend on guide availability. Homestays are basic with cold water and shared facilities. Treks are hot, wet and leech-prone. Wildlife sightings are mostly birds and gibbon calls rather than mammals.

Nearby

Koh Kong lies west; the Cardamom mountains rise north.