Kirirom National Park

Kirirom was Cambodia's first national park, declared in 1993, covering a plateau at around seven hundred metres where pine forest grows, which is unusual in this country and gives the place a temperate feel that the lowlands lack. King Sihanouk built a hill retreat here in the 1940s and the ruins of it remain along with a few other abandoned buildings. Waterfalls, small lakes and viewpoints over the Cardamom range to the west are spread along tracks through the pines, and the air is noticeably cooler. Weekend visitors from Phnom Penh come to picnic. Accommodation ranges from camping to a resort. It is the easiest forest escape from the capital and correspondingly busy at weekends and empty midweek.

What you actually see

• Pine forest - stands of pine unusual for Cambodia on the plateau.
• The royal ruins - the remains of the 1940s hill retreat.
• Waterfalls and lakes - small water features along the forest tracks.
• Cardamom viewpoints - the range to the west from the plateau edge.

When to go

November to March for cool dry weather. Waterfalls run best at the end of the rains and are reduced by March. Weekends bring picnic crowds from Phnom Penh; weekdays are quiet.

Honest expectations

Waterfalls are modest and dry up late in the season. Litter at the picnic sites is a problem. Tracks within the park are rough. Wildlife is scarce after decades of hunting pressure. It is pleasant rather than spectacular.

Nearby

Phnom Penh lies northeast; Sihanoukville is southwest.