Sen Monorom

Sen Monorom sits at around eight hundred metres on the Mondulkiri plateau, cool enough that evenings need a layer, in a landscape of rolling grassland, pine and patches of forest quite unlike lowland Cambodia. It is the base for the province: elephant projects where retired logging and tourist elephants live in forest and visitors walk with them rather than ride, several of them run with Bunong communities who own the land and the animals; waterfalls including Bou Sra to the east; and treks into the forest with Bunong guides. The town itself is a single main street with guesthouses and cafes. Deforestation across the province for rubber and cassava has been severe and is visible on every road out.

What you actually see

• Elephant projects - walking with retired elephants in forest, not riding.
• Bunong communities - the indigenous people of the plateau and their land.
• Rolling plateau - grassland, pine and forest patches unlike the lowlands.
• Waterfalls - Bou Sra and smaller falls within reach of the town.

When to go

November to March is dry and cool. The rains from June to October turn the red roads to mud and make many tracks impassable, though the plateau is greenest then. Nights are genuinely cold in December and January.

Honest expectations

Elephant projects vary a great deal in standards; the ones that allow riding or bathing on demand are not the good ones, and it is worth checking how the animals are kept. Roads out of town are rough. Deforestation is visible and depressing. The town has limited facilities.

Nearby

Bou Sra waterfall lies east; Keo Seima sanctuary is west.