Virachey National Park

Virachey covers over three thousand square kilometres of the far northeast against the Lao and Vietnamese borders, an ASEAN Heritage Park of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, bamboo, grasslands and river valleys, with no roads inside and no facilities. Treks of three to eight days are arranged in Banlung with park rangers and guides from the Brao and Kavet communities who know the forest, sleeping in hammocks and eating what is carried and caught. Gibbons and hornbills are heard and sometimes seen; larger animals including elephants and clouded leopards are present in principle but effectively never encountered. The forest has faced logging pressure and the park's boundaries have been contested. It is the most serious trekking available in Cambodia.

What you actually see

• Roadless forest - days of walking with no settlements or tracks.
• Hammock camps - nights slung under the canopy.
• Indigenous guiding - Brao and Kavet guides reading the forest.
• Gibbons and hornbills - the wildlife most likely to be heard and seen.

When to go

November to March, the dry season; rivers are crossable and leeches fewer. The wet season makes rivers dangerous and trails impassable. Treks do not run year round.

Honest expectations

This is hard trekking: long days, river crossings, hammock camps, leeches, and no evacuation. Guides and porters are compulsory and the cost reflects that. Large-mammal sightings do not happen. Bookings go through the park office in Banlung and depend on ranger availability.

Nearby

Banlung lies south; the Lao border is north.