Mondulkiri province
Cambodia's largest, yet most sparsely populated province, Mondulkiri lies at the heart of Cambodia's "Wild East" and attracts a steady trickle of independent travellers and backpackers attracted to the idea of getting well off the beaten track. With only one road of any quality leading to the tiny provincial capital of Sen Monorom, rest assured you're well off the tourist radar should you venture out here.
While many may have an image in their mind of Mondulkiri being a heavily forested nature-lovers paradise, this is sadly not the case. While there remain significant stands of forest, this province and Rattanakiri to the north were logged to a devastating degree over the last two decades -- mainly with the cooperation of Vietnamese and Taiwanese logging interests. While there has been significant regrowth, visitors expecting untouched wilderness may be disappointed.
Despite this substantial damage, Mondulkiri province retains some stands of forest, a handful of waterfalls and perhaps of more interest to some, visits to minority Phnong villages and elephant-rides that can easily organised from Sen Monorom.
The environment is oddly unique for Cambodia, rolling, grassy hills and valley rivers with very moderate temperatures -- in the cool season you'll appreciate having a jacket.
