Mondol Kiri
Môndôl Kiri is a Provinces of Cambodia. Môndôl Kiri area is 14288.
Introduction
This province is chock full of natural beauty, with thickly forested mountains, powerful waterfalls and the lush green rolling hills of the western side. Add to that the communities of hill tribe people who are not affected by mass-tourism, as they are in neighboring Thailand, and you have an area that is very attractive to the adventure traveler. The town of Sen Monorom is the best base camp for travelers who want to explore the surrounding areas. A quiet but beautiful town nestled into the hills; it has a lot of potential to develop into a center for non-intrusive eco-tourism. At present, it’s very undeveloped, which gives you a feeling of going somewhere off the beaten tourist trail. Also interesting is the variety of languages being used: Khmer, hill tribe languages, Vietnamese and Laos.
Climate
Mondulkiri is a huge province with scenery and a climate quite unlike anywhere else in the country. In the dry season the weather is 23-29 ºC with sunshine; in summer the temperatures
vary between 27 and 31ºC. There are endless grassy hills, rivers and jungle. At an average elevation of 800m, it can get quite chilly at night. Mondulkiri has numerous tourist attractions such as waterfalls, indigenous culture, national parks and elephant trekking.
People
There are 22,890 male and 22,023 female with total: 44,913
Get in
Mondulkiri airstrip at the top of town has been closed since 2000; officials do not expect it to reopen in the near future. The easiest way to arrive is from Snuol. Buses come to Snuol directly from Kratie (around two hours) and Phnom Penh (around three hours) by bus; once there, it is straightforward to find a pick-up or taxi which can take you on the three-hour trip up to Sen Monorom, the provincial capital.
The road is in generally good condition, and the second half is possibly one of the beautiful routes in Cambodia, climbing through the jungle and suddenly bursting out onto the top of the hills. Prices for all of these kinds of transport are very reasonable, and they can be arranged through guesthouses and hotels. It is relatively simple to make this journey by motorbike also possible, if you are interested in driving yourself.
Getting around Mondulkiri involves hiring motorbikes (currently only small), jeeps or pick-ups, all possible through your accommodation, with or without driver. Think about US$40 per day for chartering a vehicle (more in the wet season), depending on times and distances, and around US$5-7 per day for a motorbike without driver. You can also hire bikes cheaply. The town itself is tiny, and easy to get around: there are plenty of signs advertising transport.