In Cambodia, the sacred and the scarred walk side-by-side. Beneath the grandeur of Angkor's carved faces lies a deeper story of resilience: of farmers rebuilding livelihoods, artists reviving lost dances, and elders telling stories that were once almost silenced. From the rice paddies that stretch through the plains to the jungled hills of Mondulkiri that shelter rare wildlife and indigenous villages, the people here deal with trauma by cracking jokes and purveying a humbleness that borders on deprecation, but don't let the soft smiles fool you. Cambodians wear their history like a scar and a crown.
The mission of Jahoo is to safeguard ancestral Indigenous Bunong land and critical gibbon habitat for a thriving community and ecosystem. Providing unparalleled gibbon watching experiences whilst adhering to high standards set by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Local social enterprise supporting community livelihoods.
In 2007, the Elephant Valley Project was launched as an elephant sanctuary developed to create a home for injured and overworked elephants and is now a centerpiece for elephant conservation, which is located within Putrom's community land. ELIE is unique in terms of its primary source of funding, which comes directly from donations made by local and international visitors to the EVP. Since 2006 the NGO has evolved and grown, with the development of the EVP as a tourist attraction, providing a sustainable financing mechanism for funding all ELIE programs.
Show respect when visiting temples: cover shoulders and knees. Try local foods like amok and bamboo sticky rice. Learn a few Khmer greetings. Don't take photos of people without permission, especially in rural villages. Don't support orphanage tourism. Don't touch or climb on temple ruins.
Ideal weather for exploring temples, rural areas, and wildlife sanctuaries. Water Festival in November celebrates the reversing flow of the Tonle Sap River.
Dry heat with temperatures peaking in April. Early mornings are best for outdoor visits. Khmer New Year in April brings three days of celebrations.
Monsoon rains bring dramatic skies and vivid greenery. Waterfalls in Mondulkiri are at their best. Fewer tourists, slower travel, and more authentic local life.