Senmonorom (also Romanized as Sen Monorom) is the capital of Senmonorom District and Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia. As the provincial capital of Mondulkiri, Sen Monorom is really an overgrown village; a charming community set in the spot where the famous hills meet. In the centre of town are two lakes, leading some dreamers to call it ‘the Switzerland of Cambodia’. The area around Sen Monorom is peppered with minority villages and picturesque waterfalls, making it the ideal place to spend some time. It is often compared to frontier towns in the old American West.
Sen Monorom lies at an altitude of 800 meters which makes it a little bit cooler than Phnom Penh especially during the night. Senmonorom (and the Mondulkiri province in general) is inhabited by the indigenous Pnong people. Pnong tribesmen and tribeswomen are often seen walking along major highways. Sroh-Plom Mountain (translated as "Virtuous Woman's Breast Mountain") is a breast shaped hill located close to Senmonorom. Members of the Pnong ethnic group ascribe divine powers to the hill and every year hold festivals in the location.
The town is popular with NGO workers, loggers, and tourists both from outside Cambodia and from Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. According to reports from Global Witness, the Mondulkiri Province is facing a significant threat from illegal loggers attempting to exploit the area's virgin forests.
The city is rapidly developing and so is the tourist industry. You will not find untouched or unspoiled nature or ethnic groups. But even though you might not be the first tourist to lay your eyes on Sen Monorom, it is probably one of the least touristic areas in Cambodia and many of the ethnic groups still lives pretty much like they always have, but this may soon end if the tourist industry keeps growing in the area.
Get in
It takes 7-8 hours from Phnom Penh but a new paved road is in the process of being built so the trip will probably be shorter when it is finished. The centre of Sen Monorom is quite small and can be explored by foot but a bicycle can also be a lot of fun. However if you want to venture off into the forest then the easiest way to get around is on a motor.
There is not much to see in the city. There is a small market next to the bus station. This is the gateway town to Mondulkiri Province, an amazing and unique part of Cambodia. Sen Monorom is not touristy and has jungle, rolling grass fields, hill tribes, waterfalls, and winding dirt roads.
Do
Bousra Waterfalls are 2 large waterfalls. One after the other, they are both impressive especially after the rainy season. The first is 30m in height and the second is 40m. You can walk up to both waterfalls and swim and go behind them depending on the season. Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri Provinces are both set on a plateau, giving them a distinct climate and flora from the rest of the country. Note that just as the environment is oddly unique for Cambodia -- with rolling, grassy hills and valley rivers -- so are the very mild temperatures. In the cool season, you'll appreciate having a jacket. While many may have an image in their mind of Mondulkiri being a heavily forested nature-lovers paradise, this is sadly not the case. Firstly, the high altitude and cooler weather makes the landscape more akin to England than the tropics, with low shrubs, deciduous forests, and vast, open fields spreading across the rolling hills. There is a path that goes around the waterfalls that is about 1 km. Local native costumes can be rented for a dollar and a picture taken for a dollar as well. There is an entrance fee to get to the waterfall which is located about 45 min away by motorbike.
Specialized tours such as elephant trekking to minority ethic village, and walking treks into the local woodlands and forests can be purchased at most local guesthouses and hotels. Tours to local waterfalls are also available.
Trekking into Seima Bio-diversity Conservation area is a good alternative to elephant trekking. Your money still goes into the local community while promoting wildlife conservation and providing guides with employment that doesn't rely on overworked elephants. Poaching and deforestation is still a large problem but this area still retains 7 species of globally threatened primates including the world's largest population of Black-shanked Doucs. Dry season is best for treks when fruit trees are ripe but sightings of wildlife can occur year round.
To get up and close with elephants that roam free in the natural habitat then visiting the very original Elephant Valley Project (or EVP as it is locally known) is a definite highlight of a trip to this region. It is here that you will be able to see how the local charity ELIE takes care or several herds of retired, former working elephants and rehabilitates them back into their natural habitat. You cannot ride them but will however walk with them as they graze the forest and grasslands there. This is proving to be an increasingly popular destination with several copy-cat enterprises developing alternatives to adapt to the attraction.
Visit the Mondulkiri Project, a protected forest area offering unique elephant encounters and overnight jungle treks. You can walk with, feed, swim with and wash elephants at a waterfall in the jungle. No elephant riding. This new community project employs local Bunong guides and plans to start Mondulkiri's first elephant breeding program. It is possible to rent mountain bikes, motos and dirt bikes in the city.
Buy
You can buy scarves and other handicrafts made by the indigenous people in the shops around the city as well as coffee and honey. There are two made coffee brands that orginate from Mondulkiri, the first is Mondulkiri Coffee which is roasted just outside of town next to the old bank and Chay Mao Coffee which is roasted near the main market. Authentic, pure and locally produced honey can be purchased from the Mondulkiri associations honey shop which is on the main street of Sen Monorom.
Many of the Bunong people from nearby villages come to here to trade, the distinctive baskets they carry on their backs making them easy to distinguish from the immigrant lowlanders.
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