Virachey National Park is a national park in north-eastern Cambodia. Although partly protecting flora and fauna of international conservation priority, the park is under serious threat from illegal logging in the region.
The park is one of only two Cambodian ASEAN Heritage Parks and is one of the top priority areas for conservation in Southeast Asia. The park overlaps Ratanakiri and Stung Treng Provinces in northeastern Cambodia covering an area of 3,325 square km.
Virachey National Park was created under the Royal Decree Concerning the Creation and Designation of Protected Areas, issued on 1 November 1993, and is under the administration of the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia.
Located in some of the most deep and isolated jungles consisting of forests, mountains, grasslands and valleys of Cambodia, Virachey is largely unexplored and undisturbed by human settlement. It holds a large assortment of wildlife from Tigers to Elephants, waterfalls and mountains. The park comprises dense semi-evergreen lowlands, montane forests, upland savannah, bamboo thickets and occasional patches of mixed deciduous forest. Most of the area lies above 400 meters up to 1,500 meters.
Indigenous Brau and Kavet people continue to depend on the natural resources of Virachey for their survival and several communities are now participating in the park’s ecotourism program. Virachey has a rich, albeit tragic, historical heritage through its association with the American Vietnam war, the legacy of which can still be readily observed along the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail that run through the eastern edge of the park. Hill Tribe villages can be found in remote areas around the fringes of the park. A number of mountain streams flow out from the park.
Landscape
Evergreen forest, bamboo forest, high grasslands and river valleys as well as Picturesque natural forest, stunning mountains, plateaus, valleys.
Ethnic Minorities
The human population adjacent to Virachey National Park is characterised by a high percentage of ethnic minority groups. The majority are Kreung, Kavet, Brao, Lao and Lun people. Smaller numbers of Tampuen, Kachok, ethnic Chinese, ethnic Khmer and ethnic Vietnamese people are also found in the area.
Most of these live in 60 villages, some of which were located inside what is now Virachey National Park. The reliance on natural resource use inside the protected area is critical to the survival of the local communities. The main products harvested are rattan, bamboo and malva nuts.
Hunting for food and trade occurs in the forests of Virachey National Park and although a consistent decline in wildlife populations has been observed, reports still indicate that tiger, Himalayan black bear, Malayan sun bear, guar, Sambar deer, muntjak and civet are being hunted. Turtles, monitor lizards and pangolin are the most commonly traded animals. Rabbits, forest rats and other smaller animals are usually hunted for subsistence closer to the villages.
Flora and Fauna
With motion trigger cameras plan in the jungle, the park rangers recorded some of the highlights of our mammal captures include: Clouded leopard (Neofelisnebulosa), Asiatic Black Bear (Ursusthibetanus), Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctosmalayanus), Gaur (Bosgaurus), Leopard cat (Prionailurusbengalensis), Fishing cat (Prionailurusviverrinus), Chinese Serow (Capricornismilneedwardsii), and Yellow-throated Marten (Martesflavigula). Chinese Water Dragon and Reticulated pythons.
In Virachey National Park, there are thousand-year-old trees, prairies, a hundred bird species including the Create Hornbill and Red-collared Woodpecker, and other diverse wildlife species.
Gibbons, pig-tailed macaques, douc langurs, clouded leopards and Asian elephants occur in the park. Whether or not tigers and leopards still exist is unknown. Populations of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) can still be found in the most remote mountains along the Cambodia-Laos border. This is significant because the Javan rhino is thought to be extinct in Mainland Southeast Asia today with the last animal poached for its horn in Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park (not too far from Virachey) in 2011.
Climate
Rattanak Kiri Province has a climate like the other areas in the country, there are 3 seasons : - Rainy season: June - October (<27°C) - Cool season: November- February (>24°C) - Hot season: March- May : 20°C-32°C. Rattanak Kiri Province's average temperature throughout the year is definately lower than in the other areas of Cambodia (except Mondul Kiri Province).Moreover, it is very rainy (and leechy) during the summer, cool and dry during the winter (December-March, which is the best time to visit).
Bird Watching, Wildlife Watching, Mountain Walking, Boating, Forest Trekking and River Journey. Buying handicrafts might be on offer at some of the minority villages you visit. These attractive scarves and whatnot are very inexpensive and purchasing one or two might help to boost the confidence of the villagers in the concept of ecotourism.
Your jungle-cooked food will be surprisingly delicious. As for meals before or after the trek, Gecko House near the intersection by Parrot Tours- makes some good pizzas and salads. If you want booze in the jungle make sure you request or bring it.
As with Lodging (below) there is no accommodation within the park. Trekkers will be spending the night(s) in hammocks. Most travelers will spend two nights in Ban Lung before beginning their trek in Virachey, as Ratanakiri is a fairly far-flung destination and most don't arrive until the afternoon; the 2nd day is often spent swimming in Yeak Leom Lake and picking up some camping supplies. Some excellent sleeping choices in Ban Lung are: Tree Tops Ecolodge, Terres Rouges, and Tribal Guest House .
There is no accommodation (yet) within the park boundaries, so all overnight treks will involve camping in a hammock beside a campfire crackling with astonishingly good jungle food.
Any overnight trek will involve camping, and as part of your park entry fee you will be provided with an imitation US Army hammock, which your guides will kindly string up for you each night. Please be advised that you will be expected to carry your own hammock, which is light but spacious (even when folded), so leave some room in your backpack. Also leave some room (if you plan to trek to Veal Thom) for extra food, as supplies will be split between trekkers, the national park ranger, and the indigenous guide.
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