Sen Monorom
Mondulkiri
I am looking forward to viewing the forests, and the elephants in their native habitat and also doing a couple of volunteering sessions at the Elephant Valley Project in February 2020.
Learn About Sen Monorom
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Wikipedia: Mondulkiri Province - History, Administrative Divisions, Geography & Environment, Demographics, Economy & Transportation, Culture.
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Wikivoyage: Sen Monorom - Understand, Get In, Get Around, See, Do Buy, Eat, Drink, Sleep, Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Connect, Go Next
Finding social enterprises
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Grassroots Volunteering - Small business database - Sen Monorom
I list below includes accommodation that is Cambodian owned, social enterprises, environmentally friendly and/or support the local community.
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Avocado Guesthouse (us$15-us$30 per night) - Local Cambodian family-owned & run (Host: Huot Sotheraith). Located 150m from the centre of town. Air-conditioned rooms with private bathroom.
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Indigenous Peoples Lodge (us$8-us$60 per night) - Local Cambodian family-owned & run. Located 1klm from the markets and surrounded by lush tropical plantation. Shared and private rooms.
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Manel Guesthouse & Restaurant (us$15-us$18 per night) - Local Cambodian family-owned & run. Located 1.3 Klms from town. Fan cooled rooms with private bathroom.
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Mayura Hills Resort (us$140+ per night) - Eco-social: Keep Mondulkiri clean campaign. Located 1.6 klms from town. Air-conditioning and a sparkling swimming pool.
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Mondulkiri Nature Lodge (us$10-us$70 per night) - Social Enterprise: Eco-tourism Training Center. Located on a serene hillside above Sen Monorom. 2 klms from town (20-minute walk or 5-min drive). Tents with shared bathroom and private bungalows.
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Mondulkiri Pizza Bungalows - Local Cambodian family-owned & run. Located 600m from the centre of town. New bungalows, comfortable, clean with fan and private bathroom.
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Phanyro Guesthouse (us$8-us$20 per night) - Local Cambodian family-owned & run. Fan room bungalow with hot water shower and Free WIFI.
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Tree Lodge Retreat (us$7-us$15 per night) - Local Cambodian family-owned & run by Mr Tree & his family. Located 1.5 klms from town. Bungalows with mosquito nets, private bathroom & hot shower. Mr Tree is also the founder of the Mondulkiri Elephant Project (NGO).
Sen Monorom is not a well-developed tourist destination but I found a few restaurants that appear to be locally-owned or training focused.
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Bunong Kitchen - A training restaurant teaching local indigenous Bunong people, how to cook and serve food
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Cinnamon Cafe & Bakery - Sounds like it is owned & run by a local Khmer lady, we will check it out :)
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Hefalump Cafe - Social Enterprise Hub
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Mountain Restaurant & Bar - Owned & run by a Cambodian family (Excellent reviews)
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Mondulkiri Pizza - Local Cambodian owned & run.
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The Green House Bar & Restaurant - Sounds like a local owner, we will check it out :)
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Tourism Cambodia - Things to see & do Mondulkiri, Cambodia: Market life of hill tribe people (town market), Phnom Kroal Cultural Resort, Memang Goldmines Area, Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Poh Lung Village, Phnom Nam Lear Sanctuary, Old & New Wat (Pagoda) where the monks teach, Yok Sros Phlom or Phnom Dos Kramom Resort, Puhlung Village.
Elephant sanctuaries
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Elephant Valley Project (NGO E.L.I.E) - Tours do not operate Sat & Sun in accordance with Cambodian Law.
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Mondulkiri Elephant & Wildlife Sanctuary (NGO-LEAF) - Directly funds the retirement of 5 ex-working elephants and developing sustainable eco-tourism programs with local Bunong families to reduce illegal logging and hunting.
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Mondulkiri Local Project - NGO run by Mr Vanlearn, a local Khmer tour guide with Bunong people from Potang Village 10 klms from Sen Monorom. Tours do not operate Sat & Sun in accordance with Cambodian Law. A breakdown of how your tour money is distributed to the local people is provided on this their website.
Waterfalls (& distance from Sen Monorom town)
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Chrey Thom Waterfall (43 klms)
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Dak Dam Waterfall (25 klms)
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Southwest Waterfalls (5.5 klms)
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Bou Sra Waterfall (43 klms)
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Monorum Falls (5 klms)
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Chrey Yos Waterfall (6 klms)
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Romanear Waterfall (10.5 klms)
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Lak Pok Bras Waterfall (13 klms)
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La Ang Khin Waterfall (26 klms)
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O Taing Laing Waterfall (60 klms)
Bunong Kitchen - Crafts made by Bunong people from the local villages.
Sen Monorom Market - Many of the goods are from Vietnam as Sen Monorom is close to the Vietnam border.
Transportation options include: Tuk tuk (Remork moto), Cyclo, Bus, Taxi and Train (very limited).
For travel to/from Sen Monorom in Mondulkiri province and other provinces, the most economical mode of transport is by VIP-van or a night bus.
There are a few companies that offer transport to/from Phnom Penh and Sen Mororom. More information.
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TCT Mondulkiri - Reviews 3.5 stars (us$11 Depart 7:00am & 1:00pm - 5hrs 30mins)
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Kimseng Express - Reviews 3.5 stars (us$11 Depart 06:50am & 1:10pm - 5hrs 30mins)
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Rithya Mondulkiri Express - Reviews 3 stars (us$11 Depart 7:00am & 1:00pm - 5hrs 30mins)
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Senmonorom Express - Reviews 3 stars (us$10 Depart 7:00am & 1:00pm - 6hrs 30 mins)
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Virak Buntham - Reviews 3 stars (us$13.50 Depart 7:15am, 1:30pm & 7:30pm - 7hrs 30mins)
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Si Bona Transportation - Reviews 2.5 stars (us$10 Depart 7:00am, 1:00pm & 8:30pm - 7hrs)
And only two companies for travel from Sen Monorom to Siem Reap
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Rithya Mondulkiri Express - Reviews 3 stars (us$18 Depart 7:45am & Arrive 4:15pm)
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Virak Buntham - Reviews 3 stars (us$22 Depart 7am & Arrive 3pm or us$25 Depart 1pm & Arrive 2am )
If you are travelling with a small group of people, a private taxi may be a good option as you can share the cost.
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Sam's Taxi (us$275 return) - Local Khmer owned business (Recommended by Cathy & Gary).
If you want to book your transport in advance, the easiest way to do it is online.
Note: You need to enter Mondulkiri, not Sen Monorom.
For journeys around Sen Monorom, walking is the main mode of transportation to experience the forests and waterfalls. You will find tuk-tuks hanging around in the town and you can book motorbike taxis through your hotel/guesthouse.
