Sen Monorom, Cambodia: travel guide
Highland town in Mondulkiri with elephant sanctuaries and Bou Sra waterfall
Cambodia's highland capital, 686 m up in Mondulkiri's red-earth hills, where pine ridges and cattle pasture replace paddy and the nights are genuinely cold.
About Sen Monorom
Sen Monorom is the main town of Mondulkiri, set among pine-covered, red-earth hills where the air is noticeably cooler than elsewhere in Cambodia. The scenery is rolling pasture and forest rather than rice paddy, which makes a refreshing change.
It is known for its elephant sanctuaries, including the Mondulkiri Project and Elephant Valley Project, where rescued elephants roam rather than carry riders. Bou Sra Waterfall is the best-known cascade, and Phnom Doh Kromom and Chrey Thom add further walks in the area.
Sen Monorom suits nature lovers and travellers wanting a quiet break from the lowlands. The dry months from November to April are easiest for the roads and waterfalls.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Currency
- KHR
- Time zone
- Asia/Phnom_Penh
Last updated
Top places to visit in Sen Monorom
Bou Sra Waterfall
Waterfall · 4.5 rating · about 2 h · check the fee at the gate
Cambodia's most spectacular waterfall, 43 km east of Sen Monorom near the Vietnamese border: two great stages dropping through jungle, the lower one around 25 m across a horseshoe of rock. A Bunong village and a zipline operate at the top;…
Mondulkiri Project Elephant Sanctuary
Wildlife · 4.7 rating · about 7 h · entry $50 (≈ ₹4,770)
A Bunong-partnered sanctuary where rescued elephants roam protected forest the project leases to keep it from being logged. Day visits walk with the herd to a jungle waterfall — no riding, no bathing shows. Tours leave the Sen Monorom…
Elephant Valley Project
Wildlife · 4.7 rating · about 7 h · check the fee at the gate
The original Cambodian walk-with-elephants project, run by ELIE: rescued working elephants retired into a forested valley where visitors follow at a distance. Explicitly no riding, no tricks, no feeding, no bathing. Booked and met at the…
Chrey Thom Waterfall
Waterfall · 4.0 rating · about 1.3 h · check the fee at the gate
A wide two-tier fall in the Dak Dam hills 15 km east of town, on the way to the Bunong villages near the Vietnamese border. Quieter than Bou Sra, with a walkable ledge behind the curtain in low water.
Leng Ang Leng Khin Waterfall
Waterfall · 4.5 rating · about 1.3 h · check the fee at the gate
A cluster of small falls on the Ou Reang plateau south-west of town, reached on a red dirt track through pine and cashew. Locals picnic on the rock shelves; almost no foreign visitors.
Phnom Doh Kromom
Viewpoint · 4.3 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
The hill on the northern edge of town, with a shrine at the top and the best sunset in Mondulkiri — pine ridges and cattle pasture running away east toward Vietnam. A short walk or a five-minute ride from the market.
Sen Monorom Waterfall
Waterfall · 3.9 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
Also called Monorom or Sihanouk Falls — a 10 m drop into a shaded plunge pool 4 km west of town, the closest waterfall to Sen Monorom and an easy motorbike errand rather than an excursion.
Laeng Truk Waterfall
Waterfall · 4.4 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
A narrow chute dropping into a deep green pool 8 km south-west of Sen Monorom, part of the same Ou Reang waterfall chain and usually combined with it on a half-day loop.
Where to stay in Sen Monorom
Hotels
- PIDA COFFEE FARM
- Manel Guesthouse and Restaurant
- Tang Phumi Resort
- គិរីម៉ោនធីនរីស៊ត Kiri Mountain Resort
- KNN Resort Mondulkiri
- Chomkatae Bungalows
Getting to Sen Monorom
Nearest airport: Buon Ma Thuot (BMV), about 104 km away in a straight line. The road or rail journey is longer.
Getting around
- Walking
Best time to visit Sen Monorom
- Jun 30°C
- Jul 30°C
- Aug 30°C
- Sep 30°C
- Oct 30°C