Senmonorom- Mondulkiri Eco Tour-Senmonorom
Hike level: medium – hard (day1 and 2 walking approximately 12-15 kilometers per day and the elephant tour only 04km with several steep hill climbs).
Group size: 2-12 clients
Costs $120
(Includes seven meals, fruits, water, two overnights in the jungle and homestay in the village, guide fees and pick up)
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS THREE DAYS JUNGLE TREKKING AND THE ELEPHANT ADVENTURE TOUR
- Full day the jungle trekking with a Bunong Guide and if we have chance to see wild animals
- See and swimming at Kbal Preah waterfall and crossing the Ote river
- Have a picnic in the jungle near river side with the sound of nature
- First night sleeping in the jungle and second night in the Bunong village with our special hammock
- Eating traditional food and drinking local rice wine with Bunong guide in the forest
- Second day trekking to see and swim in the Leng Ung and Leng Ken waterfalls
- Have lunch in the cave of bats at Leng Rat waterfall
- Learning some wild plants for using traditional medicine and making souvenir handmade by the bamboo
- Visiting Bunong farms within the jungle and seeing wild rice, fruit, vegetable and herb
- Feeding, touching and following the elephant through the forest (no elephant riding)
- Washing and swimming with the elephant in waterfall
- Visiting the Bunong minority village Putang
More detailed tour itinerary
Day-1 jungle trekking tour for swimming at the waterfall, overnight with a special hammock and cooking, drinking local rice wine in the jungle
08.30am
Pick you up from the Hotel or Resort around in Senmonorom
08.30-9.30am
Drive you to Putrop Damrey Chhun village about 15km and pick up a local Bunong tour guide on the road
9.30am-12.00pm
You will be given your hammock that you need to carry in your backpack and the water you want to drink until night 2.
Today we start trekking from the Putrop village to the deep jungle, then Our Bunong tour guide leads expertly us through the incredible and beautiful jungle that rich with many different types of trees, before rich the impressive Kbal Peah waterfall about 07m high with nice natural swimming pool and we enjoy swimming before have a lunch.
12.00-1.30pm
Lunch break time beside the river Ote, it is a nice and the biggest river in Mondulkiri.
1.30-4.30pm
After lunch we continue to trek and cross the river on the both side of trekking path is full with the flowers, vines and nice stand of bamboos. If we have a chance to see wild animals like monkey, gibbon and sometime we can hear the voice of the wild elephant’s scream but it’s hard to see them and they are very aggressive.
4.30-6.30pm
After the break time of trek and taking a bath in the river, it is time for dinner and cooking by our Bunong tour guide, you will enjoy eating traditional Bunong soup cooked inside bamboo and drinking local rice vine, then go to sleep in comfortable jungle hammock with mosquito net and small blanket.
All these times are an approximation.
Day-2 jungle trekking tour to swim in the waterfalls and have a chance to see wild animal like monkey, gibbon and bats in the cave
08-9.00am
After you passed overnight in the jungle with local tour guide, it is time for breakfast.
9.00-10am
After the breakfast we start trekking in the jungle again for second day tour and have a chance to see some monkeys, gibbons, squirrels, civets.
10am-12pm
Visit the waterfalls Leng Ken and Leng Ung that have a nice natural swimming pool, enjoy your time to swimming and jump from the top of waterfall and the jungle guide cook for our lunch and make some souvenir handmade like the ring or drinking shot by bamboo.
12-02pm
After swimming and lunch, we continue to trek and visit the Leng Ret waterfall and cave where we can see some bats sleeping inside, next we pass many Bunong farms in the jungle, here we can see the traditional agricultural system such as: tapioca, lemon grass, wild rice, chili peppers, cashew nuts, pineapples. Sometime the tour guide show and pick up some leaves of wild plants to explain using the traditional Bunong medicine.
02-04pm
After more trekking in the jungle, it is the time to get our feet wet by crossing the river for one last climb out of the jungle, we arrive the Putang village.
04-06pm
It is time to relax, take a bath no shower, dinner and drink local rice wine then go to sleep in the hammock for second night homestay in the Bunong village.
Day-3 one day elephant adventure tour, feeding, touching, swimming, washing the elephant in the waterfall and picnic in the forest near by the river (second day tour walking about 04km).
08-9.00am
After you passed overnight with Bunong family in the village, it is time for breakfast.
9.00-10am
The starting point of tour by visiting Bunong indigenous village and see the activity of villagers and also their local animals, traditional houses. Next try to learn about their language and religion by explaining from our tour guide.
10am-12pm
First, we walk from the village down to valley of the hills, on the path you will see nice view of the forest and pass Bunong’s crop that grow very well like: rice, tapioca, banana, cashew nut plants. Next it is time to meet our elephant is called Princess, she is very gentle and famous in Mondulkiri and her Mahout in the forest, take a lot of the picture, get close by touching and have fun feeding the elephant some bananas. Watch as the elephant walk around eating bamboo, grass and other wild plants. Sometimes you can see elephant scratching against tree trunk because of the insect sting and throwing dirt or mud on the back to protect the sun heat and insect bite.
12-02pm
After walking behind the elephant through forest, it is time for lunch and relaxing in the hut that close to river and small waterfall where the nice place for you to enjoy swimming or walking around to watch many species of wildlife.
02-04pm
After breaking time, it is time to have fun touching, swimming and washing the elephant in river to keep the skin clean, healthy and free from infection. The elephant really enjoys having a bath. Then we will go to see the elephant eating bamboo leaf, grass and any plants before Mahout release elephant back to the forest.
04-05pm
Then saying goodbye to Princess and her Mahout and we walk back out of the forest to the village before being driven back to the hotel or resort.
What you need to pack for this tour
Light, long-sleeved clothing, swimming clothes, a towel, a hat and sunscreen protection, camera, trekking shoes, insect repellent, rain coat (in the wet season)