Kirirom National Park Cambodia Pine Trees

Kirirom National Park

Kirirom National Park is located in the eastern part of the Cardamom Mountains around 115km along National Highway 4 from Phnom Penh. The drive takes around 2.5-3 hours by car depending on which resort you are staying at.

The park’s elevation of over 670 metres and dense pine forest – a rarity in SE Asia – makes it the ideal getaway from the oppressive heat of the Cambodian lowlands. vKirirom Resort, high in the mountains and surrounded by forest, enjoys an average temperature of 8’C less than the temperature at the base of Kirirom mountain.

Getting to Kirirom National Park

If you don’t have your own transport the best way to get to Kirirom Mountain is by private car or minivan – $85, one way for a 12 seater van at the time of writing. The hilly terrain and sparse population in the park means that there is no real public transport.

One of the resorts, vKirirom Pine Resort offers a paid shuttle bus service from Phnom Penh for $15 each way, which is cost effective for small groups.

Park Entry Fees

Entrance to the park costs a one time fee of $5 for foreigners and is payable at checkpoints upon entry to the park via one many the roads that cross its boundaries.

Kirirom Pine Forest

The national park’s pine forest sits atop the Kirirom Plateau and consists of mostly indigenous Pinus Merkusii trees with some pockets of Podocarpus forest. The whole place is reminiscent of the vast pine forests of Europe.

The pines manage to survive here in such numbers as regular forest fires sparked by the dry summers on the plateau beat back the tropical, broad leaved species, with which they compete. Following such a burn, the pines and their saplings are the fastest to recover and claim access to the sun’s rays high in the canopy.

Their presence, and the value of the sap they produce, gave rise to the first road being built into what is now the national park, in 1945-47. This gave the sappers, who previously accessed the forest on foot, the means to access deeper parts of the forest with Elephants, in order to harvest greater quantities of sap. Given the slow growing nature of the Kirirom Pines in comparison to other tropical pine trees, many of the larger trees still bear the characteristic v-shaped scars left by this process.

In the 1960’s the area’s remoteness and cool climate meant that it was chosen a site for a summer house by King Norodom Sihanouk. Today, the ruins of the former royal residence sit atop a high point in the forest, providing visitors with spectacular view of the plateau and lake below. Visitors are welcome to explore the residence and many several surrounding villas that sit decaying in the forest.

Things to Do in Kirirom

Kirirom is a haven for outdoorsy types, with plenty to do for kids and adults alike. Although the journey up the mountain is fairly steep, the plateau at the top is fairly flat, so activities such as hiking and cycling are within the ability range of all ages and fitness levels.

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