Ecotourism in Cambodia

Ecotourism is part of our values.

We propose to discover the Land of Smile through an immersion that will allow you to meet the Cambodian people while sharing unforgettable moments with them.

The province of Siem Reap offers many opportunities for an ecotourism experience in Cambodia.

The fabulous Angkor Temples await you.

Go to the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia and penetrate a fragile ecosystem.

Villages on stilts, lake life, flooded forest, panorama and sunset punctuate your day.

The craftsmen of silk, wood, stone, lacquer and rattan will show you their ancestral knowledge.

Ecotourism in Siem Reap can be for you an opportunity to stay with local people and enjoy the authentic hospitality of the Khmer people.

The province of Kampot is one of the jewels of the country.

Wild rivers, waterfalls, mountains and fertile plains make the scenery of this beautiful place which is bordered by the Gulf of Thailand.

Ecotourism in Kampot is experienced every day.

You will not miss the opportunity to taste the Kampot pepper, considered by the gastronomy as one of the best in the world.

Sports activities such as kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and kite surfing make Kampot a must-see province.

During your ecotourism experience in Cambodia, you will not miss the opportunity to stroll through the narrow streets of the city with its colonial past while enjoying the many stores and terraces to enjoy local products.

Mount Aural is the highest peak in the country. It dominates the Cardamomes National Park at 1813 meters.

This area is home to a nature reserve with unique wildlife that offers an ideal setting to discover wildlife, jungle and magical waterfalls while enjoying a cooler climate.

Hiking or mountain biking adventure in complete immersion, accompanied by qualified rangers who will share with you the secrets of a still intact nature.

Oh Battamabang!

This province is considered as the breadbasket of Cambodia. Rice fields cover much of the bucolic landscape surrounding the city of the same name.

Battambang is a provincial capital that reflects the present Cambodia.

Authenticity, colonial heritage, heritage of Cambodian cuisine, this city offers a rich heritage that will impress you.

Ecotourism in Battambang will allow you to live as close as possible to the habits and customs of this region.

Located in the northeast of the country, Ratanakiri is truly another Cambodia.

This remote region will take you to the discovery of ethnic minorities during an exceptional adventure.

Let yourself be carried away by the Tonle San River on board a dugout canoe to join the spirits of the forest and enter into a mode of another time.

Ecotourism in Cambodia takes all its meaning in Ratanakiri.

You will not fail to enjoy also the volcanic lake of Yeak Loam and the numerous waterfalls scattered around the capital Banlung.

Mondolkiri is the gateway to the east of the country.

This region is still underdeveloped and is a paradise to discover.

Ecotourism in Mondolkiri is at the heart of the activities proposed by the inhabitants of these hills covered by a dense preserved forest.

For sure, the meeting with the elephants of the conservation sanctuary will amaze you.

During this hike, you will have the chance to share moments of pure happiness with these giants that move freely in their natural environment.

Mondolkiri is also known for the quality of its products, such as coffee and all kinds of exotic fruits that are cultivated on these heights.

The visit of the Boursra waterfall, which is the biggest in Cambodia, is a magnificent place to refresh yourself at the end of the day.

Ecotourism in Cambodia is now accessible.

The quality of the services we offer is guaranteed by the integration of our local teams in the reception and the realization of your future stay.

Come and discover the Land of Smiles off the beaten track.

Ecotourism in Cambodia Exclusive

Ecotourism in Cambodia The Concept

The notion of ecotourism appeared in the early 1970’s when environmental movements were developing in the world.

It is only a decade later that this way of traveling has made its appearance in the tourism offers in connection with the growing awareness of environmental issues.

According to the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), ecotourism is defined according to certain fundamental criteria that directly involve the behavior of the traveler and the different impacts he will have during his travel experience.

Ecotourism is therefore a tourism approach that seeks to promote sustainable development by preserving the biodiversity and cultural resources of a natural area.

On the other hand, the concept of ecotourism must imperatively include the sensitization of all the actors involved to the social and environmental stakes in order to achieve the fundamental goal of ecotourism.

In a global and more concrete way, the personal approach of ecotourism in Cambodia could be defined by the following actions.

First, to seek to minimize the physical, behavioral, and psychological impacts of tourism on the environment and all that it entails.

Second, to raise awareness of the cultural and environmental issues of the sites visited and to provide positive experiences for the visitor and the host populations.

Second, to provide direct funding for environmental preservation and generate economic benefits for local populations.

And finally, to involve the visitor and educate them on the political, social and environmental issues of the country visited, while recognizing the rights and spiritual beliefs of the local communities by working with them to empower them.

Respecting these basic principles is for us essential to all discovery activities in order to ensure the development of ecotourism in Cambodia.

Ecotourism in Cambodia Responsible Travel

Nowadays, the travel industry uses the notions of responsible travel, ecotourism, fair trade travel and many others.

It is therefore legitimate to ask the question “how does it all work” and “what place do the travel actors have?” in order to choose the right partners for your ecotourism trip to Cambodia.

Here are some general elements concerning the different current semantics related to tourism.

These notions will probably help you to know what “type” of traveler you are and how you want to travel.

We will then discuss the impacts that your choices could have.

Responsible tourism, ecotourism, sustainable tourism, fair or social tourism? What are we talking about?

Ecotourism, as previously mentioned, is an approach that focuses on the observation of nature and its environment, trying to interpret the synergies between the different cultural characteristics that exist in the places visited.

This implies contributing to the preservation of nature and supporting the local economy by integrating regional actors and the traveler into the travel concept.

Sustainable tourism is rather a philosophy or a way of planning tourism that is addressed to the promoters and workers of this sector. This approach is based on the principles of sustainable development and, unlike ecotourism, it is not limited to natural environments.

Concerning responsible tourism (or ethical tourism), it refers to the direct behavior of the traveler himself. The tourist will be careful to respect the cultural expressions by including the interactions with the environment in which he is. In this regard, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has published a precise code of ethics.

Fair tourism is a concept more focused on the equity of the economic benefits of tourism. At this level, it is more the providers who will have the responsibility to ensure and guarantee a fair remuneration for example.

To finish these different descriptions of tourism, we can also talk about social tourism where in this case, it is an associative movement headed by the International Bureau of Social Tourism. Their main mission is to allow underprivileged classes to have access to vacations.

Ecotourism in Cambodia News

Green tourism on the move in the land of smiles!

In 2017 the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia published the “Zoning Guidelines for the Protected Areas in Cambodia“.

The purpose of this document is to clearly establish the protection strategy for the areas defined as protected in order to ensure the sustainability of ecosystems, develop services such as ecotourism and promote local ecological agriculture in order to have a positive economic impact for local people in the long term.

The main objective of these zoning guidelines is to achieve effective, efficient and equitable management of protected area systems to conserve, protect and enhance the ecological value that is naturally considered as cultural heritage.

The local social culture, strengthening the commitment and support of communities, will thus create the opportunity for sustainable development.

The management of protected areas must ensure the sustainable flow of global ecosystem functions and services. Cultural and natural heritage, socio-economic and environmental benefits, which are the fundamental basis of public welfare, will be at the heart of this new ecotourism area.

The management of protected area ecosystems is fundamental to contribute to sustainable development, improved livelihoods of local communities and reduction of carbon dioxide stocks (based on the preservation of forest capital).

Today, Cambodia has 50 conservation areas, twelve of which are national parks, representing about 7.5 million hectares or 41% of the total area of the country.

Thanks to these elements, we can note that for the government, ecotourism is clearly integrated in a global policy on the long term and becomes an essential approach for the future development of Cambodia.

Indeed, nowadays, mass tourism has a huge impact on the populations of all countries that live with tourism as one of the main development sectors. The consequences of irresponsible tourism are extremely harmful for the local populations who often only reap the breadcrumbs left by the packs of “homo touristicus” that have passed by.

Cambodia is an excellent example. Indeed, it is important to know that during the last ten years, tourism in Cambodia has had an extraordinary growth. This has had the positive effect of increasing the quality of life of a good number of the population by creating jobs in the field of tourism and also in other sectors such as health, agriculture and transport.

Ecotourism in Cambodia Exemple

The Cardamom Range is located in the south-eastern part of Cambodia. This region occupies a huge area of about 21’000 square kilometers (300 km X 70 km) and has been designated as a national park type protected area by the Cambodian government since 2016.

The Cardamoms offer a natural spectacle and a biodiversity unique in the world. Inside this park is located Mount Aural which is the highest peak in Cambodia. It culminates at 1813 meters. The latter dominates a lush forest, protective habitat of many animal species.

Long left on the sidelines by the authorities, the Cardamoms have suffered in recent years the onslaught of many unscrupulous foreign investors who have come to exploit the fertile land of this natural jewel with massive deforestation, despite the regulations in force.

The reaction of the government associated with the help of certain non-governmental associations, succeeded, thanks in particular to the installation of armed “rangers”, to limit and decrease these illegal aggressions.

In addition, ecotourism in Cambodia has proven to be a very effective alternative and complementary to these repressive actions, allowing the integration of the awareness of the local population to the problems of poaching and illegal sale of wood for example.

Today, the number of CBET projects (community-based ecotourism project) are growing in the Cardamoms.

However, one must be very careful in the choice of providers. Indeed, often these projects are managed by operators and in the majority of the cases, the local communities are often exploited and underpaid.

Ecotourism in Cambodia Our Approache

We believe that ecotourism in Cambodia is truly a solution for the future and that it is important to integrate responsible behaviors of all stakeholders in this life experience to ensure the sustainability and fairness of the process.

This is why we work directly with local independent professionals or different communities that ensure the preservation and promotion of ecotourism in Cambodia.

Thus, the specialized interveners must contribute to the development and improvement of the living conditions of the local populations by encouraging the hiring of local personnel, local purchasing and the equitable redistribution of the operating revenues, particularly among the underprivileged groups.

First of all, we should ask ourselves what we are really looking for when we plan to discover a new world, another culture.

How sensitive are you to the impacts you will have during your stay abroad?

How will you choose the activities, the hotels, the transportation or the places you will visit during your vacation?

From our point of view, these questions are essential to initiate the process of ecotourism in Cambodia.

Ecotourism in Cambodia Benefits

The advantages of an ecotourism approach are numerous and certainly offer an alternative to the conventional tourism still present in Cambodia.

The positive impacts of ecotourism are at several demographic levels. Indeed, for example, the conservation of a site through reforestation and the repopulation of wildlife by an ecotourism project will improve the image and reputation of the province, then the region and finally the image of the country. As seen above, ecotourism in a global way acts on the environmental and socio-economic sectors.

The financial benefits generated by an ecotourism project can firstly preserve and maintain the existing ecosystem by funding educational measures and creating local employment. This can help create long-term development opportunities by improving income for local people in the country.

The environmental benefits are quite obvious and are the basis of the ecotourism approach. For example, reserve conservation will help prevent deforestation and pollution. In addition, ecotourism related programs in Cambodia introduce the idea of natural resource management.

The fauna and flora are obviously at the heart of this awareness. Ecotourism promotes the preservation of wildlife and natural habitats, which generally brings many benefits. One can think for example of the safeguarding of the biodiversity and the maintenance of the watershed. Ecotourism thus protects the habitat of endemic species.

At the social level, ecotourism in Cambodia opens the way to specific training and education that may be lacking initially. Subsequently, these projects provide new opportunities for research and better environmental management practices and social synergies.

It also creates new jobs and generates additional sources of income. These benefits can be used to help lift entire communities out of poverty.

A strong sense of pride is also induced in the local people as they share their knowledge of the land and the local ecology with visitors.

In addition, ecotourism promotes and preserves traditional practices, conservation of locally made crafts and skills by creating an economic and cultural link between travelers and their hosts.

Furthermore, ecotourism promotes cultural traditions rather than changing local customs to fit specific international standards. This could be a way to put an end to a certain cultural ignorance and thus encourage exchanges and respect for the other from a reciprocal point of view.

In this way, the traveler and the host will fully live a life experience based on respectful exchange and sharing of emotions while allowing the conservation of beautiful places.

Ecotourism in Cambodia An Ideal ?

Like any development project, the concept of ecotourism can have negative impacts.

Indeed, a degradation of the natural and socio-economic environment of the visited sites would generate a reduction of the value created at the collective level of the destination.

Effective management of sites and activities proposed by local communities must be accompanied by a transparent collaboration of tourism partners.

Thus, service providers (tour operators, transport and accommodation) must work together to support the sustainability of the places visited.

The traveler also has a very important role in evaluating and transmitting the quality and consistency of the ecotourism experience in Cambodia.

The challenge is therefore to enhance the natural and cultural capital and facilitate its enjoyment by tourists, while safeguarding it in the long term.

Any erosion of the environmental or cultural quality may jeopardize the viability of a tourist destination.

Air transport also has an impact on the environment. This component cannot be excluded from a trip to Southeast Asia and should not be exclusive either, otherwise, ecotourism in Cambodia should be limited to local tourism.

Indeed, from our point of view, ecotourism in Cambodia cannot be limited to this aspect.

It should also be mentioned that many countries, especially outside Europe, do not yet have “Eco” standards, and legislation often overlooks the risk of overexploitation and degradation of natural resources.

In addition, the capacity of the sites may exceed that of the contextual realities. This could lead to unequal management and distribution of revenues to the detriment of local populations.

Ecotourism in Cambodia Our Guarantees

We believe that ecotourism in Cambodia is truly a solution for the future and that it is important to integrate responsible behaviors of all stakeholders in this life experience to ensure the sustainability and fairness of the process.

This is why we work directly with local independent professionals or different communities that ensure the preservation and promotion of ecotourism in Cambodia.

Thus, the specialized interveners must contribute to the development and improvement of the living conditions of the local populations by encouraging the hiring of local personnel, local purchasing and the equitable redistribution of the operating revenues, particularly among the underprivileged groups.

Ecotourism map of Cambodia