Bokor Mountain – The Beauty In The National Park

Bokor Mountain

Only 8 kilometres from the quiet Cambodian town of Kampot lies the entrance to Bokor Mountain in Bokor National Park. Reputedly home to wild elephants and tigers it boasts a beautiful landscape most famous for the abandoned Bokor Hill Station, a new luxury casino and hotel complex, waterfalls and some great hiking opportunities.

Getting To Bokor National Park

Riding Bokor Mountain
Riding up Bokor Mountain

Getting to Bokor Mountain takes you along a scenic drive from town on a newly constructed road that is in great condition. In the past the route was quite treacherous but since 2012 and the construction of the new casino this has all changed. There is no passenger entrance fee to the park, but a scooter will cost 2000 Riel (50c US).

Riding A Scooter Or Motorcycle

The best way to get to Bokor National Park! It is 32 kilometres from the entrance to the end of the road on Bokor Mountain through some steep, curvy terrain. Traffic is minimal. While the distance is not great you can easily expect this to take up to two hours one way to get to the abandoned casino depending on the power of your ride and how often you stop to take photos. You can rent bikes in Kampot for between $5-20 depending on the size of bike you would like. Due to the steep inclines a full tank of fuel is a good idea. There is a fuel station at the corner of the turn-off. To fill up a scooter should cost about $4-5

Bad Visibility Bokor National Park
The weather can turn quickly, reducing visibility to zero.

Taking A Tour

Different tour companies offer day trips to Bokor National Park for up to $25. Most of these include a snack lunch.

Taxi Or Tuk Tuk

Buddha Bokor Mountain

If you have enough people in your group you can negotiate a price with a tuk tuk or taxi for the day. Although by the time you add up the costs of doing this it will be much more cost-effective to rent a scooter for the day. If you aren’t a confident rider consider spending a few days riding around the town of Kampot first to get your skills up.

Weather

Bokor Mountain is notorious for cloudy conditions and sporadic rain. Rolling clouds can bring visibility down to almost zero in a matter of seconds. It is also a lot cooler up at 1080m than what you may be used to. Due to this we recommend bringing at least a poncho or rain jacket and warm clothes. It can get cold up on the mountain!

Rolling Clouds Bokor Mountain
Rolling clouds up the side of Bokor Mountain.

Things To See And Do

 On Bokor Mountain

Old Building Bokor Mountain
An old building near the abandoned casino.
  • At Bokor Hill Station is Le Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino which was built in 1925. Abandoned by the French since the 1940s, it is now a shell of its former self but makes for an interesting time exploring the old building. Located on the edge of a cliff when visibility is good you are offered spectacular views of the Gulf of Thailand, the Southern Cambodian islands and Phu Quoc island.
  • An old Catholic church remains unoccupied closer to the new casino and also makes for an eery sight.
  • Thansur Bokor Highland Resort is a new 5 star development housing a hotel, casino, restaurants and cafes. It is worth stopping by just to check out the immense scope of plans they have for the entire area. If things go through, this will be one of the largest resort complexes in SE Asia.
  • Popokvil waterfall is another great stopping off point to snap some pictures. Popokvil, meaning ‘swirling clouds’ is an appropriate name for the cascades. These are best visited in the wet season when the falls are at their most impressive.
Bokor Mountain Cloudy Casino
The abandoned casino takes on an eery feel when the cloud coverage is dense.
  • There are plenty of hikes around Bokor Mountain to go on as well and guides can be hired from either Kampot or the Thansur Bokor Highland Resort. Do be careful to not venture off the paths due to the possibility of land mines still being hidden. The area has been cleared twice, but it is always better to be safe than sorry!
  • Lok Yeay Mao Monument is a large meditating Buddha that overlooks the coast. It will be one of the first attractions you get to as you ride up into Bokor National Park and is worth parking up and walking to the top for the view.
  • Behind the new resort is Wat Sampove Pram. A small pagoda and temple with many Buddha statues around it is definitely worth stopping by to check out and enjoy the amazing scenery

Need accommodation in Kampot? Check out the deals on Agoda.com

Wat Sampove Pram Bokor Mountain
Wat Sampove Pram
Lok Yeay Mao Monument Bokor National Park
Lok Yeay Mao Monument
Alesha and Jarryd

Alesha and Jarryd

Hey! We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Through our stories and images we promote exciting off-the-beaten-path destinations and fascinating cultures as we go. As one of the world's leading travel journalists, our content and adventures have been featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, Channel 7, Channel 10, ABC, The Guardian, and plenty other publications. Follow our journey in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

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11 thoughts on “Bokor Mountain – The Beauty In The National Park”

  1. went in the abandoned casino and i was told to leave by the staff if i didnt know what i wanted. what a joke of a place to visit. just crazy to think they are trying to make money and they actually tell visitors to leave.

    • Really? That is so strange. This is the first we have heard of this. We are so sorry you couldn’t see inside it. How much were they asking? That is sad it has come to this.

  2. Hi, the old Casino on the cliff edge built in 1925 is rebuilt and open again.
    Room rates seem pretty reasonable

    • Thanks for that Joe. 🙂

  3. I am going there in 2 days. Leaving from Kep bywalk up to the top! I am planning to camp around with my tent!

    Thx for the post, nice one!

    • Wow you are walking. What an adventure. Have a great time. We would love to hear how you went. 🙂

  4. I like Bokor. I went to visit for the first time when we were in university. The road back then was not so cool but it was a fun trip.

    Today, the place has been developed and we can’t deny that they have done a great job to make the road safe and sound.

    I would recommend people to check this out when they stay in Kep or Kampot. It could be a short day trip to do.

    Cheers.

    • Thank you for sharing Santel. It is a great day out. 🙂

  5. I second the full tank! Our bike was somehow leaking fuel and we had to get bottles of gas from little roadside vendors TWICE to make it all the way up and then back down. So make sure your bike is ok before going up and fill up the tank to the max.

    That being said, Bokor is a beautiful day out and a great drive.

  6. Wow, I absolutely love the abandoned casino especially like shown on your photo when the cloud coverage is dense, it makes it look even more mysterious and interesting 🙂

    • Cheers Franca! It definitely made for a haunted kind of feel. We actually rode straight past it the first time. We couldn’t see it because of the cloud coverage. Such a sweet place to explore!

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