Trekking in Virachey National Park
One of the most spectacular and invigorating activities to be experienced in Cambodia involves exploring the Kingdom’s most remote and largest national park. Virachey National Park offers the visitor a unique chance to walk in lush, unspoiled nature, catch a glimpse of some of the rarest animal species in Southeast Asia, and get to know the traditional ways of life of the local communities.
Covering an area of 3,325 km2 in northeastern Cambodia, Virachey overlaps the provinces of Ratanakiri and Stung Treng. With a large variety of habitats and ecosystems—including semi-evergreen lowlands, montane forests, upland savannah and bamboo thickets—the importance of the park to the Mekong region cannot be overstated. Its significance was finally recognised in 2003, when the park was designated as an ASEAN Heritage Park.
Virachey features some of the deepest, thickest and most isolated jungles of Cambodia, which remain largely unexplored to this day. Towering waterfalls and mountains of all shapes and sizes await the adventurous trekker. The park hosts a number of rare and endangered mammals, such as elephants, clouded leopards, tigers and sun bears, although your chances of catching a glimpse of these elusive mammals are rather slim. You are much more likely to hear the cry of the gibbon or to spot a great hornbill, a giant ibis, or a Germain’s peacock-pheasant, among many other strange birds.
A number of indigenous tribes live within the confines of Virachey, including the Brau and the Kavet people. These communities are dependent on the natural resources of the park, living in harmony with their surroundings. They live in small settlements scattered throughout the park, generally comprised of thatched houses built on stilts. Their knowledge of the local wildlife and plants is extensive, and they are usually involved in ecotourism initiatives.
Virachey boasts one of the most organised ecotourism programmes in Cambodia. Involving local communities as hosts for trekkers, the programme aims at providing a source of income for local tribes, while simultaneously allowing the visitor to experience life in the company of the tribespeople.
All treks into the park must be arranged through the Virachey National Park Eco-Tourism Information Centre, located in Ban Lung. There are various types of treks available, ranging from two to eight days in duration, and led by English-speaking guides. Treks can also be organised by private operators, but these ones do not venture into the heart of the park, being limited to the buffer zone only.
To get the full experience of trekking in Virachey, join the eight-day, seven-night Phnom Veal Thom Wilderness Trek, the park’s signature adventure. The trek begins at Ta Veng before venturing deep into the heart of the Phnom Veal Thom grasslands, and includes an overnight homestay in a Brau village. In the grasslands, you’ll likely encounter sambar deers, gibbons, langurs, wild pigs, bears and hornbills. The way back involves a different route, and trekkers will pass through areas of evergreen forest.
Any thrill-seeker or nature-lover visiting the Kingdom will find in Virachey the perfect place to escape the bustle of the city and satisfy their cravings for adventure and solace. So put on your trekking boots, fill up your water bottle, and venture into the exotic and unexplored world of Virachey National Park for a truly unforgettable adventure.
