Mondulkiri Project

The local indigenous communities are some of the poorest people in Cambodia and they cut down the forest to sell for timber. They traditionally use elephants to help work in the forests and elephants are an extremely valuable asset to them, shared between 5 to 12 families. Unfortunately traditions and working conditions negatively affect elephant breeding, meaning the elephant population in the region has been in decline. The Mondulkiri project works with the indigenous Bunong people to achieve three key goals. It aims to protect the forest from logging and use it in ways that still provide the communities with an income, and also to free elephants from having to work the land or being used to carry tourists. They have made an agreement with the Bunong people to stop logging in a large area and to use the income from tourism to help support them. The project has 6 elephants which are completely free to roam the surrounding area, they are no longer ridden by anybody including the Mahouts. The project gives you the opportunity to meet the elephants and go down with them to the river for their daily bath. Joining in elephant bath time in the river is great fun. They offer two tours; a 1 day tour (US$50) to mainly see the elephants and wash them and a 2 day tour (US$70), involving an overnight in a hammock, a day trekking through the jungle and a visit to Putang Village. For further info visit their website. *TIP* - Remember to bring your swimming gear and some footwear you can wear to walk over rocks into the water is also nice. Email: mondulkiriproject@gmail.com Tel: +855 977234177 Website: www.mondulkiriproject.org/about/