Preah monivong bokor national park 1 day sihanoukville tours. The strange thing about this hill station is that, throughout its macabre history, it has been actually abandoned twice. Dec 14, 2015 bokor hill station is an abandoned village in the mountains near kampot. Bokor hill station kampot, kambodja omdomen tripadvisor. Today, this ghost town is mostly abandoned where it sits in one of the best parks in cambodia. Rumours abound that they are planning to repair the old hotel and to develop a modern casino and restaurant complex. Bokor hill station kampot province, cambodia atlas obscura. Until the 1990s bokor hill station served as a stronghold for khmer rouge militias, but after the last of those left, it has been crumbling to dust since then. While many claim that bokor has lost all appeal to tourists, just scratching the surface one can see a. The station deteriorated over time, becoming a ghost town popular for its quiet historic buildings and jungle. Bokor hill station is an abandoned french town built in 1922 high upon bokor hill, just outside the town of kampot, southern cambodia. The whole history of bokor hill station is marred by controversy, from its conception and continual change of ownership, to its contentious revamp and the refurbished building that stands today. Le bokor palace 6 star luxury hotel in kampot cambodia. The history of this site is really interesting but the building itself is somewhat less fascinating.
Aug 28, 2015 bokor mountain remains one of the main tourist sights around kampot. Preserving history on bokor hill station khmer times. It was only in 1962, for the reopening of the cite du bokor, that a casino was established in the new hotels near the lake, hotels sangkum and kiri. Bokor hill station, kampot 2020 images, timings holidify. Bokor hill station kampot 2020 what to know before you go. Mar 04, 2018 bokor hill station is a collection of french colonial buildings constructed as a luxury resort and retreat for colonial residents in the early 1920s atop bokor mountain in preah monivong national. Bokor hill station was constructed with the vision of being a luxurious retreat for the colonial residents who wanted to escape from the heat, humidity and general insalubrity of phnom penh, according to eric t. The location choice at up meters altitude to provide the settlers tired of the hot weather in cambodia, especially during the dry season and avoiding repatriation to the metropolis.
Le bokor palace is the main building of the bokor hill station in cambodias kampot province. Jun 17, 2019 the same goes for the boat tour as the river can be a bit windy. The peace accords in 1993, a battalion of french peacekeepers took possession of the building and set up a telecommunication station, taking advantage of its geographical location. Le bokor palace is the main building of the bokor hill station in.
If you dont book a flexible rate, you may not be entitled to a refund. The buildings other than the hotel bokor palace are pretty much abandoned. When visiting cambodia there is a welltrodden path of historical sites. The main attraction in bokor national park is the old french hill station at 1,080m which can be visited as a day trip from kampot or sihanoukville. A mustsee due to its history, but which is slowly fading away due to the construction of. Bokor hill station is the place you must not miss on your khmer vacay if you want to know the history of cambodia without the boring books. The new and improved bokor mountain move to cambodia. Construction finished in the early 1920s, and the result was jungle chic.
The nearest major town near bokor hill station in cambodia is kampot. The location choice at up meters altitude to provide the settlers tired of the hot weather in cambodia,especially during the dry season and avoiding repatriation to the metropolis. The bokor hill station is a collection of french colonial buildings including a hotel and casino, a church, a royal residence and more, constructed as a temperate mountain luxury resort and retreat for colonial residents in the early 1920s atop bokor mountain in preah monivong national park, about 37 kilometres west of kampot in southern cambodia. Bokor hill station to phnom penh 5 ways to travel via. Aug 16, 2016 built by the colonial french settlers in the 1920s, atop bokor mountain in preah monivong national park, the hill station was to be an escape from the tropical weather of cambodia. At the top is the bokor mountain hill station, in bokor national park. Bokor hill is good relief from all the heat, however, it can be cloudy at times. Andra byggnader an hotel bokor palace ar ganska overgivna. The only other historic building currently in use on the site is a small temple. Bokor hill station make sure you get an early start. At once beautiful and sinister, the hill station buildings include a catholic church and an old hotel, the aptly named and monumentally proportioned bokor. Bokor hill station is a collection of french colonial buildings constructed as a luxury resort and retreat for colonial residents in the early 1920s atop bokor mountain in preah monivong national. Bokor hill station refers to a collection of french colonial buildings constructed as a temperate.
Built in 1921, it took only nine months to complete the resort, but during construction, a total of 900 lives were lost. Heavily potholed and scattered with reefs of the original asphalt surface, it is best traveled. Dec 14, 2016 bokor hill station was built by the french as a resort for colonists to escape the heat, humidity, and general unhealthiness of phonm penh. Bokor hill station located in kampot cambodia explorer.
Bokor national park is located in the province of kampot, cambodia at the altitude of 1080 meters above the sea level. Bokor hill station was built by the french in the 1920s to be used as a retreat from the heat of the plains, a preair conditioning strategy longestablished throughout asia. If so, it may be that the histories embedded in the shell of what was bokor hill station will soon be lost to commercial growth a very sad prospect. The summit of bokor 1,080 meters high is reached at the end of one of the worst roads in cambodia and the journey about 30km takes a lot longer than you would think. Is it really best to skip a trip to bokor hill station. Bokor national park is home to an old french colonial hill station that was left abandoned during the first indochina war late 1940s and then later taken over by the khmer rouge. Bokor national park tour from kampot, cambodia teacher. Bokor is a popular hill station located close to kampot town in cambodia. Is it really best to skip a trip to bokor hill station, or will you end up kicking yourself later for not going. What happened next is one of the darkest chapters of modern history. Originally a small resort town, it is now an abandoned ghost town and national park. It consists of the popular bokor national park, a unesco heritage centre covering over 1500 square kilometres is home to rare wildlife including asiatic black bears, leopards, elephants and birds. Restrooms can be found in the yeay mao car park and at the bokor hill station abandoned church.
The ultimate guide to bokor hill station kampot 2020. The complex was built in 1920 by the french, as a place to escape hot and humid phnom penh. From kampot, it now takes just under and hour to reach the bokor hill station, the turn off on the national highway being 8 kilometres. All good reasons to travel the the top of bokor mountain. Bokor hill station kampot 2020 what to know before you. Bokor hill or bokor hill station was a highclass french hotel and casino complex that was built in the early 1920s to give the french colonialist everything they needed for a summer retreat and to get a. Book your tickets online for bokor hill station, kampot. Bokor hill station, attraction in kampot tourism cambodia.
Thansur sokha hotel 5 star luxury hotel in kampot cambodia. Bokor hill station,bokor hill station in cambodia,bokor hill. Du bor boka en guidad tur dar platsens historia forklaras. In the early 1990s bokor hill station was still one of the last strongholds of khmer rouge. Bokor national park kampot 2020 what to know before. The hill station is best in the dry season, for up to 6 months, from november to late april. The bokor hill station was built entirely by indentured servants and was completed in 1925, with over cambodian deaths as a result of its. The abandoned resort town has just as much creepy history as it does dilapidated ruins. There is also a waterfall which tends to be dry in high season and in full flow during rainy season. From sihanoukville, it is a 95 kilometres drive via the national route no. Mar 11, 2014 you can go on an organised tour to bokor hill station but to be honest theres not too much history that you cannot get from a guidebook or the internet.
The term was used mostly in colonial asia particularly india, but also in africa albeit rarely, for towns founded by european colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler. Le bokor palace was first inaugurated on 14th february 1925 to host royalties and elites for decades and was revived in the early 1962 by preah karuna preah bat samdech preah norodom sihanouk. The idea was to create a temperate escape from the heat of phnom penh for colonialists in the 1920s. Bokor hill was abandoned first by the french in late 1940s, during the first indochina war, because of local insurrections guided by the khmer issarak. Bokor hill station kampot 2020 all you need to know.
History of bokor hill station image source the hill station was first built as a french retreat away from the capital city of phnom penh, the principal colonial residence of le bokor palace opening in 1925 along with a throng of french villas, a post office and a church. You should book a guided tour, where the history of the place is explained. Select an option below to see stepbystep directions and to compare ticket. A day in bokor national park where the french architecture. The main attraction for tourists when coming to this national park is the old french hill station. Discover cambodias ghost town, as well as one of its best national parksthe bokor hill station was constructed by rich french and cambodians as a retreat away from the heat. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund.
Bokor hill station was built by the french in the 1920s to be used as a retreat from the heat of the plains, a preair conditionning strategy familiar in all of asia. In addition to being a national park and historic site, these days the hill is one huge construction site. While visiting in bokor hill station cambodia, it is not enough to visit only angkor wat in siem reap you can also head to the riverside town kampot in the south direction if you are looking for the proper relax. Just a few miles from kampot, and easily visible from town, stands bokor mountain. The bokor is currently frequented by european cambodia, cochin china and some siamese who were given facilities by the creation of the port ream, it is mostly a rest station. Mar 06, 20 the one thing that did impress me about kampot was the architecture rundown old french colonial buildings and ghost buildings left to crumble in the wake of independence and wartime conflict in both the town and at the bokor hill station.
Discovery tour in the preah monivong national park for a day full of surprises. And now, theres a world class resort and casino with 2 restaurants, a luxury hotel, dorm rooms, and tent camping on a lake. Thansur bokor highland resort which is intended to be a 5 star hotel. About 37km from kampot cambodia, bokor hill is an attraction that you should not miss when travelling to this province. Visit bokor hill station on your trip to kampot or cambodia. Bokor national park by anton swanepoel nook book ebook.
Photos and the story behind the decaying remains of the once decadent bokor hill station resort near kampot, in cambodia. Formerly a french colonial hill station resort and site of a royal summer vacation home, modern bokor has made itself much easier to access and has more attractions. Bokor hill station in cambodias fascinating dark past. Restrooms can be found in the yeay mao car park and at the bokor hill stationabandoned church. While many claim that bokor has lost all appeal to tourists, just scratching the surface one can see a picture of past and present cambodia. Bokor national park kampot all you need to know before. A day in bokor national park where the french architecture stagnates. Exploring bokor mountain by minibus tour from kampot move. Phnom bokor eller phnum bok kou, ar det hogsta berget av damrei mountains. Bokor hill station, located in bokor national park, is a collection of luxurious french colonial buildings at the top of the mountain, originally built as a lavish mountain resort.
Preserving history on bokor hill station news from. In my opinion, the best way to get up and around is by scooter. Bokor hill station sits eerily abandoned in southern cambodia. Hydrotherapy, climatology, and french colonial spas. Bokor hill station travel south coast, cambodia lonely planet. Book your tickets online for bokor national park, kampot. Colonial history stands out at bokor hill station, a collection of buildings originally established as a luxurious mountainous retreat from the heat for frenchmen. If you had a long night before the tour, bring some extra water or buy some when you stop at the yeay mao car park. You can now even book a stay in the revamped colonial hotel on. The same goes for the boat tour as the river can be a bit windy. Bokor mountain remains one of the main tourist sights around kampot. We recommend booking bokor hill station tours ahead of time to secure your spot. A former french military respite turned jungle tourism hotspot.
It was used as the location for the 2002 film, city of ghosts and the 2004 film rpoint. Bokor mountain hill station tour fullday cambo tours. Kampot, cambodia ghost town architecture and bokor hill station. Exploring bokor mountain by minibus tour from kampot. It has quite a varied history, first as a hill station and vacation spot for french colonists, then as a military site during the khmer rouge. I have also organized some day trips to spice up my stay there. The onceabandoned french retreat of bokor hill station, inside the 1581 sq km bokor national park, is famed for.
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. As peace and stability spread across cambodia, bokor hill station saw something of a resurrection, with tourists trickling back up the mountain to discover the remnants of a bygone past. In 1972, the khmer rouge took control of the bokor mountain. About 10 km before on the way for bokor hill station there is the black palace damnak sla khmao. Do you need to book in advance to visit bokor hill. There are 5 ways to get from bokor hill station to phnom penh by bus, train, taxi, car or plane. Bokor hill station kampot all you need to know before you. In the indian context, most hill stations are at an altitude of approximately 1,000 to 2,500. Best go early in morning before all the buses and tourists turn up. Things to do in cambodia cambodia and vietnam tours bokor hill. Still slightly eerie but sadly losing its charm bokor. A 32 kilometre road takes you up 1,101 meters up from road 3 near kampot. Despite their dilapidated state, the empty buildings remain intact and are open for visitors to explore. Its a rare thing to find a abandoned historic monument that is also open to the general public, but thats exactly the case for the bokor hill station.
The bokor hill station is a collection of french colonial buildings including a hotel and casino, a church, a royal residence and more, constructed as a temperate mountain luxury resort and. Thats why bokor hill station is also considered as the haunted place. Preserving history on bokor hill station news from tourism. While visiting in bokor hill station cambodia, it is not enough to visit only angkor wat in siem reap you can also head to the riverside town kampot in the south direction if you are looking for the proper relax i have chosen the same to visit there and enjoyed its atmosphere and architecture a lot. Bokor hill station became the last khmer rouge stronghold, after the vietnamese ended their rule in 1979. Discover the first and only highland resort in the mekong subregion amid the pristine jungle wilderness and pleasant cool weather with beautifully landscaped hill on the bokor mountain, kingdom of cambodia. During its construction in the 1920s, 900 people died due to the weather and work conditions at this remote location. Your cancellation request will be handled by the property, based on your chosen policy. The resort is 45 minutes drive from kampot town and 170 minutes away from phnom penh.
Bokor was popular once again with the wealthy cambodian upper classes, before being abandoned for good in 1972, when khmer rouge assumed control of the area. Heavily potholed and scattered with reefs of the original asphalt surface, it is best traveled by 4wd or motorbike. Mount bokor is home to a former high altitude sanitary station full of history and various biotopes that shelter, among others, carnivorous plants endemic to this mountain, as well as an incredible fauna but you will also discover mystical sites with unsuspected legends. Its main feature is an old french hill station at 1,080 m which can be visited as a day trip from kampot or sihanoukville understand history.