Preah Monivong Bokor National Park ( km, ឧទ្យានជាតិព្រះមុនីវង្ស បូកគោ, ) is a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
in southern
Cambodia's
Kampot Province that was established in 1993 and covers . It is designated as an
ASEAN Heritage Park
ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the ASEAN region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. Its vi ...
.
It is located in the
Dâmrei Mountains
The Dâmrei Mountains (literally the "Elephant Mountains", km, ភ្នំដំរី, Chuŏr Phnum Dâmrei), refer to a mountain range situated in south-western Cambodia, traversing around north-south as a succession of the Cardamom Mounta ...
, forming the southeastern parts of the
Cardamom Mountains. Most of the park is about 1,000 metres above sealevel and the highest peak is Phnom Bokor at 1,081 metres, also referred to as Bokor Mountain.
History
The Dâmrei Mountains was formerly a
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
controlled area, but in 1993, Preah Monivong National Park was inaugurated along with most other national parks in Cambodia. It is one of only two
ASEAN Heritage Parks in the country.
Preah Monivong National Park is well known for the abandoned
Bokor Hill Station, a remote settlement build by the French colonialists in 1921. They also built a Catholic church nearby in 1928, a very rare sight in Cambodia. The park is named after King
Sisowath Monivong who used to visit the area and eventually died here in 1941. Monivong ordered the construction of a Buddhist temple in the area in 1924.
In recent times the national park has become a popular tourist destination and now includes
Thansur Bokor Highland Resort, a large luxury hotel built in 2012. In 2010, a large statue of
Lok Yeay Mao
Yeay Mao or Lok Yeay Mao ( km, យាយម៉ៅ - លោកយាយម៉ៅ, zh, , s=义毛, t=義毛, p=Yìmáo, or zh, , s=老义毛, t=老義毛, p=Lǎo Yìmáo, Grandma Mao) is an ancient mythical heroine and a ''neak ta'' divinity in t ...
was constructed in the area. Lok Yeay Mao is a mythic heroine from Cambodian Buddhism and is said to protect travellers, hunters and fishing men. At 29 metres, it is the tallest Yeay Mao statue in the country.
In 2019, the government released a "Master Plan for Bokor City Development Project until 2035", by which 18,987 acres of the park are to be developed for residents, tourism, and businesses.
References
External links
National parks of Cambodia
Cardamom Mountains
Geography of Kampot province
ASEAN heritage parks
1993 establishments in Cambodia
Protected areas established in 1993
Tourist attractions in Kampot province
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