Phnom Samkos Wildlife and Mountain

Phnom Samkos (Mount Samkos) is the second-highest peak in Cambodia, located in the western Cardamom Mountains at 1,717 metres (5,633 ft) above sea level. It is situated within the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, which takes its name from the mountain, and the Central Cardamom Protected Forest. The elevation and surrounding forest basin support a large variety of rare flora and fauna.

Sandwiched between the Central Cardamoms Protected Forest and the Thai frontier, the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary (3338 sq km) is well and truly out in the sticks. It is threatened by timber laundering and agricultural concessions, but wildlife still abounds.

Boasting Cambodia’s second-highest peak, Phnom Samkos (1717m), the sanctuary’s main town is Pramoay (Veal Veng), 125km west of Pursat. This remote little outpost has three guesthouses (rooms US$5). Local moto drivers can take visitors to nearby ethnic-minority villages.

• Elevation: 1,717 m
• Prominence: 1,571 m
• Mountain range: Cardamom Mountains
• Parent range: Cardamom Mountains
• Location: Cambodia