Cambodia National Park Bokor – 2nd Part

The first part regarding National Park Bokor in Cambodia you can read here.

Black Palace

The Cambodian Mational Park Bokor is unique because of its wild life and unique surrounding nature. The core of the place is the Black Palace. Once you climb the mountain of the park you will be able to see the former royal house of the King Norodom Sihanouk. He received this Palace as a present during the times of the French colonization of the Khmer empire. Formerly the place was a unique symbol of luxury and royalty, however the time has its own power that is even more devastating than it may seem from the first site, therefore now the Palace is truly black with abundant and destroyed hallways, that resemble now a prison rather than royal rooms. Only the elegantly and beautifully crafted mosaics on the wall remains and the pale crackled piles of the white marble floor remind the visitors about the royal atmosphere of the place.  

Bokor Hill

The second place you should visit after the black palace is the Bokor Hill. This site is found as already clear from the name on the highest spot of the park. The Bokor Hill was occupied by the French colonists, because the hill even though laced higher than majority of the site in the surrounding area, was very mild with its weather conditions, and the climate here is very easy for all those who are not used to the constant heat from the sun. Moreover the place offers a magnificent view on the Gulf of Siam. From this place you can see the whole park, you may be lucky to witness the games of the wild cats, or view the ruins of the king’s palaces and temples. Some of the buildings resemble the architecture of the medieval times, and thus may be really creepy during dawn. You can also find an old Catholic Church near the remains of the local houses. Walking on the territory of the plateau, you can see the building of the former hospital and destroyed several houses. 

Waterfalls Popokvil

Popokvil waterfalls is a complex of 2 differently leveled waterfall, which run a number of different cascades and thus create a very unique site of the floating and fighting waters. Though the possibility to name this site a waterfall comes only during the rainy season as during the dry times the Popokvil stays completely dry. The height of the first level of the waterfall is about fourteen meters, and the second one reaches up to nineteen. The wooden steps along the waterfall will give you a possibility to view this unique wonder closer and get wonderful pictures. The name of the waterfall from the original name means “surrounded by a cloud”. The story behind this interesting name comes from the fact that usually the waterfall is completely dry, and thus the locals say that it went to the clouds and searches for the water, or that the clouds has stolen the water from it.  

Wat Sampeau Moi Roi

At the end of the route it is also important to visit the Wat Sampeau Moi Roi, the old Buddhist temple. The length of the whole tourist route up to this place will be about eleven kilometers and leads you through the virgin jungles, but the last stop at Wat Sampeau Moi Roi is a truly worth site. In its architectural style it is close to the pagodas of Cambodia. But the place attracts because of the magnificent and simply amazing views from this point. Towering above the dense jungle, it offers you an unforgettable view of the coast and islands, including the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.

A small advice. If you plan a long travel around Cambodia, don’t forget to take a camping fridge to cool down you drinks and keep some food.