The Bokor Mountain Story

Lying 32km outside of Kampot town, the region’s key geological feature is Bokor Mountain, a misty plateau 1,100 metres above sea level with it’s own microclimate up in the cooler clouds.

This microclimate led the French colonialists to develop a small resort town atop the mountain in the 1920s as an escape from the heat and humidity at ground level. Bokor Hill Station as it was known flourished and brought more attention to the Kampot region – and it’s spectacular black peppercorns. As wealthy French tourists and dignitaries visited the region and the small town atop the mountain, stories went back to Europe of the fine cuisine and this had a large part to play in the promotion of Kampot pepper back in the fine restaurants of Paris. The French built a hotel, casino, church, post office, and other necessities like a water tower – which still stands to this day, not far off a century later. With Norodom Sihanouk on the throne as king of Cambodia in 1941, beautiful palaces and residences were built on Bokor’s slopes, most notably the Black Palace halfway to the top, which remains intact to this day.

The French abandoned Bokor in the 1940’s during the First Indochine War and Bokor was left abandoned and was reclaimed by the jungle throughout World War II, and during and after war broke out in Vietnam. The proximity of the area to the war in Vietnam led to some bombs inevitably ending up headed in Kampot’s direction, and the region – including the area that later became Starling Farm – was left battle scarred with bomb craters and unexploded ordinance. When the country was taken by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s, Bokor Mountain’s jungle hillsides provided ideal cover for their fighters, and an anti-aircraft gun was stationed at the highest point of Bokor, overlooking the old church. The church itself bears scars of war and the old buildings provided makeshift shelter and bunkers during the conflict. The area around Bokor and the Kampot remained a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge and a presence existed until the mid to late 1990’s.

Even after it became safe to travel around, Bokor was now pretty inaccessible – with no clear way up it took a while for people to establish a rough route back up, for years only by foot or dirtbike. Despite this, the top of the mountain was reportedly host to a new years eve rave or two in the early 2000s. Life temporarily came back to the mountaintop resort during filming for City of Ghosts, released in 2002, with Matt Dillon venturing up the trail to the top.

In 2009 or so construction started on a new hotel and casino atop the mountain, and commenced cutting a new road through the jungle. Only a couple of years later, Bokor Mountain was easily accessible by car – an easy hour from Kampot right to the top, and the once remote waterfalls now feature a car park and restaurant.

Our photos here are from 2009 when all the original French buildings were still all preserved as they were left some 70 plus years before.

Station Cambodia – Bokor

The Bokor, resort was opened in 1917 by Mr. Baldwin, former Resident Superior of the French protectorate. It is located in Cambodia, 42 km from Kampot, on the Gulf of Siam. Located at the heights of the mountain as if atop a huge Elephant, overlooking the sea at 1,000 meters. The Bokor exhibits draws combining benefits of the sea and the mountains, and some harsh climate which is not displeasing to those attending the station. The resort is built on a rocky terrain, hilly, though with many medians for houses with gardens, outdoor games, tennis etc. .. This site is often windswept. It was chosen for its beautiful scenery. The main buildings, the Grand Hotel and the flag of Superior Residence dominate the peaks, facing south west and the vast sheet of water dotted with islands, that nothing but the clouds pass, do not hide from view . This is the “Opal coast” aptly named because of its colors.

Places To see: –

• The remarkable site Bellevista panorama that allows a clear day to embrace a look around the coast of Cambodia, from the border of Cochin to the border of Siam.
• 6 km behind Bokor, a beautiful waterfall: water rushes into a chasm of rocks which we can not fathom.

The hill station is best in the dry season, for up to 6 months, from November to late April. 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. Other locations on the mountain, more sheltered, would have been more suitable for the installation of the main station, especially the area around km 22.