Phnom Aural

Phnom Aural located in the Cardamom Mountains, is the highest peak in Cambodia. It lies 1813 meters above sea level. Its location in the southern plains is a bit off the beaten track and offers a great opportunity to see some really interesting species that are not seen in other parts of Cambodia. The evergreen Aural forest is home to the Cambodian Laughingthrush (one of the two endemic bird species in Cambodia) and many other rare birds, live at this high elevation.

Target birds at Phnom Aural are: Cambodian Laughingthrush, Chestnut-headed Partridge, Green Cochoa, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Blue Pitta, Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, White-tailed Robin, Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, Blyth’s Shrike-babbler,  Mountain Scops-owl etc. About 200 bird species have been recorded here. See Aural bird checklist here

Cambodian Laughingthrush

Cambodian Laughingthrush

Chestnut-headed Partridge

White-tailed Robin

Great Hornbill, Near Threatened, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary

Blue-winged Leafbird

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A typical trip to Phnom Aural is usually done by staying in a local homestay, at  Srekenbei village, on the first night. We then do two nights camping, in tents, on  Aural Mountain.  Since there are no people living on Mount Aural, rangers and porters from the village are required to accompany the group and to transport food supplies and camping equipment. This site is difficult to access and requires a long 6-hour climb, from the base in Srekenbei village, visitors are required to be fit and in good health for this journey. We recommend making the climb as light as possible, leaving all the unnecessary clothing and equipment behind in the vehicle, at the village.

Following is the sample itinerary for a 4 day 3 night trip to Phnom Aural from Phnom Penh

Day 1: Afternoon arrival at Srekenbei Village for an overnight 

Typically, we arrive Srekenbei in the late afternoon from other sites (for instance – Kampot, Phnom Penh). We will stay at a local homestay for the night, to get ready for the climb the next morning.

Day 2: AM climbing up Aural; Afternoon arrive at the top

The trip will start after an early breakfast by transferring by a cart to the base where we start the climb up the hill to the campsite and to spend 2 nights there. The journey will take about 6 hours. Yet, as we will find a lot of good birds along our way, the group may reach the top at a later time in the afternoon.

As there is no camp or village up there we set up our own campsite. Porters will bring all the necessary gear: tents, stools, food, water, and other basic necessities (only). They can carry some of your personal gear as well if requested.

Day 3: Full day birding around Aural

Today we will spend our full day birding around the area of Aural, with the target species including:

Cambodia Laughingthrush, Chestnut-headed Partridge, Green Cochoa, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Blue Pitta, Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, White-tailed Robin (now been called Cambodian Blue Robin), Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, Blyth’s Shrike-babbler,  Mountain Scops-owl etc.

Day 4: Early Morning birding Aural; then downhill back to Srekenbei and transfer on to next destination.

We will spend our morning as the last birding for Aural. Then after breakfast we will walk downhill back to Srekenbei. The journey back will faster with just 4-5 hours, so around 2 pm we will arrive at the village and continue with our car toward next destination (Pursat), or finish the tour in Phnom Penh airport for late night flight.