Virachey National Park - A treasure trove of biodiversity and culture

332,500 hectares; Taveng and Vouen Sai Districts, Ratanakiri Province and Siem Pang District, Stung Treng Province, Cambodia.

One  of only two areas in Cambodia known to support Germain’s peacock pheasant;  the park harbors about 75% of Cambodia’s “humid medium elevation” habitats; the streams from the mountains of Virachey significantly flow to the Mekong River.

Dense semi-evergreen lowland and montane forests; upland savannah; bamboo thickets; and occasional patches of mixed deciduous forests; secondary grass and scrub land formations, marshes.

Dipterocarps and tall tree species (Sindora, Lagerstroemia, Pterocarpus, Dalbergia, Diospyros and Sterculi); Burretiodendron hsienmu;  Malva nuts

Germain’s peacock pheasant;  Siamese fireback; red-collared woodpecker; sunbirds  and flower peckers; hornbills; elegant Siamese pheasants; Shy pitta; wild dog  or dhole (Cuonal pinus); Asiatic black bear; Asiatic softshell turtle (Amyda cartilaginea); Asian giant pond turtle ( Heosemys grandis) and impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa).

Ethnic minority peoples living around the Park (Kreung, Kavet, Brao, Lao and Lun) and their activities related with traditional food and medicines; the Park’s massif containing a range of mountains that reach towards the Lao PDR border;  the remoteness  and “wilderness feel” of the park is its biggest aesthetic and tourist values; and sacred burial or ritual sites. Visitors can go bird watching, mountain climbing, trekking and boating in the river.