The first time I went to Sen Monorom the town looked like a village from the Far West. The road through it was still made of earth, there was a thick cloud of dust every time a vehicle drove by and you were quickly covered in red earth. Today, only the road has changed. It is now covered in asphalt and you can get to the town much more easily.
Sen Monorom is a small, quiet, backwoods town to which few tourists go, even though Mondolkiri is in the middle of a tourist boom. The airport at the top of the town is very amusing - although landing there is probably a lot less so: you have to imagine a long runway of flattened earth, which has no definite border and which is used by pedestrians, motorcycles and cars...Not very reassuring. If you like unusual trips Sen Monorom is the place for you.
When I came to the region on my first trip to Cambodia, Mondulkiri had already begun its sad transformation. Just a few years ago Sen Monorom was in the middle of an authentic province covered with forests. The wild beauty of nature in all its splendor.
Unfortunately, rather than preserve its undeniable asset, Mondulkiri took a sad turn. Deforestation is taking place at an exponential rate. What a waste! By wanting to give in to the siren call of mass tourism, Mondulkiri is losing all its charm.
You can plan your day on an elephant's back in Sen Monorom. You'll go for a long walk in the forest (fortunately, some of it still remains), take a dip with the elephant to wash it in the river, and your mahout will give you his position and teach you how to guide the elephant. It will surely be one of your best memories from your trip to Cambodia.