Areng Valley

Areng Valley is a remote and spectacularly biodiverse river valley deep within the Cardamom Mountains of Koh Kong province, regarded by conservationists as one of the most ecologically important intact wilderness areas remaining in mainland Southeast Asia. The valley shelters populations of Siamese crocodiles, one of the world's rarest reptiles with fewer than a thousand individuals surviving in the wild, along with Asian elephants, pileated gibbons, fishing cats, and numerous globally threatened bird species. The O'Areng River flows clear and green through the valley floor, and local Chong indigenous communities offer guided kayaking, jungle trekking, and overnight camping expeditions into the forest. The valley gained international attention in the 2010s when it became the focus of a successful community-led campaign to halt a Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam project.