Elephant Valley Project

Elephant Valley Project sits on the edge of the 300,000-hectare Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri, Cambodia's easternmost province and one of the country's last strongholds for wild elephants, though the sanctuary's own herd, around 10 animals, are all rescued and retired rather than wild. Founded in 2006 as the country's first elephant sanctuary, it covers 1,500 hectares of grassland, forest and bamboo where elephants roam largely out of sight of visitors, who track them on foot at a respectful distance.

The project works through the local Bunong community, paying families to hand over the care of their elephants and employing around 40 Bunong staff. Beyond the elephants, the sanctuary funds health cover for roughly 2,400 villagers and scholarships for dozens of local children, and provides veterinary care to every elephant in Mondulkiri. Overnight visitors camp in the forest by the O'tey River, with a shared evening meal and the chance to swim at a nearby waterfall the next morning.