At Shinta Mani Wild, Guests Arrive by Zipline Into Cambodia's Cardamom Rainforest

Shinta Mani Wild opened in 2018 on an 800-acre private concession inside Cambodia's Southern Cardamom National Park, and it remains one of the few luxury camps built as much around conservation as comfort. The American designer Bill Bensley set fifteen tents along the Tmor Rung River, reachable not by a driveway but by a 380-metre zipline that carries arriving guests over the rapids below.

An arrival that sets the tone

Guests typically fly into Phnom Penh before being transferred toward the Cardamom foothills, but the final stretch into camp is the zipline crossing, an unconventional entrance Bensley designed deliberately so nobody arrives at Shinta Mani Wild the way they'd arrive at an ordinary hotel.

Fifteen tents, no two alike

Each of the camp's fifteen tented suites sits on stilts above the river or forest floor and carries its own theme, from a "Botanist" tent to one styled after a National Geographic field expedition. The design leans on canvas, timber and exposed structure rather than polish, in keeping with the jungle setting.

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A camp that funds its own rangers

Part of every stay funds a ranger team that patrols an area of roughly 32,000 hectares around the camp, working against poaching and illegal logging in a rainforest that holds Malayan sun bears, pangolins, clouded leopards and pileated gibbons, among other threatened species. Several rangers are former poachers themselves, now employed to protect the same forest.

What it isn't

Shinta Mani Wild is not a beach resort, and it isn't a stop for travellers wanting nightlife, shopping or a short transfer from the airport. The appeal is remoteness: mountain biking, kayaking, fishing and foraging fill the days, and there's little to do in the evenings beyond dinner and the sound of the forest.

Traveller tips

• Transfers to the camp typically combine a short domestic connection with a road transfer from Phnom Penh; routing is best confirmed directly with Shinta Mani when booking.
• The dry season, from November to April, offers the most reliable conditions for river activities and wildlife spotting.
• Mobile signal and Wi-Fi are limited by design; guests should plan for a stay largely disconnected from phones.
• Stays generally run for a minimum of two nights, given the remoteness of the location.