Where it sits
Kampong Speu lies immediately west of Phnom Penh on the road to Sihanoukville, rising from paddy into the eastern edge of the Cardamom range. The provincial capital is Chbar Mon, a small town most travellers pass through without noticing.
What to see
Kirirom National Park is the reason to stop. At around seven hundred metres the plateau carries pine forest — unusual in Cambodia — along with waterfalls, walking trails and views west into the Cardamoms. It is noticeably cooler than the plain and popular as a weekend escape from the capital.
The province is also the heartland of Cambodian palm sugar, tapped from sugar palms and boiled down in roadside workshops you can stop at along the highway.
Phnom Oral, the highest mountain in Cambodia at roughly 1,810 metres, rises in the north-west of the province and is a serious multi-day trek.
Practicalities
Kirirom is an easy day trip from Phnom Penh — about two hours each way — or an overnight at one of the resorts on the plateau.