WILD WANDERINGS
AT SHINTA MANI WILD, BILL BENSLEY’S LATEST SUSTAINABLE-LUXURY GEM, GRACE MA HITS THE JUNGLE, READY FOR AN ADRENALINE RUSH
The setting sun casts a romantic rosy glow on the treetops as I tighten my safety harness and put on my helmet. I’d envisioned a simple slide into renowned architect-designer Bill Bensley’s newest 15-tent jungle baby Shinta Mani Wild in the heart of the Southern Cardamom National Park in Cambodia. Instead, I’m about to step off a platform 30 metres from the ground and whizz 350 metres over to another platform so well camouflaged by lush trees that I can’t see it from where I stand. I arrive at the Landing Zone Bar, where a glass of icy homemade pineapple cordial with soda and ginger ale awaits. “Some rum for your drink?” asks a Bensley Butler, one of many locals working at Shinta Mani Wild. But of course. After a four-hour drive from Phnom Penh airport, a jeep transfer to the zip-line platform and that Tarzan swing, some reward is definitely expected. Since 1989, Bensley’s striking projects – from the pioneering Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle to the sophisticated Shinta Mani Angkor in Siem Reap – have attracted design aficionados with their fastidious attention to detail that’s combined with a touch of whimsy. Shinta Mani Wild has all these, and then some. The resort lies in a 350-hectare valley surrounded by the Southern Cardamom, Kirirom and Bokor national parks. It was originally put on auction for a logging concession, and Bensley and his Cambodian business partner Sokoun Chanpreda, won the bid with a very different intention: to conserve the land. In order to comply with local government requirements, the duo decided to build a low-impact camp that would generate funds to conserve the greater area, including the surrounding park, and provide employment for local communities. This labour of love took nine years, with most of the construction taking place in the last two. Five tents, all with one bedroom, are open now, with the rest ready by May, including one that has two bedrooms. All were built on stilts along a 1.5km stretch of river and waterfalls to avoid disturbing existing animal trails or diverting natural waterways. A ceiling membrane within each tent acts as an insulating layer to make it energy-efficient, while individual treatment systems ensure that waste water can be safely channelled back into nature. The tent I’ve been allocated is a dream pad, its interior decorated with vintage finds and its spacious outdoor living area sparking hangout joy with travel-themed murals, comfy armchairs, a fully stocked minibar and built-in hammocks. Fans spin overhead while an old-fashioned bathtub sits in the corner, perfect for soaks to the soundtrack of birdsong and the roar of rushing water. Undulating pathways connect the tents and the rest of the property – at night, butlers with electric lamps guide the way to and from dinner at the only on-site restaurant.
From the moment breakfast is done, it’s adventure in the great outdoors. I go foraging with sous chef Ly Lous, and find out that red ants and parts of the rattan plant are actually edible. I’m also taught how to fly-fish by Tolga, Bensley’s personal fishing guide whenever he goes to Mongolia, and who only visits the resort in December and January each year. On a trek with patrollers from the non-profit Wildlife Alliance, we cut through thick undergrowth on a never-before-travelled route to search for signs of illegal poaching and logging. Shinta Mani’s community arm, the Shinta Mani Foundation, works with the alliance and the Cambodian government to conserve the surrounding national parks, which stretch across 4 million hectares. This arduous job never ends and is fraught with danger, but it’s reaped rewards – some of the resort’s employees were villagers who used to chop down trees and trap animals for a living as they had nothing else to do. Bong Mac, my personal Bensley Butler, is a buddy, teacher and cheerleader all rolled into one. Whenever I swelter, a flask of iced water and cold towels suddenly appear. He teaches me how to spot brightly coloured orange tips and tailed jays on a butterfly walk, eggs me on to finish a 5km-long mountain-bike ride on my first attempt and chirpily gets us out of tight spots as we kayak along a tranquil mangrove river. There are also expedition boats with sunloungers and a bar for plying wider and deeper waterways. At the end of each day, I know there’s a massage waiting at the Boulder Spa, where my aching muscles will be eased by skilful kneading, and my sun-blazed skin repaired with gentle care.
“AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES ARE WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS” — SANGJAY CHOEGYAL, GENERAL MANAGER
Meals are stunners, with each dish containing elements of surprise and delight, such as foraged salad greens, crisp fried sea bass, sticky rice balls with yellow bean and grated coconut paste, and chocolate desserts made from cacao beans bought from a local market. Cocktails are themed after the different parts of a plant and are as edgy as they’re locally inspired. Never in my four days do I wish I were eating somewhere else. “The traditional sense of luxury is no longer confined to marbled lobbies; people want authentic experiences,” says Sangjay Choegyal, Wild’s general manager. “We want people to swim, ride a motorbike, get out of their comfort zones here. That’s where the magic happens.” And with all the effort in conserving the forests and ensuring a sustainable livelihood for the locals, a stay at Shinta Mani Wild is definitely meaningfully magical.