Trip to Kulen Mountain and Waterfall

Kulen Mountain or Phnom Kulen is a very popular destination for tourists visiting Siem Reap to explore the ruins of the Angkor Archaeological Park. A trip to the pristine mountain is about spending time amidst nature, exploring nature trails in a jungle, sitting on the bank of a tranquil river, getting a dip into a waterfall and enjoying the magnificent vista of green valleys. Located inside the Phnom Kulen National Park, Kulen Mountain is actually a chain of plateaux.

Phnom Kulen is of utmost importance to the people of Cambodia, as it is the place where the then prince Jayavarman II declared himself as the emperor, and that marked the beginning of the glorious Khmer empire in 802 AD.

I have also written a separate blog on How to plan for a trip to Cambodia. It has the details of the important places of interest, how to reach, best time to visit, how to apply for Visa, Cambodian currency and many other topics. That article will guide you to plan a visit to the country on your own, and you will find it here: Cambodia Travel Guide.

Reaching the Kulen Mountain:

Phnom Kulen is situated at a distance of around 56 KM from the city of Siem Reap, and it takes less than 2 hours to reach by car. You need to plan your travel in the morning, as vehicles are not allowed to enter after 12 noon. But there doesn’t seem to be any restriction on the number of hours you can spend up in the mountain.

We had started from our hotel around 7.30 AM, and took a small detour to reach the Banteay Samre temple, which is accessible using the Angkor Pass.

After spending around half an hour at Banteay Samre, we continued with our trip. We enjoyed the journey, as we passed quiet hamlets and paddy fields on the way. It had rained heavily overnight, and it was still steadily raining. That was a respite from yesterday’s heat, as the temperature came down by a couple of notches.

The entry fee of the Kulen Mountain is separate from that of the Angkor Pass. We bought the tickets for $ 20 at the entry gate at the base of the mountain.

Due to the showers, the jungle on both sides of the road seemed more green and fresh than ever, and we got intoxicated by the rustic aroma of the wet red soil. But the journey soon became bumpy, as we passed uneven and slushy country road, full of ditches.

Places to visit in the Kulen Mountain:

There are a few points of interest in Phnom Kulen:

• Kulen Waterfall
• 1000 Lingas River
• Preah Ang Thom Pagoda
• Poeng Ta Kho – An amazing cliff

Poeng Ta Kho:

Poeng Ta Kho is a stunning cliff, off the main road towards the top of the Kulen Mountain. Surrounded by lush green forest on all sides and milky white clouds hovering around, it caters to an enthralling view of the entire surrounding.

A couple of minutes’ walk from the parking space brought us to the edge of the cliff. In front of us, we found a deep green valley, interspersed by small hillocks.

The rain had stopped by now, and we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the cool breeze. The place didn’t seem to be known to many, as we saw only a few visitors around. After spending some time in solitude, we continued towards the hilltop.

Preah Ang Thom Pagoda:

Preah Ang Thom is a 26 feet long statue of Lord Buddha in a “sleeping” or “reclining” posture. It was carved out of a huge sandstone rock. The idol is worshipped by the locals; and Buddhists from far away cities also visit the place to pay their homage.

From the parking lot, first we walked along a pathway, with shops on both sides selling items of worship like flowers, incense sticks etc. Then we climbed a flight of gentle steps, bordered by stone carvings of lion, naga (snake) and garuda (a mythical bird), to reach the base of the monastery. Here we had to take off our shoes and climb another set of stairs to reach the main shrine. Covered by forests on all sides, this highest point offers an astounding view.

The whole environ here was very peaceful. A band of musicians were playing a traditional music. We sat there for some time, and enjoyed the melodious note. We then explored rest of the compound, where we found many other ornately decorated idols and carvings.

River with 1000 Lingas:

Next we came to a river bank. The river bed here has carvings that resemble more than 1000 Shiva lingas, and they protrude from the water. It is a tribute to the Hindu god Shiva. The river water is considered holy as King Jayavarman II used to bathe here.

Kulen Waterfall:

Favourite among tourists and localities alike, Kulen Waterfall is a vibrant place with a gentle river flowing among the woods, before taking 2 consecutive plunges – one small followed by an enormous one.

First we came to the riverfront and crossed a small bridge to go the other side. This is the picnic area, with several hut-like structures lining both the banks. Several small groups of locals were sitting inside these shades and enjoying food, drinks and playing cards, while their children were busy taking a dip and swimming in the cool water. We came across the remnants of a few old temples which are in a dilapidated state.

Then we ventured forward and came to the small waterfall and found people jumping into the water and taking bath. We sat on the rocks, drenched our feet in the cool water and clicked some pictures against the wonderful backdrop.

We also found a ‘Love Seat’ – a wooden swing decorated with flowers where you can sit and click photos by paying a small fee.

A short trek through the forest and then a descent by some metal steps brought us to the second level of waterfall. Here the river takes a huge plunge, thus forming a dense layer of mist. Surrounded by large rocks and trees, the waterfall has created a magnificent vista. We sat on a boulder, as the droplets of water from the misty cloud made our entire body wet. We literally lost track of time, till we realized that we still have a lot more to explore after getting down from the Kulen Mountain.

Time for Lunch:

In total, we spent around 3 hours to explore the 4 points of interest in the Kulen Mountain. By now, it was lunch time. We came down from the Phnom Kulen and we went to the Rom Chang Angkor Restaurant near the Banteay Srei Temple. We were very hungry, and we ordered for some fried rice and noodle dishes. The food was nice and the ambience was also great.

Banteay Srei Temple:

The one temples of the Angkor Archaeological Park that you need to cover as part of this trip is the Banteay Srei Temple, as it is far away from Siem Reap and is on the way to the Kulen Mountain. In case you are planning your visit to the Kulen Mountain before the core temples of Angkor Park, then there is a Ticket Counter at Banteay Srei where you can buy your Angkor Pass.

Banteay Srei was a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and it had a Shiva Linga in its inner sanctum. It was constructed in the 10^th century AD, around 200 years before the construction of Angkor Wat. This temple was built mostly of red sandstone. It stands out from other neighbouring temples for the unique red colour and beautiful intricate carvings on the sandstone.

We spent around an hour in Banteay Srei and then proceeded towards the city to explore the rest of major the temples that we couldn’t cover yesterday – Pre Rup and Ta Prohm (popularly known as the Tomb Raider Temple, after the famous movie by the same name).

Some useful information and tips:

Can you go to Kulen Mountain on a Tuktuk or a Bike ?

You can hire a Tuktuk/ Remorque or a Bike to travel to the Kulen Mountain. But, given the condition of the road, it is not at all recommended. You should hire a car from Siem Reap to explore the mountain.

Details of Car Rental:

***********************************************************************************************

In the Comment Box at the end of the page, please leave a note of how you felt about my post.

If you like my posts, please allow me to send my next published post automatically to your Inbox. Please Subscribe in the form below, and Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.