Siem Reap is located in northwestern Cambodia. It is best known for being home to the biggest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat. Most people don’t realize that there are tons of amazing other areas to visit in and near Siem Reap. We explored one of the best hidden gems that is located roughly an hour north east of the city. Here is everything you need to know to plan your visit to the Kulen Mountain.
Hidden Gemin Siem Reap: Kulen Mountain
Phnom Kulen National Park is where Kulen mountain can be found. The area is best known for the waterfall, a look out point, and cultural significance.
It is recommended to plan you trip to Kulen Mountain ahead of time. This includes transportation to and from the mountain, map of the area and getting a ticket.
How to Get There from Siem Reap
There a couple of options for visitng. We visituated ono ur own and utilized Grab. Another option is getting a guided tour. If in a car it is roughly a 1 hour drive from in town and in a tuk tuk expect it be closer to 2 hours.
On the way, ask your driver to stop at the office to buy a ticket. When we visited, tickets were $20 per person.
Once you’ve arrived at the entrance, it is another 20 minute drive up the very steep mountain. It is recommended to arrive *before* 11 am because it is considered a one way street after that and they won’t let you go up the road. Beyond that road it is a two way street throughout the rest of the park.
Things to do in Kulen National Park
- The big lookout – Right after entering the park, there will be a small parking area on the left hand side of the road. Park here and along the path. This will take you to the stunning look out area! Be extremely careful as it is a long fall if you get too close to the edge.
- Kulen Waterfall – At the second checkpoint there will be a parking area for the waterfall. Expect to find snacks, questionable bathrooms and a lovely waterfall. Many people swim in the falls and there are photographers that will offer to take your photo for a cost. We ate our packed lunch here.
- River of a Thousand Lingas – Located near the waterfall is where you can find this ‘river.’ There are many ornate carvings of lingams which are the phallic symbol of Shiva.
- Elephant Pond and Bat Cave – Both are a bit further into the jungle and dependent on amount of time you have to visit. The pond does require a motorcycle rather than a car for access.
- Temples – Some are in great condition and some are not worth the treacherous ride to get to them. Plan ahead by checking out the maps to determine which are feasible. Some are located deep in the jungle on sand paths.
Tips for Kulen National Park
There is minimal to no phone service in most areas of the park. Be sure to download offline maps to get around. If you are on a motorcycle, try to ensure you have enough gas ahead of time. There are a few small communities that live inside the national park but it may be difficult to actually find gas. The starting road is a dirt road, so cover up with a good helmet/hat/sunglasses. Further in is a paved road depending on how far you choose to drive. This road has a higher speed limit so a helmet is still a great idea.
It is easy to get lost as many of the roads appear to be small random spots that don’t look like roads. Having a guide can help decrease the getting lost possibility. If you do get lost, the guards don’t speak english. So plan ahead with your maps.
General Recommendations
We highly encourage using sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses during your visit. Plan ahead with a towel and swimsuit if you want to swim in the waterfall. Bring some money in case you need to get gas or snacks. They generally will take USD or Cambodian Riel. Pack enough food and water if you don’t want to buy any during your visit. Always assess the safety risk when visiting a new area and assess your own abilities. Especially if you plan to ride a motorcycle in this area.
Our Experience
We didn’t plan ahead very well but somehow it all worked out and we can laugh about it now. We got a tuk tuk from Grab to take us there and he stopped for us to get tickets. After a 2 hour ride, at the bottom of the mountain he communicated with a couple of locals and they let us rent a motorcycle. Bad decision but they did not give us a helmet. We got lost because the map was hard to read and ended up driving back and forth around 3 times, wasting over an hour, before finding the look out that is the very first spot on the road. After exploring the lookout we finally made it to the waterfall.
Deciding we should try to visit some of the other areas, we attempted to use our minimal cell service to maps our way to a few temples. The first one was barely even there and the drive out there was very rough. The second one we actually had to park the bike and walk because the sand was so difficult and dangerous to drive in. Upon arrival there were national park workers hanging out near the temple. Once they saw us, they all put their shirts back on and took down their hammocks.
By the afternoon we were thankful to have found a gas station but it was over an hour from the entrance of the park. We headed back out of the park and down the hill. We met with the original people who offered the bike and paid the $15. They had stated that morning they would get us back to town at the end of the day….
The not fun part…
At this point we had gotten lost in the Cambodian jungle multiple times and had been on the motorcycle most of the day. We assumed getting us back to town meant a tuk tuk or some other vehicle. We assumed wrong. They rode one motorcycle and then we rode the one we had been on and drove another hour back to town. Thankfully this time they gave us helmets. The conclusion occurred after a lot of trying to translate via pointing.
The hour back was exhausting as our bodies were sore from riding all day. We had gotten into the town area and we were a roughly a quarter of a mile from where we needed to be dropped of at when our back tire went out. Thankfully we were in town so not driving very fast and easily pulled to the side of the road. After attempting to apologize they nodded their heads and we walked the rest of the way back to town.
Overall, this was one trip that planning ahead would have been worth it as we didn’t realize how large the park was or how little cell service/resources we would have. It was still a fun experience!
Want less planning and more relaxing? Check out the link below for a guided option!
