Kulen Mountain from Siem Reap: Waterfall, Lingas and Logistics
The $20 ticket, the 11:30am road cutoff, the waterfall swim, and who should pick Kulen over Banteay Srei or Beng Mealea. Written by a local guide.
Of all the day trips outside the Angkor park, Kulen Mountain is the one I'd pick for a swim and a picnic, as long as you go in the morning.
Guests always ask me whether it's worth it, since the ticket is $20 on its own and the Angkor pass doesn't cover it. My answer is yes. But if you turn up too late, a road rule will end your day at the checkpoint, so plan around that before anything else.
Quick facts, July 2026:
- Entrance is $20 per person, bought at the ticket office in town or at the checkpoint on the way. The Angkor pass isn't valid here.
- Roughly 1.5 to 2 hours from Siem Reap to the waterfall, including the mountain road.
- Vehicles can go up until about 11:30am only. Leave your hotel by 8.
- You can swim in the pool under the waterfall. Private changing rooms cost $1.
Kulen takes a full day, so it eats into your temple time. If you're still working out how many days the temples need, start with our Angkor temples guide and come back once you know you have a day to spare.
What's in Phnom Kulen National Park
Phnom Kulen, or Mount Kulen, is where the Khmer Empire began. In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself god-king up here, before anything at Angkor existed. So for us Cambodians it's a sacred place first and a sight second. On weekends the paths fill up with local families who come to pray and picnic, and you'll hear a lot more Khmer than English.
The day is built around 3 stops.
Preah Ang Thom is the giant reclining Buddha, about 8 metres long and the largest in Cambodia. It was carved into the rock at the top, most likely in the 16th century. It's still an active shrine, so cover your shoulders and knees for the climb up.
Then there's the River of a Thousand Lingas, a riverbed carved with rows of lingas, the symbol of Shiva and of creation. You see, the water running over the carvings is considered sacred. The old belief is that it blessed the land, the people and the whole kingdom downstream. That same water still feeds the rice fields below the mountain, which is why the carvings were put in the river in the first place.
Don't mix this one up with Kbal Spean. It also has lingas carved into a riverbed, and people call it the River of a Thousand Lingas too, but it's a separate site in the Kulen hills with its own walk in. You won't pass it on a Kulen day. We go there on day 3 of our 3-day Angkor tour, together with Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea.
The last stop is the waterfall. There are actually 2 falls. The upper one is small, about 4 to 5 metres high but 20 to 25 metres wide. The lower one is the big drop, about 15 to 20 metres into a pool of clean, cold water.
The mountain also hides a whole city. In 2012, researchers flew over the forest with laser scanners (lidar, if you've heard of it) and mapped Mahendraparvata, the Khmer capital from the 8th and 9th centuries. They found more than 2 dozen temples, along with canals and roads, still under the trees. It's about 350 years older than Angkor Wat. Almost all of it is still covered by forest, so what you see on the day is the jungle on top of it.
Kulen Mountain facts
- About 50km northeast of Siem Reap.
- The highest point is about 500 metres. The plateau on top sits at around 400 metres.
- The range runs for about 40km.
- It has been a national park since 1993, covering about 374 square kilometres of forest.
- "Kulen" means mountain of lychees.
- 2 waterfalls, the upper one about 4 to 5 metres high and the lower one about 15 to 20 metres.
Getting there, and why the morning is everything
Leave your hotel between 7 and 8, after breakfast. The drive takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, through the Kulen checkpoint and up the mountain road, which puts you at the waterfall by about 9:30 or 10 while it's still cool.
The later part of the drive is the prettiest, with potato and cashew plantations along the road. There's a pagoda out that way that my family visits a few times a year. It isn't a stop on the tour, but it's one of the reasons I think of the drive as part of the day.
From about 11:30am, vehicles aren't allowed to drive up anymore. If you get to the checkpoint at noon, your Kulen day is over before it starts.
You might be tempted to take a tuk-tuk, but most of them don't have the power to make it up the mountain road. Some motorbikes can, although I wouldn't recommend it unless you're an experienced rider. A car or van is the easy way up.
Weekends are when Cambodian families come up in big numbers, so it's busier then, and also at its liveliest. Khmer New Year and the other big festivals are the busiest of all, since that's when families make the trip. If you'd like the waterfall mostly to yourself, go on a weekday morning.
Best time to visit Kulen Mountain
The falls are at their strongest toward the end of the wet season, when the river is full. In the dry season the current is a lot weaker. The water is lower then, so it's also when the carvings in the riverbed show best.
For fewer people, skip weekends and Khmer New Year, and go on a weekday morning.
Kulen Mountain entrance fee
Kulen is run by a different authority from Angkor, so your Angkor pass won't get you in here. The Kulen ticket is $20 per person, and you can buy it in 2 places, the ticket office in Siem Reap or the booth at the checkpoint on the way up. On our tours we sort it out on the way, and it only takes a few minutes.
If you haven't planned the Angkor side of your trip yet, the pass prices and where to buy them are in our Angkor Wat tickets guide.
Swimming at the Kulen waterfall
The pool under the falls is clean, and you should get in. Bring your swimsuit and either wear it under your clothes or use the private changing rooms near the falls for $1.
In the wet season the water comes down with a lot of force. That's when the falls look their best, and also the worst time to stand under them. I tried it once, and it hurts. Swim in the pool and keep clear of the falls themselves.
You'll want better shoes here than at the temples. Hiking or trail shoes with good grip are best, because the paths and the rocks near the water are smooth and wet. Sandals that stay on your feet are the next best thing.
Lunch, on the mountain or on the way down
Plan on a few hours up top. The huts near the waterfall belong to the simple restaurants there, and the way it works locally is that you buy a few things from the restaurant so you can settle into a hut, then unpack the food you brought yourself. Everything on the mountain costs 1.5 to 2 times the town price, which makes sense when you think about it, since everything has to be carried up.
When my family goes, we bring grilled chicken, eggs, beef and pork skewers, and our own water and drinks. I know, we're a bit stingy (it keeps the day cheap). If you'd rather order, it'll be grilled chicken or fish, which they do everywhere on the mountain, and it runs around $10.
On our tour we usually stop for lunch near the falls, paid for on the day as it is not part of the tour price. The other option is to drive down and stop at one of the mid-range restaurants near Banteay Srei temple, which is on the road back to town.
Kulen, Banteay Srei or Beng Mealea?
Most Siem Reap trips have room for one long-drive day outside the main park, and these 3 are the usual choices. They suit different people.
| Who you are | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Family with kids | Kulen Mountain | Waterfall, river, the giant reclining Buddha, places to swim and picnic. An adventure day that keeps children busy after the long temple walks. |
| Photographer | Beng Mealea | A jungle temple left half-collapsed, with fallen stones, tree roots, soft light through the canopy and few crowds. |
| Carving and history people | Banteay Srei | The finest sandstone carving in the Angkor region. A small temple where every wall rewards a slow look. |
If you can spare 2 far-out days, Kulen and Banteay Srei go well together, since Banteay Srei is on the Kulen road. For the rest of your days, here's my full list of things to do in Siem Reap.
Book the day
If you'd like it all taken care of, with pickup between 7 and 8am, tickets sorted on the way and a lunch stop by the falls, that's what our Kulen Mountain tour is. It's $125 solo by private car, $195 by private A/C SUV (2 adults and 1 child), or $240 by minivan (up to 6 adults), for the whole group. The $20 entrance ticket per person is separate.