When you come to Siem Reap there is one thing you are guaranteed to see – other tourists! While that is to be expected in a magnificent place such as the Angkor Wat, there are a few places in the province where locals Cambodians go to hang out, if you know where to look.

The Phnom Kulen National Park is located on the Kulen Mountain, approximately 1.5 to 2 hours away from Siem Reap by scooter. Its main attraction is the large waterfall that serves as the playground to dozens of locals every day, seeking refuge from the unforgiving Cambodian sun. The locals here are super friendly and very excited to see other foreigners, so don’t hesitate to get into a water fight with them!

The mountain is also a very sacred site as it is considered the birthplace of the Khmer Empire. The most sacred is the Kbal Spean, or the Thousand Lingas, which are Hindhu-themed carvings made into the stones of a river bed. There are also dozens of temples scattered around the huge national park, the most famous (and accessible from the entrance) of which is the Preah Ang Thom pagoda housing a giant reclining Buddha. In short, you won’t run out of interesting things to check out at Phnom Kulen and it makes for a perfect day trip from Siem Reap if you’re a bit bored of all the Angkor Wat ruins.

Along the way to Phnom Kulen you can also stop by at Banteay Srei, an Angkor-style temple ruin with much less tourists compared to Angkor Wat, but still included in your Angkor Temple Pass.

Locations visited:
Phnom Kulen Waterfall – [ Ссылка ]
Kbal Spean (Thousand Lingas) - [ Ссылка ]
Preah Ang Thom Pagoda (Reclining Buddha) - [ Ссылка ]
Banteay Srei – [ Ссылка ]

Note that there are actually two sections of the Kbal Spean on the mountain, one accessible through the national park (linked above) and another one further away. We initially tried to visit the other one but were turned away by locals, not sure if it was closed or simply a misunderstanding as they were trying to guide us to Phnom Kulen.

Road tips:
• Make sure you get to the entrance of Phnom Kulen National Park before 11am, as I’ve heard the road is one way only and after 11am the it’s only for traffic coming down the mountain!

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Music used:
Music | Everywhere by Declan DP
Watch: [ Ссылка ]
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