Travel Report: Kulen National Park, Cambodia.

Kulen National Park, Cambodia.

April 2020.

Sladja and I had been largely self isolating for around a month when we began getting antsy. Don’t get me wrong, I was feeling beyond blessed to be stuck in a place as idyllic as Apsara Greenland Boutique.

Nevertheless, a solid thirty days of writing in the same room can get… claustrophobic… even in the best of circumstances. Desperate for a day escape, we decided the time was right to visit nearby Kulen National Park.

Hiring a private driver, we set off early one morning for the ninety minute journey to Kulen. Along with The Angkor Temples and the isolated ruins of Koh Ker, Kulen National Park is one of the most ancient and historic sights of Siem Reap.

Dating back to 802CE, before the rise of Angkor, Kulen was Cambodia’s capital city. Home to King Jayavarman II, it was a huge metropolis roughly the size of modern day Phnom Penh. Cited as The Birthplace of the Khmer Empire, a number of ancient sights lie scattered between the dense jungle trails of Cambodia’s most sacred mountain.

Kulen National Park, Cambodia.

Arriving at the base of Kulen, our driver had to negotiate a series of twisting, dusty roads as we made our way toward’s the day’s first stop.

Preah Ang Thom Pagoda is a large Buddhist monastery dating back to the 16th century. Sadly, there’s very little historical info on the place. This certainly added to the overriding sense of mystery as we climbed its deserted staircase in the fierce morning sunshine.

What we do know is that the pagoda is a place of worship dedicated to Preah Ang Thom, the sacred god of Kulen Mountain.

Its centrepiece is an impressive eight meter reclining Buddha, the largest such tribute in Cambodia. Amazingly, its creators carved the Buddha directly into the mountain’s sandstone formations.

Kulen Mountain, Cambodia.

In order to protect it from the elements, local authorities built a wooden house around the Buddha. To enter, visitors take the steep staircase up to the house. On the day of our visit there was a warden supposedly keeping an eye on things, though he barely paid us any attention.

Hundreds of little Buddha figurines line the entire length of the reclining statue. Follow the walkway around to its back and you’ll find personal messages and wishes scribbled into the stone. Right behind a little sign that says Please don’t write on the Buddha.

Here and there, people lay monetary and floral tributes to rest. As seen here on one of the Buddha’s giant feet.

There was a group of local musicians playing solemn traditional music in the pagoda that day. Not at all put off, it seemed, by the lack of an audience. Elsewhere, we saw a few glum market vendors, none of whom could be bothered laying the hard sell on us.

Moreover, we came across a number of beggars as we made our way back down. The pagoda virtually has its own village, the residents of which saw their livelihoods wiped out during the Coronavirus crisis. Call me a sucker, but I felt a few dollars was the least I could give in exchange for a photograph.

Kulen National Park, Cambodia.

Having hopped back into the minibus, our driver rumbled us off to the next stop, the highly impressive River of a Thousand Lingas.

The river features a number of ancient carvings cut into stone, both along the banks and right into the bed itself. I’m not sure exactly how many carvings there are but hey, a thousand sounds like a good number.

Many of the carvings here are lingas, the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva. As representations of fertility, the monks who carved them believed their creations would give the water vitalising powers.

The lingas here appear as neatly stacked bumps just above the surface of the water. Quite different from the taller, thicker and altogether more dramatic pieces we saw at The Linga Temples in Koh Ker.

Kulen Mountain, Cambodia.

Left to our own devices, Sladja and I took a stroll along the river following a peaceful forest trail. It was just us, the birds and a community of gorgeous butterflies fluttering between the branches. Occasionally right in front of our noses. It was a truly magical experience, like taking a walk through some fairytale land.

Someone had even been considerate enough to construct a little tree swing for us. In all honesty, we would have happily continued down that forest trail for hours. But we had the driver waiting and there were more sights to cover before our agreed mid-afternoon return to Siem Reap.

In addition to the beautiful forest, riverbed lingas and the country’s largest reclining Buddha, Kulen National Park is also famed for its life-giving waterfall. Thus the driver dropped us off at the entrance to a small village and urged us to head out and explore. “Waterfall is not far” he exclaimed vaguely.

For the first time we found ourselves among sizeable gatherings of Khmer tourists. In fact, there was a number of families eating at several riverside restaurants and snack vendors selling fried coconut and pineapple desserts. It felt weird to be back in civilisation again.

Kulen Mountain, Cambodia.

When we finally reached the waterfall, I was disappointed. Oh, that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty enough, but I’d been expecting something… grander.

Back at the bus, our driver seemed surprised to see us return so soon. “You see big waterfall?” Following a very confusing exchange, he led us back into the village, past the waterfall we’d seen and onto a discreet forest trail. As we progressed, there were no signs enlightening us as to which way to go, so we happily followed his instructions.

Soon enough the trail brought us to a descending staircase of stone steps and wooden handrails. We were about halfway down when the authoritative boom of the falls kicked in. Whoa, this waterfall must be big.

Kulen National Park, Cambodia.

In terms of grandeur, Phnom Kulen Waterfall definitely delivered! Unfortunately, the wow moment of our arrival was tempered somewhat by an exceptionally antisocial group of teenagers.

Whooping and screaming, they ran around play fighting and splashing each other, getting plenty of other people wet in the process. They also blasted out obnoxious techno music and left all their litter on the sand. Finally, at least, they were gone and we could have some peaceful moments to ourselves in front of the waterfall.

The waterfall is a special place for Cambodian people. Much like the River of a Thousand Lingas, many Cambodians believe these waters have potent powers able to help couples conceive. As a result, it’s not uncommon to happen upon a childbearing ritual carried out by so-called natural medicine doctors. Furthermore, movie buffs might be interested to learn that the waterfall briefly features in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

We really enjoyed our half day exploring Kulen National Park. We paid $50 for a private minibus to take us there and back, inclusive of ferrying us around the sights and waiting. Entrance to the park is $20 per person. Naturally it’s cheaper if you drive yourself. Just bear in mind it’ll be hard work getting up the mountain and something of a challenge to navigate your way around the key spots.

Like this? Check out more travel reports from Siem Reap.

Or maybe delve further afield with my articles from across Cambodia.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 30 countries.