Phnom Kulen, the sacred mountain

Climb to the holy plateau where the Khmer empire was proclaimed, to swim beneath a jungle waterfall and visit a giant Buddha carved into a boulder.

Area

Far temples

Start from

Siem Reap town

Distance

about 50 km north-east of town

Time needed

1 day

Best season

Wet season and just after (July – December) for the waterfall

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Car or hired driver; motorbike for experienced riders

Tickets & rules

Separate entrance fee for foreigners (not covered by the Angkor Pass); modest dress at the shrine

Why go

Phnom Kulen is where Cambodians go on holiday. At weekends, families pile into cars and pickups and drive up the mountain to picnic by the river, pray at the shrine and swim under the waterfall. It is noisy, joyful and very different from the hushed temples below, and I loved being part of it.

The plateau rises steeply from the plain, and the forest on top is cooler. At Preah Ang Thom, a monastery on the summit, a giant reclining Buddha has been carved into the top of a sandstone boulder; you climb stairs to reach it and pilgrims buy lotus flowers and incense at the bottom.

Nearby, a river runs over flat rocks carved with lingas and gods, and further down, a waterfall drops into a pool where you can swim. The water is cool and the setting is pure jungle.

The story

Phnom Kulen is considered the birthplace of the Khmer empire. In 802, according to a later inscription, King Jayavarman II held a ceremony here in which he was proclaimed chakravartin, universal monarch, freeing the Khmer from dependence on a foreign power known as Java. The mountain was then called Mahendraparvata, the mountain of great Indra.

For centuries, little was visible of this early capital. Then, in 2012 and 2013, archaeologists used airborne lidar scanning to see through the forest canopy. The results revealed a whole city plan on the plateau, with roads, temples, dikes and reservoirs, which made headlines around the world.

The mountain was also the source of the sandstone used for Angkor Wat and many other temples, cut from quarries on its slopes and transported on canals. Its rivers fed the reservoirs of Angkor. The reclining Buddha at Preah Ang Thom was carved in the sixteenth century, when the region had become Buddhist, and the site remains a major pilgrimage place, especially during Khmer New Year.

Getting there

The drive takes about an hour and a half to two hours. The road up the mountain is narrow and, at certain times, may be one-way: up in the morning and down in the afternoon. A car with a driver is the usual option; check current traffic rules when you book.

The entrance fee is paid at a checkpoint at the foot of the mountain and is not included in the Angkor Pass; check the current price.

A suggested plan

1. 7:00Leave town and drive north-east past Banteay Srei.
2. 9:00Visit the river of a thousand lingas on the plateau.
3. 10:00Climb to Preah Ang Thom and the reclining Buddha.
4. 12:00Lunch at the stalls near the waterfall; try grilled chicken and sticky rice.
5. 13:00 – 15:00Walk down to the lower waterfall, swim, then begin the descent.

Where to stay

Stay in town. The plateau has very basic local guesthouses, but most visitors go up and down in a day.

Good to know

• Weekdays are much quieter than weekends.
• Bring swimwear and a towel; changing areas are basic.
• Combine with Banteay Srei for a long day if you start early.
• Rice wine, mangoes and local fruit are sold by villagers on the plateau.