Waterfalls in Cambodia: Phnom Kulen and the Falls Without Tours
40 tours, all to one waterfall: typically 60 to 120 EUR, from under 30 to more than 250. A map and a table cover the five Cambodian falls you can only reach on your own.
Forty tours on this site go to Cambodia's waterfalls, and all forty are built around the same one. Phnom Kulen, 48 km north of Siem Reap, is the only Cambodian waterfall with tours in our catalog, and the one with by far the biggest market: 40 tours from 23 operators, rated 4.93 on 6,402 reviews, priced from under 30 to more than 250 EUR, typically 60 to 120 EUR. Every other waterfall in Cambodia is one you reach yourself. This page is about waterfalls in Cambodia as a whole: which are worth the trip, what each takes to reach, when the water is right, and how the single waterfall with tours is sold. The mountain itself, with its ticket, road rules and history, has its own page, so this one stays on the country and on the choices around it.
The pattern is simple. There is one waterfall you plan a trip around, and a second group in Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and on Bokor Mountain that you add to a trip you were making anyway. Most of Cambodia is low plain around the Tonle Sap and the Mekong, and the falls sit where rivers leave higher ground: the Kulen plateau, Bokor Mountain and the eastern highlands. The monsoon sets the clock, with the wet season running from May to October. The map and table below show the split, and the season chart shows when each fall actually runs.
Choose a destination in Cambodia
Waterfalls Travel Experiences in Cambodia
2-Day Angkor Sunrise, Kulen Waterfall, Beng Mealea and Kampong Phluk Tour with Meals
Admission tickets, breakfast, lunch and hotel pickup on both days are included, from Angkor Wat at sunrise to a Kulen swim and Kampong Phluk's stilt houses.
2-Day Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei and Kulen Mountain Tour with Sunset Stop
A guide can book front-row seats for a buffet dinner with traditional shows at Kulen II, and parking and private air-conditioned transport are included.
2-Day Angkor Wat Sunrise and Kulen Waterfall Tour with Picnic Lunch and Kulen Ticket
The Kulen Mountain ticket, breakfast on day one and a picnic lunch at the waterfall on day two are covered, for groups of up to 10 travelers per booking.
2-Day Angkor Wat Sunrise, Phnom Kulen, Kampong Phluk and Tonle Sap Tour by Private Vehicle
A vaccinated guide and driver run this private-vehicle route with a 4:40 am Angkor Wat sunrise, the Kulen waterfall and a boat tour of Kampong Phluk village.
2-Day Shared Tour of Angkor Sunrise, Baphuon, Kulen Cliff, Beng Mealea and Kampong Phluk
All admission tickets, breakfast and a picnic lunch at the Kulen waterfall are in the price of this shared two-day tour, with hotel pickup on both days.
3-Day Angkor Small and Grand Circuit, Kulen Waterfall and Roluos Group Temples Tour
Day three goes from Angkor Wat sunrise to the Roluos Group temples, with licensed guide, driver, tolls and parking fees included in a private vehicle.
3-Day Angkor Temples, Banteay Srei, Kulen Waterfall and Tonle Sap Tour by Private Vehicle
Private air-conditioned transport and parking are included, and each of the three days runs from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, starting and ending in Siem Reap Center.
3-Day Angkor Temples, Phnom Kulen, Beng Mealea and Tonle Sap Tour with Two Lunches
Two lunches with drinks and an English-speaking guide are included, and the sunrise start at 4:30 am is followed by Banteay Srei and the Grand Circuit.
4-Day Angkor Circuits, Phnom Kulen, Roluos, Koh Ker and Beng Mealea Temple Tour
A licensed guide, driver, parking and road tolls are included, and the last day is a long drive to the quiet, remote temples of Koh Ker and Beng Mealea.
4-Day Angkor Wat, Koh Ker, Beng Mealea, Kulen Waterfall and Kampong Phluk Tour
Day one goes to remote Koh Ker and Beng Mealea, before Angkor Thom, Kulen and sunrise at Angkor Wat, in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a guide.
5-Day Angkor Temples, Roluos, Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and Kulen Waterfall Tour with Guide
The fifth day goes to Phnom Kulen, after a long drive to quiet Koh Ker and Beng Mealea on day three, with a licensed guide, tolls and parking covered.
Kulen Mountain and Kampong Phluk Day Tour with Grilled Chicken Picnic and Boat Sunset
Grilled chicken picnic by the falls, a boat through the flooded mangroves of Kampong Phluk and sunset on Tonlé Sap. Mountain and boat passes are extra.
Kulen Mountain, Beng Mealea and Kampong Phluk Full-Day Tour, Entrance Fees Not Included
Free hotel pickup, a picnic lunch by the waterfall and unlimited chilled water, with park, temple and village entrance fees paid separately. Back by 6:30 pm.
Kulen Mountain Day Tour with Quarry, 1000 Lingas, Waterfall Swim, Park Entry and Lunch
Quarry stop, the 1000 Lingas river and a swim of up to 90 minutes, with the park entrance fee and a set lunch covered. Minivan for up to 13 travelers.
Kulen Mountain Waterfall Tour with Palm Sugar Village, All Tickets and Picnic Lunch
Palm sugar village, 1000 Lingas river and a swim at the falls, with all admission tickets and a grilled chicken picnic lunch. Soft drinks are not included.
Kulen Waterfall and 1000 Lingas Small-Group Day Tour, Up to 6 Guests, Lunch Included
Fees, lunch and an English-speaking guide are covered on this Kulen trip for up to 6 travelers, with a long swim stop. Landmine Museum entry is not included.
Kulen Waterfall, Beng Mealea and Kompong Phluk Small-Group Day Tour with Tickets
All admission tickets are covered on this ten-hour day, with a picnic lunch by the waterfall and a vegetarian option on request. Back in Siem Reap by 6:30 pm.
Phnom Kulen Day Tour by US Army Jeep from Siem Reap with Guide, Snack and Lunch
A US Army Jeep with guide covers back roads, a palm sugar village, the 1000 Lingas river and a waterfall swim, with snack and lunch. Park ticket extra.
Phnom Kulen Day Trip with Two-Tier Waterfall, River of 1000 Lingas and Khmer Village Visit
Snacks, water, a local English-speaking guide and a village stop with seasonal palm wine and sugar tastings. Lunch and the Kulen entrance fee are extra.
Phnom Kulen Dirt Bike Day Tour from Siem Reap, Honda XR 250R with Gear, Ticket and Lunch
Full-face helmet, gloves, a Honda XR 250R, the Phnom Kulen ticket and a local lunch are covered. Moderate fitness is needed and travel insurance is extra.
Phnom Kulen Jungle Trek from Siem Reap, Three-Hour Hike from Preah Ang Choub Pagoda
A three-hour trek from Preah Ang Choub pagoda with a licensed guide in seven languages, a private vehicle and all site admissions. Lunch and tips are extra.
Phnom Kulen National Park Tour with English or Japanese Guide, 1000 Lingas and Waterfall
Licensed English or Japanese-speaking guide, hotel transfers by air-conditioned van or bus and a return stop at a palm sugar workshop. Entrance fees are extra.
Phnom Kulen Small-Group Tour with 1000 Lingas River and Reclining Buddha, Max 12
Groups of up to 12 travelers share an air-conditioned van from Siem Reap, with a guide and bottled water. The waterfall entrance fee is paid separately.
Phnom Kulen Waterfall and 1000 Lingas Day Tour with Snacks, Fresh Fruit and Village Stop
Snacks, fresh fruit, bottled water and small towels are included, along with a stop in Preah Dak village. Lunch, tips and the Kulen entrance fee are extra.
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Waterfalls in Cambodia: one with tours, the rest on your own
A 2019 guide from helloangkor.com lists about 50 Cambodian waterfalls, 21 of them under a heading for little-known falls. It gives no prices and no map, and its figures are from 2019. The booking market is far narrower than the guide. Every Cambodian tour we list leaves from a Siem Reap hotel and goes to Phnom Kulen. Nothing is sold for the south coast or the eastern highlands.
If you want a guide, a lunch and a hotel pickup, Cambodia has exactly one waterfall to book. For the rest, you are the tour operator.
Phnom Kulen
The waterfall Cambodia sells
Phnom Kulen is a sandstone massif about 48 km north of Siem Reap, and the falls sit on its plateau. Entry is a separate park ticket paid in cash, and the Angkor Pass does not cover it. Some tours include the ticket and some do not, so read the inclusions line.
It fits a temple trip because it is a day from Siem Reap, and the mountain is a pilgrimage site, with a reclining Buddha and a carved riverbed on the same ticket.
Where the falls are
The map shows three of the falls: Kulen in the north, Busra (Bou Sra) on the eastern edge, about 15 km from the Vietnamese border, and Popokvil in the south, near Kampot. Siem Reap is the only town tours start from. These are three corners of the country, and a trip that visits two of them is a long overland journey, not a detour.
Cambodian waterfalls compared
| Waterfall | Province and base | Reported size | Getting there | Tours here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phnom Kulen | Siem Reap | Falls of 4 to 5 m and 15 to 20 m | About 48 km north of Siem Reap, one-way road, separate park ticket | 40 |
| Bou Sra | Mondulkiri, Sen Monorom | Three drops, two open to view | About 43 km from Sen Monorom | None |
| Popokvil | Kampot, Bokor Mountain | Main fall about 10 m, in three stages | By car, about 7 km from the former casino complex | None |
| Kbal Chhay | Preah Sihanouk, Sihanoukville | Not stated | Sources give 16 to 21 km from the city, including 9 km of dirt track | None |
| Ka Chanh | Ratanakiri, Banlung | About 12 m, fed all year | About 7 km southeast of Banlung | None |
| Chambok | Kampong Speu | About 40 m | 3 km trail, about 70 km from Phnom Penh | None |
Treat the sizes as rough. The same guide gives Leng Khin in Mondulkiri as 25 m in the dry season and 28 m in the wet, and Chrey Thom as 15 m dry and 11 m wet, so one fall changes with the month. For Kulen the sources disagree on width, which is why this page gives ranges and no single height.
Seeing the falls that have no tours
Mondulkiri: Bou Sra
Bou Sra is the one most people mean. Wikipedia describes a triple-tier drop inside the Bousra Eco Park in Pech Chreada District, about 43 km from Sen Monorom, and the helloangkor guide says only the first two tiers can be seen. One travel guide calls November to May the best time to go and the wet months from June to October the strongest, with slippery trails. Chrey Thom, about 28 km from Sen Monorom on a dirt road, is the smaller option.
The coast: Kbal Chhay and Popokvil
Kbal Chhay supplied Sihanoukville's drinking water until 1963 and was developed for tourism by a private company in 1998, according to Wikipedia. Guides put the best flow between May and October. Popokvil is at the top of Bokor Mountain in Kampot province, reachable by car, and it runs best in the wet season.
Ratanakiri and the road to Phnom Penh
The falls near Banlung are small and close together: Ka Chanh at about 12 m, Ka Tieng at about 10 m with a cave behind it, 3 km downstream, and Cha Ong, 8.7 km from town, with a cave and a swimming pool. Chambok in Kampong Speu, closest to the capital, is listed at 40 m at the end of a 3 km trail. All figures here come from the 2019 guide.
Siem Reap
Why waterfall trips start in Siem Reap
All 40 tours collect you from a Siem Reap hotel, and 48% are multi-day packages that put the waterfall between temple days. The packages we read keep the temples and the mountain on separate days; the Phnom Kulen page explains the road.
The multi-day page reads those packages one at a time, and the day tour page does the same for the 20 single-day trips.
When to go to Cambodia's waterfalls
Cambodia has a wet season from May to October and a dry one from November to April. For waterfalls the two pull in opposite directions: the wet months carry the most water and the worst roads. Sources disagree on several falls, so the chart ranks each one by what its own sources say. Kulen is the awkward case. A listing recommends August to January and warns of little water from March to July, while a local guide's page puts the dry months from November to April on top. November to January is where they overlap.
| Month | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phnom Kulen Water and road both work from November to January; wet months run strong but slippery. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Bou Sra One guide: November to May best; June to October stronger, trails slippery. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Kbal Chhay Most sources put the best flow in the wet months, May to October. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Popokvil Flows best in the wet season, per the 2019 guide. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Wet season May to October. Sources disagree on several falls; each row follows what its own sources say.
The wet season changes the day on the mountain itself: one operator's guide says the carved riverbed is often under water then. The Phnom Kulen page has the detail. For the carvings visible and the falls still running, choose November to January.
What a waterfall trip costs here
The chart sets Cambodia's median, in the 60 to 120 EUR band, against 20 other countries on this site. It lands twelfth of 21, in the same band as Dominica just above and Puerto Rico just below. The bar is wide, roughly 30 to 250 EUR for the middle half, because the country holds two different products.
Day trips to Kulen typically run 30 to 60 EUR across 20 tours. The multi-day packages run 120 to 250 EUR across another 20, and 17 of them are private. Overall 58% of the tours are private, and private tours are priced per person, like shared seats. Only 6 of the private listings that state a pricing unit quote one price for the whole group: five multi-day tours in the 250 to 500 EUR band and a day in a private vehicle in the 30 to 60 EUR band. The cheapest tour, a join-in under 30 EUR, lists the park ticket as not included.
Mistakes people make with Cambodian waterfalls
The main one is reading the lowest price as the whole price: the park ticket is separate and may be on top of it. The ticket, the Angkor Pass question and the one-way road are covered on the Phnom Kulen page. Planning two falls in one trip without checking the map is the other: the rest are in other provinces.
Questions about waterfalls in Cambodia
Is Phnom Kulen the only waterfall near Siem Reap?
It is the only one our 40 listings go to. Guides list other small falls in Siem Reap province, but none has tours here.
When is the best time to visit waterfalls in Cambodia?
The wet season, May to October, gives the most water and the hardest roads. For Phnom Kulen, November to January works for both flow and access. Bou Sra is described as best from November to May for visiting and strongest from June to October.
How much does a waterfall tour in Cambodia cost?
Typically 60 to 120 EUR across 40 tours, from under 30 to more than 250 EUR. Day trips to Kulen typically run 30 to 60 EUR, and multi-day packages with Angkor temples 120 to 250 EUR. The park ticket is in the price of some tours and not of others, so read the inclusions line, and the Angkor Pass is never included in the seven packages we opened.
Can you swim at Cambodian waterfalls?
At Kulen, yes: listings send guests to swim in the pools below the second fall. In the wet months the carved riverbed can be under water. For the other falls we have no rules to quote, so ask a local before you go in.
Can I visit Cambodian waterfalls without a tour?
Yes. The Kulen ticket is sold at the gate on the mountain road and at a park office in Siem Reap, and one operator rents a private vehicle for under 120 EUR, with a guide as an extra. The other falls have no tours on this site at all.
See the mountain the tours go to
Phnom Kulen has the ticket rules, the one-way road, the history and a table that sorts its 40 tours into day trips and multi-day packages.
Data verified on . Forty Viator tours, read 22 October 2026. Ticket and pass details from Kulen Revealed and helloangkor.com (Feb 2026); other falls from Wikipedia and a 2019 guide.