Phnom Kulen Tours Compared: Picnic Day, Waterfall Day or the 10-Hour Triple
6 min read
The short answer: for most people the Kulen Mountain Small-Group Tour and Picnic Lunch is the right Kulen tour: €42.76 per person, 4.9/5 from 2,325 reviews, eight hours, with hotel pickup, guide and a picnic lunch at the waterfall; check on the booking page whether the Kulen admission is covered. A second tour, at €19.96, runs an hour longer and is limited to a small group. The third looks like the best deal, because it adds Beng Mealea and a boat on Tonlé Sap, but the price leaves out about 45 US$ in tickets.
Phnom Kulen is a long way up for a day trip, so the choice of tour matters more here than at the temples: you spend the whole day with one guide and one van, and you pay for tickets at the gate if the tour does not.
If you have not decided whether to go at all, start with whether the day is worth it. This page assumes you are going.
The three side by side
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kulen Mountain Small-Group Tour and Picnic Lunch | 8 hours | €42.76 | 4.9/5 from 2,325 reviews | most visitors; back at the hotel by about 16:30 |
| Kulen Mountain, Beng Mealea and Tonle Sap Tour | 10 hours | €43.30 | 5.0/5 from 1,935 reviews | travellers who want three places in one day and accept tickets on top |
| Phnom Kulen Waterfall and the Sacred 1000 Lingas | 9 hours | €19.96 | 4.8/5 from 1,066 reviews | those who want a small group and the blessing at the river |
The picnic tour: the one to book
The day starts with a hotel pickup between 8:00 and 8:30 and ends with a return between about 16:00 and 16:30. Along the way it stops at the village of Preah Dak, where you see palm cake and palm sugar being made, then at the national park, the Poeng Ta Kho cliff viewpoint, the reclining Buddha at the pagoda, the River of a Thousand Lingas, and the waterfall, where the picnic lunch is served and you can swim. The booking page puts about two hours at the waterfall, so there is time to sit down.
It is the shortest of the three days, at eight hours, with the picnic at the waterfall built in. The inclusions list names hotel pickup and drop-off, an English-speaking guide and driver, the air-conditioned minibus, the picnic lunch with seasonal fruit (a vegetarian option if you ask in advance), chilled water and cool towels; the Kulen admission appears in the same list as personal expenses and tips, so check on the booking page whether it is covered. Group size is limited to 14. The page says there is not much hiking, only short walks from the van to each stop. It lists children under 10, people over 75 and pregnant women as not suited.
Check availability and prices for the Kulen picnic tour
The waterfall day: the small-group one
This is a nine-hour day at €19.96. The tour starts with a drive up the mountain, a stop at the waterfall, the walk to the River of a Thousand Lingas where a traditional blessing with holy water is offered, and the pagoda with the reclining Buddha. After lunch you return to the two-tier waterfall for a swim. The listing describes the walking as gentle on well-kept jungle trails.
Lunch with seasonal fruit, bottled water and cooling face wipes are listed; the Phnom Kulen entrance ticket appears in the same list as tips and extra drinks, so check on the booking page whether it is covered, and the page asks you to bring cash. Tips and extra drinks are not. The booking page calls it a small group, though it names two different caps (10 in the details, 14 in the text), so ask the operator if group size matters to you. It lists children under 12, people with mobility impairments, wheelchair users, people with recent surgeries and people over 95 as not suited, which for children is stricter than the picnic tour; baby strollers are not allowed.
Check availability and prices for the Kulen waterfall and lingas tour
The triple: the price is not the price
Kulen, then Beng Mealea, then a boat to Kampong Phluk on the lake: it is the longest day, at ten hours, rated 5.0/5 from 1,935 reviews. It is also the one where the headline price tells you least. The booking page lists three passes as not included: the Kulen pass at 20 US$ per person, the Beng Mealea pass at 10 US$ (or a valid Angkor pass), and the Tonlé Sap lake pass with a boat ride at 15 US$. Together that is 45 US$ per person, if you do not already hold an Angkor pass, on top of the €43.30. The itinerary marks all three stops as having an extra fee.
It is a lot for one day: roughly an hour and a half out to the mountain, an hour on to the jungle temple, and another hour to the lake. The page asks for covered knees and shoulders, and it does not allow shorts or sleeveless tops. It also says small-group places are not suited to children under 10. I would book it only if you hold an Angkor pass already, and want Beng Mealea and the lake in the same day. If you do not, the two parts are better done on their own: see Beng Mealea and Koh Ker compared and which Kampong Phluk tour to book.
Check availability and prices for the Kulen, Beng Mealea and Tonlé Sap tour
Who should skip Kulen altogether
If you have two days or fewer, the mountain costs you a day you would rather spend at the temples. If anyone in your group is under 12, read the fine print: the picnic tour and the small-group option of the triple list children under 10 as not suited, and the waterfall tour lists children under 12. If you dislike long van rides, remember that the mountain is up to two hours from town each way. More choices, including private ones, are on the Phnom Kulen tours page.
What I would book
The Kulen picnic tour at €42.76: the shortest day of the three, a picnic at the waterfall and a group capped at 14. Choose the waterfall-and-lingas tour instead if you want the blessing at the river and do not mind a day an hour longer; it is not suited to children under 12.
