PHNOM KULEN · SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Phnom Kulen Moto Tour.
Ancient temples and jungle trails.
After seeing the main Angkor temples, I wanted to get farther off the tourist route. Phnom Kulen has early Khmer temples and sacred sites scattered through the forest, many reachable only by moto..
CAMBODIA BACKROADS · PRIVATE TOUR
JUNE 6, 2025 · 20 KM BY MOTO
THE SHORT VERSION
What is the Phnom Kulen moto tour?
It’s a private day trip from Siem Reap up to Phnom Kulen, the sacred mountain where the Khmer Empire began. A private SUV takes you to the Amazing Cliff and then to a base camp, where you switch to motos with local drivers and ride about 20 km of forest trails between remote temples.
My loop hit Neak Ta, Peung Tbal, Aram Rong Chen, Srah Damrei (the Elephant Pond) and Damrei Krap. These sit among the remains of the ancient city of Mahendraparvata, and you won’t see tour buses at any of them.
Is the Kulen moto tour worth it?
Yes, if you’re the adventurous type and want to see temples that aren’t on the tourist trail. The moto is really a necessity to get between these sites in a reasonable time. It’s rough, muddy and definitely not for the weak of heart. Avoid the rainy season if you can.
Tour details
OPERATOR
Cambodia Backroads, with guide Kanha Phum
FORMAT
Private. SUV and driver from Siem Reap, then two motos with drivers from base camp
RIDE
About 20 km in about 3 hours on the motos
STOPS
Amazing Cliff, Neak Ta, Peung Tbal, Aram Rong Chen, Srah Damrei, Damrei Krap
PRICE
$200 for a solo private tour, plus tips
KULEN TICKET
$20 for foreigners. The Angkor Pass doesn’t cover Kulen
BEST TIME
Dry season, roughly November to April
Price is what I paid in June 2025. The operator now lists park fees as included; check current rates with Cambodia Backroads.
FIRST STOP / 9:00 AM
The Amazing Cliff,
Poeng Ta Kho.
Kanha picked me up at the Golden Temple Boutique in a private SUV with a separate driver. Our first stop was Poeng Ta Kho, the Amazing Cliff.
The exposed rock here is heavily eroded, with a strange texture that almost looks like an underwater coral reef.
The view is spectacular, with green stretching as far as I could see. The solid rock under your feet and the soft green landscape beyond give you an illusion of safety, until you get near the edge. Then you realize how high you actually are, and that one slip would pretty much be the end of things.
There’s an iconic photo you can get by taking your chances and sitting right on the cliff edge. The guide runs around to the side of the mountain to get the shot.
THE EDGE PHOTO IS WORTH IT. JUST DON’T GET CARELESS UP THERE.
BASE CAMP
Switching to motos.
A few minutes later we arrived at base camp, where the motos were waiting. The camp leader gave us an intro at a table under the house, and before leaving we ordered lunch so it would be ready when we got back.
There were two motos with drivers. The camp leader drove Kanha, and his young assistant drove me. We stopped for gas, served out of what looked like one-liter bottles, and then we were on our way.
THE TEMPLES
FIVE STOPS, ONE LOOP
Temples off
the tourist trail.
In the order we rode them.
STOP 1 / NEAK TA
A lone brick tower.
The ride started on pavement, then moved onto a dirt road that got progressively bumpier until we reached Neak Ta Temple, a single red-brick temple standing alone in a forest clearing.
Inside, soot had built up toward the top of the chamber. The roof wasn’t fully open, but a gap let in light and air.
STOP 2 / PEUNG TBAL
Where the rock became the temple.
Probably one of the more unusual sites of the day. It’s a mix of huge moss-covered boulders, carved sections of stone and a large stone basin. Along the edges of the rocks are religious carvings, including a reclining Vishnu.
Rather than a traditional temple, it feels as though the natural rock formation itself became the temple.
STOP 3 / ARAM RONG CHEN
A laterite platform.
Basically a large flat platform built from laterite blocks. The least impressive stop so far, and a short visit before moving on to the famous one.
STOP 4 / SRAH DAMREI
My favorite site.
The Elephant Pond. It was amazing to see these large stone animal carvings sitting among the trees: the elephant, of course, along with lions, a bull and what looks like a frog.
There was only a really small pond when I visited. Maybe in the rainy season it becomes more of a pond.
THE ELEPHANT IS LIFE-SIZE. STAND NEXT TO IT FOR SCALE.
STOP 5 / DAMREI KRAP
Three brick sanctuaries.
A decent-sized site, with each brick tower surviving in its own state of decay. Seeing the three together gives you a good sense of what happens to these brick temples after more than a thousand years in the jungle.
SRAH DAMREI
Stone animals in the forest.
An elephant, lions, a bull and a frog, carved from the rock and sitting among the trees. My favorite stop of the day.
THE RIDE
Not for the weak of heart.
Our loop covered about 20 kilometers in about three hours. The dirt trails were pretty uneven, with muddy sections and places where standing water blocked the trail.
At times we were ducking under branches, maneuvering around flooded sections, or getting off and walking up steep spots. Thankfully, I had an excellent driver.
Partway between stops, we came across local people harvesting nuts alongside the trail. There were also some impressive golden orb weaver spiders in the trees.
I WENT IN EARLY JUNE. AVOID THE RAINY SEASON, ROUGHLY MAY TO OCTOBER.
WHY KULEN MATTERS
Where the Khmer
Empire began.
These forest temples are some of the earliest sacred sites of the Khmer.
Phnom Kulen is a sandstone plateau about 45 km north of Siem Reap. In 802 CE, King Jayavarman II was consecrated here as a universal monarch, the moment usually counted as the start of the Khmer Empire, centuries before Angkor Wat.
The city on the mountain, Mahendraparvata, was mostly hidden under the forest until 2012, when a lidar survey from a helicopter mapped its roads, dykes and ponds and revealed dozens of previously unknown temples. Many of the brick towers you ride to on this tour belong to that early period.
Riding between them, you get a sense of how much is still out there under the trees.
20 km
of forest trails by moto
3 hrs
on the bikes
5
temples and sacred sites
802 CE
Khmer Empire founded on Kulen
BACK AT BASE
Lunch, then home.
We rode back to base, where lunch was waiting at the same table where we got our intro: local food and fruit, a restaurant-level meal. I forgot to take photos, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
The standard tour adds Kulen Waterfall after lunch. I skipped it and went back to the hotel, since I’d already been to the waterfall on my Angkor zenith passage tour in April.
I would recommend this tour for adventurous types who want to see temples not on the tourist trail.
Frequently asked QUESTIONS
Kulen moto tour FAQ.
What is the Phnom Kulen moto tour?
A private day trip from Siem Reap to Phnom Kulen. After the Amazing Cliff viewpoint, you ride on the back of a motorbike with a local driver on about 20 km of forest trails to remote temples like Peung Tbal, Srah Damrei and Damrei Krap.
How much does the Kulen moto tour cost?
I paid $200 for a solo private tour with Cambodia Backroads in 2025, plus tips. Per-person prices drop for couples and groups. Check current rates with the operator.
Do you need a ticket for Phnom Kulen?
Yes. Phnom Kulen has its own $20 ticket for foreigners, and the Angkor Pass doesn’t cover it. Cambodia Backroads now lists park fees as included in the tour.
Do I have to drive the motorbike?
No. You ride on the back, with an experienced local driver. Mine was excellent, which matters on those trails.
How hard is the ride?
Rough. Expect uneven dirt trails, mud, standing water, low branches, and a few steep spots where you get off and walk. It’s not for the weak of heart.
When is the best time to do the Kulen moto tour?
Dry season, roughly November to April. I went in early June and the trails already had mud and flooded sections.
What temples do you see on the Kulen moto tour?
On my loop: Neak Ta, Peung Tbal, Aram Rong Chen, Srah Damrei (the Elephant Pond) and Damrei Krap, plus the Amazing Cliff at Poeng Ta Kho on the way.
Does the tour include Kulen Waterfall?
The standard itinerary adds the waterfall after lunch. I skipped it because I’d already been there on another trip.