Kulen Waterfall en Banteay Srei Off Beaten Track

This is a good off the beaten track experience that you will find if you travel to Siam Reap, Cambodia. I had a chance to go last November 2019 and booked as I had read a couple of reviews recommending this experience. I also contacted Angkor Cab in advance and asked about some minor changes in the original schedule and they agreed without any hassle. I actually requested to be picked up in a special location (the "Giant" bus station at Siam Reap) also at a “special time”: 5:45am. Eventually my bus from Phnom Penh arrived around 30min later but still I had no problem to meet my host at Angkor Cab (Pahna). We went to pay a 3-Day Ticket Entry Pass to National Parks at the Government Booth (mandatory) and then proceeded to Bantey Srei quite early (I was the first visitor of the day!). This resulted in very pleasant experience as I literally had the whole site and scenery for myself. Besides avoiding crowds (which by the way is NOT possible at Angkor Wat) you also have the chance to avoid most of sellers and other people which sometimes can be annoying. However, if you do want a guide through the site you need to ask in advance (and pay extra) or opt to give a tip (USD$5~USD$10) to guard or other staff within the site (in my case I just asked the guard to take me a picture and I gave a USD$1 tip). I would recommend you take an hour or so at Bantey Srei and enjoy strolling around the site and take some nice pictures of the scenery. I would also recommend grabbing a quick snack or breakfast at end of site (near parking lot) as food is quite good and extremely cheap (I had some nice pancakes, a coffee and a small noodle bowl for just USD$5). If possible, use the bathroom at this site as trip to Phnom Kulen Park would take around an hour and a half (with really no place to stop in between). At Phnom Kulen National Park you would go up several stairs and eventually access a shrine for one of the largest (if not the largest of its kind) reclining Buddha statue (note that it is mandatory to take off your shoes to access the shrine itself). Afterwards you can visit the waterfalls and even have a quick swim which is quite refreshing (water is mildly cold but still enjoyable). In case you need a basic swimsuit, you can buy it there (I think there was a “rent” option as well). You will later see the “1000 Shiva lingas” cravings in the bed of river and if you want you can also grab a lunch within this area (in case you missed it at Bantey Srei) or even take a look at some local handcrafts. You will then take trip back downhill to Siam Reap area (90 mins aprox.) which fortunately transport provided by Angkor Cab is very comfortable and with good AC. Also, you can chat quite pleasantly with your host (in my case Pahna) who besides being an excellent driver he is also someone very easy to talk to as he is very amicable and speaks a very fluent English and is easy to understand. Finally we had one last stop at some visitor center just before arriving to my hotel which is basically a souvenir shop. You might want to take a look around but I wouldn’t recommend you to buy much (or anything) UNLESS you visit first the Night Market at Pub Street (which has a much wider variety and cheaper prices) and buy something you didn’t find at the Night Market.

A fascinating trip into the Cambodian jungle with the most beautiful butterflies dancing around the ancient relics. This is a true treat and worth the climb through the exotic flora. A beautiful place. With the added treat of the fantastically carved ornate temple in rich red stone. Magical.