Kulen Mountain & Beng Mealea Full-Day Small-Group Tour

Reclining Buddha, jungle temple, and floating village tour: explore unique cultural wonders on water and land

A full-day guided tour from Siem Reap visits three distinct landscapes: Kulen Mountain's sacred sites and natural pools, the vine-wrapped ruins of Beng Mealea temple, and Kampong Phluk floating village on Tonlé Sap Lake. The tour includes hotel pickup, all admission tickets, lunch with local dishes, and a professional English-speaking guide for a small group of no more than 14 people. Knees and shoulders must be covered at all sites.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Srah Srang30m · entry included
2. Beng Mealea1h · entry included
3. Kampong Phluk1h · entry included

Explore Kulen Mountain and Surroundings

• Hotel pickup between 7:30-8:00 am
• Visit Palm Sugar Village
• Climb Kulen Mountain summit
• See reclining Buddha carving
• View River of a Thousand Lingas
• Swim in natural limestone pools
• Enjoy picnic lunch by sacred river
• Explore Beng Mealea Temple
• Boat ride to floating village
• Visit Buddhist monastery on artificial island
• Return to town by 6:30 pm

The experience

Hotel pickup happens between 7:30 and 8:00 am, and the day opens with a drive through rural Cambodia. Rice paddies, wooden stilt houses, and the Palm Sugar Village, where families have been hand-crafting traditional Cambodian sugar the same way for generations. You'll watch the entire process from palm tree to golden crystals before heading northeast to Kulen Mountain, the birthplace of the Angkor Empire. A short climb brings you to the summit viewpoint, where the panorama stretches across canyons and forests, then to a massive reclining Buddha carved directly into the mountainside a thousand years ago. Local families light incense here. Monks offer quiet prayers. The River of a Thousand Lingas comes next: thousands of fertility symbols carved into the actual riverbed by 11th-century priests, turning flowing water into sacred water for the entire Angkor kingdom.

After the riverbed carvings, you'll swim in crystal-clear natural pools fed by limestone-filtered mountain water, the kind where you can see every pebble beneath the surface. Lunch is served beside the sacred river: authentic local dishes in a peaceful setting surrounded by the mountain's natural beauty. A vegetarian option is available if you request it when booking. Then comes Beng Mealea, a 12th-century temple so thoroughly wrapped in jungle vines and massive tree roots that it feels like you're the first person to find it. Unlike the restored temples of Angkor, Beng Mealea is raw and unreclaimed, a glimpse of what nature does when left alone with ancient stone.

The final stop is Kampong Phluk, one of Cambodia's most striking floating villages on Tonlé Sap Lake. Families live their entire lives on the water, surrounded by stilt houses and thick mangrove forests. You'll visit a Buddhist monastery built on an artificial island: a sight unlike anything else in the region. The boat ride through the village gives you a direct view of how people navigate, fish and raise children in this water-bound community. Return to Siem Reap by 6:30 pm. The driver can drop you at your hotel or at the Old Market if you want to explore the evening.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Siem Reap between 7:30 and 8:00 am.
• all admission tickets to Kulen Mountain, Beng Mealea and Kampong Phluk.
• picnic lunch with authentic local dishes served beside the sacred river at Kulen Mountain, with vegetarian option available on request.
• seasonal fruits and palm cake tasting.
• professional English-speaking guide.
• transportation in a van or minibus with an experienced driver.
• unlimited cool bottled water and towels throughout the day.

Options for this experience

2 options

Group tour without any ticketsGuide in English · 07:30Admission tickets are not part of this price. Beng Mealea Pass: US$37 per person, Kulen Mountain pass: US$20 per person and Tonle Sap with a boat trip: US$15 per person. Pickup is included.

Group tour that covers all entrance feesGuide in English · 07:30This choice covers every admission ticket, including the Kulen Mountain pass, the Tonle Sap pass and the Beng Mealea temple pass. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (8 to 75 years) · Under 8: can't be booked

GroupUp to 14

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Asean Angkor Guide

Is this one for you?Pick the all-inclusive join-in tour if you prefer one payment upfront rather than settling fees at each temple and site, so you can focus on the waterfalls, Buddha statue, and floating village without pausing for transactions.

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Top questions

What's the reclining Buddha at Kulen Mountain actually like when you get there?

The reclining Buddha is carved directly into the mountainside and measures 8 meters long. A thousand-year-old sculpture that pilgrims have been climbing to visit ever since. Local families light incense and monks offer prayers at the site, and standing in front of it, the ancient stone face seems to shift expression as the light changes throughout the day.

Can I swim during this tour, or is it just sightseeing?

You'll swim in the natural pools at Kulen Mountain after visiting the River of a Thousand Lingas. The water is crystal-clear and fed by limestone filtration from the mountain, so you can see the riverbed beneath you. Bring a towel. One is provided, but you may want your own.

What does lunch include, and are there vegetarian options?

Lunch is a picnic served beside the sacred river at Kulen Mountain, featuring authentic local Cambodian dishes. A vegetarian option of fried rice with vegetables and eggs or fried spring rolls is available if you request it when you book. Vegan options are not offered.

Is Beng Mealea temple different from the temples in Angkor?

Beng Mealea was built in the 12th century and has been left largely to nature: jungle vines and massive tree roots wrap around the stone, and it feels raw and unreclaimed. Unlike the restored temples of Angkor, this one shows what happens when a temple is allowed to merge back into the forest.

What should I wear, and what should I bring?

Knees and shoulders must be covered at all temple and religious sites. Bring insect repellent, sunscreen and a sun hat. The tour provides unlimited cool water and towels, but you'll want your own sunscreen and hat for the full day in the sun.

What's the floating village like, and how do people actually live there?

Kampong Phluk is a Buddhist community on Tonlé Sap Lake where families live their entire lives on the water: in stilt houses, fishing, raising children and attending a monastery built on an artificial island. The boat ride through the village gives you a direct view of daily life on the water, and the mangrove forests surrounding it create a landscape unlike anywhere else in the region.