Unimpressive hill with small waterfall and few nice carvings. Definitely not worth the drive from Siem Reap even if you combine it with Banteay Srei, which is what we did.

Very few visitors to Angkor Wat make the effort to see Phnom Kulen. It is some distance from the part of Angkor where bus tourist try to cram as much as possible into two days, and you will be forced to enjoy some spectacular rural countryside along the way. Kulen is still a holy place to Khmer people, who come to bathe in a waterfall that is purified when the stream that feeds it passes over "a thousand lings" carved in the stone stream bed over 900 years ago. You will also see a temple with a reclining buddha inside that has all been carved from a single gigantic stone. The ground that surrounds the temple has gradually eroded leaving the temple to "float" in the air. The best thing to do in Kulen, weather permitting, is to hire a local motorbike driver to take you into the forest. (wear long pants and shoes--not sandals), where you can see spectacular sights, hermit monks living in grottoes with thousand-year-old carvings, the site of a ship wreck of many thousands of years ago when Kulen was an island, prayer flags at obscure temple ruins, and the natural springs from which all of Angkor Wat's water come. This is an unbelievable experience!

About 60 k but worth the effort , you will see a lot of the country side , try the local grilled chicken for lunch , the huge buddah is great .