Phnom Kulen National Park
Twelve centuries of history. A community shaping what comes next.
Total park area (2023)
Highest point
Total park area (2023)
species with global or national conservation concerns
Plant species recorded
A mountain under protection
A 62,883-hectare national park across four Siem Reap districts.
Phnom Kulen means literally ‘’the mountain of litchis’’, but the official name of the National Park is ‘’Preah Jayavarman-Norodom Phnom Kulen National Park’’. It spans four districts of Siem Reap province: Varin, Banteay Srey,Svay Leu and a small part of Sotr Nikum. The park is made up of two separate plateaus along the same range: Phnom Kulen in the southeast, where the mountain’s temples, villages and main visitor sites are concentrated, and the narrower and uninhabited Phnom Kbal Spean plateau to the northwest, home to the riverbed carvings of Kbal Spean. The first protected area of 37,373 hectares was established by royal decree in 1993. In 2023, the total park boundary was expanded to 62,883 hectares, reinforcing its status as one of the most significant protected natural and cultural sites in Cambodia.
The park is recognised for three main conservation values: its ecosystem, the ecological services it provides, and its social functions, including its deep sacred significance to Cambodians. Among these services, Phnom Kulen is the main natural water source of the region, including the World Heritage-listed Angkor Archaeological Park, and contributes significantly to daily consumption, agriculture and the tourism industry across Siem Reap province. (See the Biodiversity & Landscapes page for more on Kulen’s rivers and watershed.)
The park is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment (MoE), which is responsible for law enforcement, conservation policy and the management of its protected areas. Locally, it is managed by the Provincial Department of Environment, including 1 supervisor, 1 park director and XX rangers. The APSARA National Authority, which oversees the broader Angkor World Heritage site in Siem Reap Province, is also involved in the protection of Phnom Kulen’s archaeological assets with more than 50 guards and 1 archeologist in charge.
Phnom Kulen has been listed since 1992 on Cambodia’s tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status as a cultural site, recognised for the remains of Mahendraparvata’s ancient city, its temples, a recently discovered urban network, hermits’ sites spanning the 10th to 13th centuries, and later sites concentrated around Preangh Ang Thom village.
Around 5,000 people call the Kulen plateau home
Ten villages across the plateau, each with its own relationship to the forest and to the changes coming with the new road.
The Khnong Phnom commune, in Svay Leu district, is home to nine villages on the plateau: Anlong Thom, Thmor Chruogn, Ta Penh, Sangke Lak, Khlah Khmum, Popel, Preah Ang Thom, Thmey and Ta Han, with a combined population of over 5,000 people in 2025. A further village, Preah Ang Thom, has a more recent population of migrants primarily working in tourism services: restaurants and shops serving pilgrims and visitors.
Most plateau residents are subsistence farmers who traditionally practise shifting cultivation, known locally as chamkar: clearing and burning a plot, farming it for one season, then leaving it to regenerate for around ten years. Since 2005, however, many families have converted these plots into permanent cashew nut plantations, extending into forested land in search of new growing areas. Cashew cultivation is now the main source of income for most households, as well as the main driver of deforestation in the park.
Until 2017, poor road conditions meant that only Preah Ang Thom and the waterfall received visitors, leaving the other villages largely isolated from both tourism income and public services. A new road crossing the plateau, authorised by the Royal Government of Cambodia in 2017, has changed that, connecting the southern villages and opening the mountain to a broader circuit, while also introducing new pressures: unregulated tourism, waste and new arrivals in fragile areas. Since 2026, a road is connecting the northern villages of the plateau to this road.
In the low lands of the park, notably along national road 67, there are more villages, with at least 5,000 more villagers…
What is a CPA?
Protected areas inside the park, managed directly by the villagers who live beside them, sanctioned by the Royal Government and supported by the Ministry of Environment.
A Community Protected Area (CPA) is a formally recognised area of forest inside a national park placed under the direct stewardship of a local community, rather than administered centrally by the state. In Phnom Kulen, each of the 5 CPA is linked to a specific village, governed by an elected group of community representatives, and sanctioned by the Royal Government of Cambodia. The Ministry of Environment provides guidance and oversight.
Within their CPA, community members have the right to collect Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) – fruits, medicinal plants, bamboo shoots, vines, berries and similar resources – for personal use or limited local trade. They are responsible for patrolling the boundary, reporting illegal activity, and maintaining the forest they depend on.
There are currently five CPAs on the Kulen plateau, with a combined area of 1,728 hectares:
Anlong Thom CPA (Prey Thom: “the large forest”): 365 ha, managed by 17 elected members. Known for lychee collection and medicinal plants.
Popel CPA (Prey Thom Popel): 798 ha, recently extended from 188 ha with UNDP-SIDA support, managed by 15 elected members. Covers forested areas, streams and remote waterfalls north of Prasat Krohom temple.
The 3 other CPA are Phnom Kdouch (101 ha, by Sangke Lak village), Phnom Monoas (92 ha, by Ta Penh village) and Chup Ta Sok (359 ha, by Khlah Khmum village).
A small 13 ha protected area was also demarcated to protect rosewood trees.
To the northwest of the park and recently integrated within its boundary, the Chankran Roy CPA covers 9,104 ha.
Additionally, 5 Archaeological Protected Areas (APA) were set up to protect the main monumental archaeological sites within the Kulen plateau and their environment:Srah Damrei, Prasat Thma Dap, Prasat Rong Chen, Prasat Neak Ta, Prasat Khlah Khmum. A sixth protected area around Prasat Krohom totaliseadd a further 1,600 hectares forto these protected areas in the park.
Tourism that benefits the people who live here
Two community-run tourism centres on the plateau, created so that the villages, and not only Preah Ang Thom, can benefit directly from visitors to the park.
With the opening of the road in 2017, the question for the park’s partners became how to turn increased visitor traffic into a direct benefit for communities that had long been bypassed. The answer was two community-based tourism centres, each set up in partnership between the local CPA, the NGO Archaeology and Development Foundation (ADF) and Cambodian tour operator Terre Cambodge.
The Anlong Thom Community-Based Tourism Centre (established between 2018–2020) offers guided nature and historical trails on foot and by motorbike, reaching natural and archaeological sites across the plateau. Local residents work as guides, drivers and cooks; entrance fees cover operating costs with the aim of becoming financially self-sufficient. The centre was funded by French tour operators E-Changeons le Monde (ECM-Solidarités) and Tourisme Équitable et Solidaire (TDS Voyage), specialists in responsible and solidarity tourism.
The Popel Community-Based Tourism Centre (established between 2019–2020) extends further north into a recently expanded CPA of 800 hectares, including forest, boulders, rare species, streams and remote waterfalls. The centre was established with UNDP–SIDA funding through the Building an Enabling Environment for Sustainable Development (BESD) project, which also provides a self-sufficient water system for up to 90 households in Popel, and supports 13 families in Khlah Khmum village with alternative agricultural livelihoods around Prasat Krohom temple demarcated area.
In both cases, ADF contributed expertise in community engagement, signage design and infrastructure; Terre Cambodge developed the tourism products, training and guide programme; and the CPA members themselves defined the trails, built the facilities and now manage the centres day to day.
Go deeper into Phnom Kulen
History
Biodiversity, geology, Khmer history, wildlife guides
Biodiversity
& Landscapes
Biodiversity, geology, Khmer history, wildlife guides
Biodiversity, geology, Khmer history, wildlife guides