Enjoy the geocache near the beautiful view to the jungle.
Poeng Ta Kho is also known as “Amazing Cliff” and it’s located near the highhest point of the Kulen Mountains. It’s an easy-to-reach site offering impressive views across the canyon below surrounded by the mountain ranges.
It’s reachable by the main road to Ang Thom. There is a small parking place and foot trail leading to the site.
In ancient Khmer, Phnom Kulen was called Mahendraparvata, “Mountain of Indra, the King of the Gods”. It was a thriving city around the size of a modern Phnom Penh and the birthplace of the Khmer empire, where King Jayavarman II proclaimed Cambodia’s independence from Java in AD 802. Following this, the capital moved to Roluos (formerly called Hariharalaya).
Though known of by locals, the Kulen’s ancient city was formally rediscovered by explorers in 2012. Starting with a ground expedition and later employing LIDAR technology, Jean-Baptiste Chevance and Damian Evans uncovered Mahendraparvata and several historically important temples, like Prasat O’Paong, which is shaped like a pyramid, with three levels and five towers, similar to those of Angkor Wat.
Poeng Ta Kho is within the Kulen National Park, which requires a separate ticket from the Angkor Archaeological Park. It’s $20 per person if bought at the gate at the entrance to the mountain. Cambodians can enter the park for free (information from november 2023).