Exploring Banlung, Cambodia’s Waterfalls & Crater Lake

Banlung, Cambodia is known for it’s stunning natural sites & taking treks through the Cambodian jungle. It was all the talks of natural beauty that made us want to visit, and we truly enjoyed wild & free living in Banlung- even though it was crazy, crazy hot!

» Cha Ung Waterfall «

This waterfall is apparently MUCH more impressive in the rainy season, but even in the dry season our first waterfall visit of the day did not disappoint. Even though Cha Ung wasn’t rushing over the edge of the cliff in a roar, it was incredibly peaceful and we enjoyed walking behind & to the edge of these falls. The view on top from the edge was phenomenal.

Behind the falls

at the edge of Cha Ung- what an amazing view!

This very small waterfall feeds into the river that creats Cha Ung Waterfall

» Katieing Waterfall «

Katieing Waterfall was my favorite of the three waterfalls! You could climb to the top of, walk behind and even bathe in this beauty! Plus, there was a little Buddhist shrine under there for people to light incense. I was a little leery of getting in the waterfall because I have a bit of a fear of water that I can’t see the bottom of, or when I don’t know what kind of water creatures live in them, but I ended up getting in and it was a wonderful experience!

After visiting this waterfall we got back in the tuk-tuk and he asked us if we could get out and walk up the hill ourselves because it was too heavy for the tuk-tuk to pull us all up this steep hill! I thought that was kind-of funny.

» Kachanh Waterfall «

This beautiful waterfall reminds of the waterfalls in Havasu Canyon. The way the rock has a beautiful waterfall just flowing over the top. It was simply stunning and there’s this crazy swinging bridge that you can walk across and get a phenomenal view, but it definitely does swing!

» Lake Yeak Laom «

This is Cambodia’s Crater Lake, formed from an inactive volcano. This lake is very clean and is perfectly round. I usually have a bit of a fear of jumping into lakes, but this was so beautiful and there was a group of Cambodian women and children sitting on the dock-like area and I knew I wanted to jump right in.

Something Stacey and I hadn’t read ahead of time is that swimsuits aren’t really a thing in this area. Women & men here swam in their regular clothes and when we showed up in our bikinis we definitely got some strange looks, felt disrespectful and we wish we would’ve known… So, now you know. Regardless, it was a great time.

To the right of the lake was this small Buddhist Temple. It wasn’t anything fancy, but there was a man in there giving blessings and I love seeing Buddhism in practice any chance I can get.

These are examples of traditional huts used by the tribe native to this area. Men & women stayed in taller & shorter huts to keep them separate. 

This was a truly phenomenal day and it was so great to be outside for an entire afternoon. We had spent so much time in cities that my nature-loving soul was ready for a little outdoor adventure. What an exquisite area to explore.

To keep up with my travels in real-time and read more posts and travel articles I find interesting ‘like’ the For the Love of Wanderlust page on Facebook. Simply click HERE.