How to Visit Busara Falls

Level 1: Crowded yet lovely

When you watch Khmer music videos, Cambodia's finest glories are commonly and glorious featured. This includes shots to seafood, the the largest bridges in the country (albeit financed by China), a strange "modern" place known as "Diamond Island," rice fields, and often Cambodia's largest waterfall. (Apparently there is also a folk song about Cambodia's largest waterfall, but I don't speak Khmer so how would I know.)

Busara Falls (this is how I decide to spell it) is located in Mondlekiri Province. Mondlekiri is home to many waterfalls and not many people. It's also quite popular with Khmer tourists who are anxious to enjoy arguably Cambodia's most beautiful province. Mondlekiri and Busara are not common destinations for Western tourists given it's very remote location.

Level 1: Features swimming options

Busara Falls is about 43 kilometers from the capital town Sen Monorom. You can either rent a car or rent a moto to get out. A trip by moto is impossible during the rainy season, because there are two long stretches of dirt road. If you go in mid-May as I did this time around, a moto trip is a beautiful excursion and takes about an hour.

There are two levels of falls. The first is approximately 15 meters long and 20 meters high. This is easily accessible and extremely popular with Khmer tourists. Busara is located in a tight ravine, so the concentration of people in a small area feels suffocating. One should never go over a national holiday. I went over the King's Birthday and there were buses in the parking lot with hundreds of visitors.

Level 2: The Best One

Given that there are few safety regulations in this part of the world, you can also swim directing in the huge waterfall, which many people do! People enjoy swimming in the falls, BBQing and picnicking next to the falls, and dressing up in the traditional clothing of ethnic minorities and posing by the falls (ie. imagine paying to dress as a Native American and standing in front of Mount Rushmore, you get the picture). Cambodians in general truly love taking pictures and Busara is a prime destination for posing and flashing the bunny-ears fingers. Overall, it is a pleasure to see people taking joy in the beauty their country offers.

The ladder down to the second level

The second level is further down the river and hardly accessible. You have to drive over the top of the falls, trek through a "path" in the woods, climb several hundred feet down a ladder, and viola, you have found arguably one of the most perfectly beautiful spots in all of Cambodia. Few people make it this far, because it's truly nearly impossible. It's by far more beautiful than the first level, and is around 24 meters across and 20 meters high. This is a highly enjoyable experience as most people don't realize accessibility is an option, and even fewer would make the trip even if they did. It's a perfect place for a picnic and a lay in the sun.

While it's far away and in a remote corner of Cambodia, Busara certainly warrants a visit. However, please don't dress up as an ethnic minority. Just think of the humiliation if you ever ran for public office and those pictures surfaced.