Bou Sra Waterfall

Bou Sra Waterfall is a magnificent sight, tumblingthrough a gorge set in the jungle near the Bunong town of Bou Sra. It can now be reached by a 35 kilometre road that is now virtually paved all the way from Sen Monorom, cutting the journey time down to around half an hour, depending on your driving. The non-paved sections are still quite tricky, and need to be approached carefully (slowly). As you approach Bou Sra, you’ll spot coffee and pepper plantations along the way. We did visit at perhaps the worst possible time. The dramatic three-stage falls create a natural and relatively safe

swimming pool, which is popular with both locals and visitors alike during the warmer months. Beautiful nature photography is a possibility here, as is just hanging out and enjoying lunch in a relatively pristine and quiet piece of natural Cambodia. Sadly, when we visited in April 2016 in the midst of the second annual drought in a row to hit Cambodia, the falls were reduced to not much more than a trickle. Locals said they had never seen the falls reduced to such a low level. But there were still plenty of families picnicking, snapping selfies, and generally enjoying themselves under the shady trees.The site is managed by the owners of the Mayura, who have put in a visitors’ centre, proper walkways and the highest zipline in the region. They’ve also instituted a waste-management system, so the spot is mercifully free from the great piles of plastic that tend to accumulate on other Cambodian beauty spots.