Tonle Sap Floating Villages
★ 4.5🇰🇭 Siem ReapSuggested visit Half a dayBest season November to March, the dry season, with stable water levels
Floating villagesLakeLocal life
Floating villages on the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, where houses, schools and markets all sit on water.
Overview
Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, expanding several times over in the wet season. Villages such as Kompong Khleang and Kompong Phluk stand on water or on tall stilts, and their residents move with the water level — houses, schools, shops and even basketball courts float or perch high. Boats run from Siem Reap to see the floating life, fish processing and crocodile farms.
History
The lake level rises and falls with the Mekong flood, creating a distinctive seasonal way of life; the villages have long depended on fishing and have added visitor facilities as tourism grew.
Highlights
- •Floating houses and schools
- •The stilted villages
- •Boats through the waterways
- •Fish processing and crocodile farms
Practical tips
- •Water levels differ greatly between seasons, changing the route
- •Avoid giving money to children; support organised community projects
Practical information
- Best time
- November-March
- Tickets
- Tours about USD 20-30 per person
- Opening hours
- Tours roughly 8:00-17:00
- Local food
- Grilled lake fish, Khmer curry, fish amok
- Getting around
- About 30 to 45 minutes by road from Siem Reap to the jetty, then by boat.
- Visa
- A visa is required, available as an e-visa or on arrival.
Traveller reviews
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