Last updated on June 9th, 2024 at 01:04 pm

The Angkor temples will end up making it to your Siem Reap itinerary by default. How about also adding a boat ride through the Tonle Sap floating villages of Cambodia?

Tonle Sap is Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. And Tonle Sap’s tributaries are home to thousands of residents, many of who are not legally eligible to buy property on Cambodian land. They build their houses on wooden stilts, which are anywhere from 10-20 feet above the ground. 

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Best Season to visit the Floating villages near Siem Reap

During the rainy season (June to September), the water level rises, and the stilts of these houses go underwater, giving an illusion of floating houses. Tonle Sap lake swells up in the rainy season, giving an illusion of the sea.

However, in the dry season, which is when we went, i.e., January, the water level was very low, and the stilts were clearly visible. TIP: You’ll actually see the houses floating only in the rainy season; in winter, you’ll see the stilts as we did.

Which Floating Village to visit in Cambodia

These three are the more popular floating villages near Siem Reap –

Chong Khneas 

Before going to Siem Reap my research showed that Chong Khneas was nothing but a tourist trap. Our local tuk-tuk driver also agreed when we asked for his recommendation.

Chong Khneas still tends to be the most popular of the villages amongst tourists. It’s is about 16 Kms from Siem Reap’s city center and takes about 45 minutes to get here. Unfortunately, the entire profit goes to the private boat company while the village benefits little to none from the tours. 

Kampong Khleang 

Also commonly called Kompong Khleang, this is the largest of the floating villages in terms of the inhabitants. It is 51 Kms away from Siem Reap, being the farthest it takes over an hour to get here. Hence it is the least visited of all the villages.

The best thing about this floating village is that all the tour boats are owned by the locals. Therefore, all the sales generated from Kompong Khleang tours directly benefits the village.

Kampong Phluk (The one we visited)

Kampong Phluk is also one of the lesser-visited floating villages. It is 32 Kms from Siem Reap and takes about an hour to get here. You can either make a half-day trip to this floating village or follow our Siem Reap itinerary and make this a full day with the temples of Prasat Bakong.

Unfortunately, the boats at Kompong Phluk is also run by a private company. But since there are lesser tourists, the village is thankfully not as commercial as Chong Khneas. 

The boat ride through the floating village ends in Tonle Sap Lake. On the way, you not only pass through the floating village of Kampong Phluk but also the mangroves eco-system of the lake.

We saw kids playing around and jumping in the water on the way. There were no rice-buying scams pulled on us like the one I heard in Chong Khneas. The kids were just very happy to wave at us. 

The adults had probably gone fishing which is the primary occupation in these floating villages.

The local boat driver did not speak English very well so he couldn’t answer a lot of our questions about life in the villages. TIP: Be prepared to not get a “tour guide” as a part of this boat tour.

How to get to Kampong Phluk Floating Village

We hired a tuk-tuk for our day 2 of Siem Reap excursions to visit Prasat Bakong temples in the morning followed by the floating village. You also get to see the Cambodian villages on your way till you reach the ticket counter. The boat ticket we paid was $25/person not including our transportation i.e. tuk-tuk.

The entire path to Kompong Phluk village after the ticket counter is all unpaved dirt road. TIP: I would recommend hiring an AC car to get to the floating village if you are not on a budget. In fact, I’d say book one of these more cost-effective tours which include hotel pick up and drop-off in an AC car –

• Kompong Phluk Floating village tour from Siem Reap – $38/person
• Kompong Phluk half-day tour – $21/person
• Tonle Sap Sunset dinner cruise plus floating village tour – $38/person

Since the Cambodian tuk-tuk is nothing but a carriage tied to a motorcycle, the ride gets very bumpy on the dirt road. And not to mention, the dust itself which wasn’t a wise choice for someone like me who is allergic to dust particles.  Tip: Definitely ask for face masks at the ticket counter if you are riding a tuk-tuk on this stretch.

The boat is a traditional Cambodian style with an almost deafening engine at the back if I’m being honest. I am sitting at the nose of the boat in most photos not only because it was the coolest but also the quietest spot. 

Sunset in Floating Village and Tonle Sap Lake 

Without a doubt, Sunset is the best time to visit floating villages in Siem Reap. 

It can take about 30 minutes or more to pass Kompong Phluk and get to the lake depending on the speed of your boat.

Hence, start your boat ride at least an hour before sunset. You do not want to miss the sun dipping into the Tonle Sap lake. It was just the kind of ending we needed for our Cambodia trip.

Hope you enjoyed this photoblog and it will come handy in your visit to the floating village in Cambodia. Don’t forget to share along!

Read Next: Important tips before going for sunrise at Angkor Wat

Happy Traveling!