Boat in Tonle Sap Lake
Located 17 km outside of Siem Reap is the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake of Southeast Asia.
An abundant fishing lake with murky brown waters, it’s home to crocodile farms, mangrove trees and farms a variety of fish, which feeds about half of Cambodia. The biggest attraction for tourists however, is that it harbors communities of floating villages— boat houses to houses raised upon stilts up to 10 meters high
Life in Chong Khneas floating village
People in these floating village communities make a living off of what the lake provides- fishing, boat making, shrimp farming, crocodile farms, etc… They wash, bathe, swim and fish for dinner in it. It’s a fully-functioning community with watery streets, boats in the place of cars, floating schools, markets, hospital clinics, a generator for electricity.
Kompong Phluk villageYou won’t see any croco farms or children with snakes there, and the boat journey is actually quite scenic and enjoyable. Despite the growing flow of tourists (you’ll understand what we mean when you see the dozens of boats at the dock) , Kompong Phluk has kept a lot of its authenticity and its visit is overall a nice experience.
Located within the floodplains of Tonle Sap, Kompong Phluk is a village of tall stilted houses surrounded by serene flooded mangrove forest. A visit to the village provides a good insight into the way of life of the people whose livelihood depends on the ebb and flow of Tonle Sap Lake. Kompong Phluk will appear different depending on the season you visit.
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