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Tonle Sap Lake
Cambodia's great lake, the Tonle Sap is the largest feature on the map of Cambodia. It is a huge body of water stretching across the northwest section of the country. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, swelling to an expanse of 12,000 square km. During the dry half of the year, the Lake shrinks to as small as 2500 square km, draining into the Tonle Sap River, which flows southeast, eventually merging with the Mekong River at the 'chaktomuk' confluence of rivers at Phnom Penh. However, during the wet season a unique hydrologic phenomenon causes the river to reverse direction, filling the lake instead of draining it. The engine of this phenomenon is the Mekong River, which becomes bloated with snow melt and runoff from the monsoon rains in the wet season. The swollen Mekong backs up into the Tonle Sap River at the point where the rivers meet at the 'chaktomuk' confluence, forcing the waters of the Tonle Sap River back upriver into the lake. This reverse flow expands the area of lake more than five-fold, inundating the surrounding forested flood-plain and supporting an extraordinarily rich and diverse eco-system. This environment has more than 100 varieties of water birds, including several threatened and endangered species, over 200 species of fish, crocodiles, turtles, macaques, otters and other wildlife in the inundated mangrove forests. The Lake is also an important commercial resource, providing more than half of all the fish consumed in Cambodia. Living in harmony with this specialized ecosystem, the human occupations at the edges of the lake are similarly distinctive. There are floating villages, towering stilt houses, huge fish traps, and an economy and way of life deeply intertwined with the ecology of the lake, the wildlife, and the cycle of the rise and fall of the water.
The north end of the lake is only about 15 km south of Siem Reap, and there is a boat between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The boat dock nearest to Siem Reap is at the village of Chong Khneas, and boat tours depart from there to see the floating villages and the culture and wildlife of the lake.
Chong Khneas is the floating village at the edge of the lake closest to, and most accessible to Siem Reap. For a relatively quick and easy tour of the Tonle Sap, boat tours depart from Chong Khneas all during the day. There are many tours available from Siem Reap, or you can take a moto or taxi from Siem Reap to the boat docks where there are always boats waiting for passengers. A two-hour boat trip through the floating village runs about $6.00, and boats can carry as many as 15 passengers. You will see the differing Khmer and Vietnamese floating households, floating markets, clinics, schools, and of course other boatloads of tourists. Chong Khneas, while interesting, is heavily visited by tourists and is not as picturesque and 'unspoiled' as other floating villages farther away from Siem Reap. The boat trip usually includes two stops: one at a tourist oriented floating 'fish and bird exhibition' with a souvenir and snack shop, and the other at the very highly recommended Gecko Environment Centre, which has displays and information about the ecology and biodiversity of the lake.
Kampong Phluk is a cluster of three villages of houses on stilts built within the flood-plain of the Tonle Sap about 16 km southeast of Siem Reap. The villages are primarily Khmer and have about 3000 inhabitants in total. Flooded mangrove forest surrounds the area and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including crab-eating macaques. During the dry season when the water level is low, the buildings in the villages seem to soar on top of their 6-meter stilts, and t this time of year many of the villagers move out onto the lake and build temporary stilted houses. In the wet season when water level rises again, the villagers move back to their permanent houses on the flood-plain, with the stilts now hidden by the water. Kampong Phluk's economy is based on fishing, and primarily in shrimp harvesting.
Kampong Phluk has relatively few tourists and offers a close look at the submerged forest and lakeside village life which is as yet undisturbed by tourism. It is reached by boat from Chong Khneas, or by a combination of road and boat. You can make arrangements for a tour through your hotel, guesthouse, or travel agent. For a do-it-yourself tour, you can charter a boat at the Chong Khneas docks starting at $35.00 round-trip for a half-day trip to the village. Going by road and boat, take a car or moto to Roluos Village just off Route #6 east of Siem Reap, and the take a boat through the flooded forest the rest of the way to the village. During the dry season when the road is open, you can drive all the way to the village.
Kampong Khleang is located on the northeast part of the lake, about 35 km east of Siem Reap. It is even more remote and has even fewer visitors than Kampong Phluk. Visitors to Kampong Khleang during the dry season are amazed by the forest of stilted houses rising up to 10 meters in the air. In the wet season the waters rise to within one or two meters of the floor of the buildings. Kampong Khleang is a permanent community within the lake flood-plain, and has an economy based on fishing, and is surrounded by the flooded forest. The population of Kampong Khleang is 10 times larger than the population of Kampong Phluk, making it the largest community on the Lake.
It can also be reached by boat from the Chong Khneas docks, or by road from Siem Reap to Domdek on Route 6, and then by boat to the village. The best way of getting there will depend on the time of year. In the dry season, boats from Chong Khneas cannot go all of the way to the main villages. You should consult your hotel, guesthouse or travel agent regarding current conditions. Many tour operators have little experience in this area, so it is best to consult adventure tour operators that specialize in tours to this area. Small group tours begin at about $35.00 for a half day, and can range up to $70.00 depending on the size of the group and the type of tour. To get there on your own, charter a boat from Chong Khneas, or take a car or moto to Domdek village on Route 6, and turn south and continue to the water's edge where boats wait to ferry passengers into the village. As with Kampong Phluk, you can drive all of the way to the village in the dry season.
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into the lake. This reverse flow expands the area of lake more than five-fold, inundating the surrounding forested flood-plain and supporting an extraordinarily rich and diverse eco-system. This environment has more than 100 varieties of water birds, including several threatened and endangered species, over 200 species of fish, crocodiles, turtles, macaques, otters and other wildlife in the inundated mangrove forests. The Lake is also an important commercial resource, providing more than half of all the fish consumed in Cambodia. Living in harmony with this specialized ecosystem, the human occupations at the edges of the lake are similarly distinctive. There are floating villages, towering stilt houses, huge fish traps, and an economy and way of life deeply intertwined with the ecology of the lake, the wildlife, and the cycle of the rise and fall of the water. 
of the lake.
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hotel, guesthouse, or travel agent. For a do-it-yourself tour, you can charter a boat at the Chong Khneas docks starting at $35.00 round-trip for a half-day trip to the village. Going by road and boat, take a car or moto to Roluos Village just off Route #6 east of Siem Reap, and the take a boat through the flooded forest the rest of the way to the village. During the dry season when the road is open, you can drive all the way to the village.
village. The best way of getting there will depend on the time of year. In the dry season, boats from Chong Khneas cannot go all of the way to the main villages. You should consult your hotel, guesthouse or travel agent regarding current conditions. Many tour operators have little experience in this area, so it is best to consult adventure tour operators that specialize in tours to this area. Small group tours begin at about $35.00 for a half day, and can range up to $70.00 depending on the size of the group and the type of tour. To get there on your own, charter a boat from Chong Khneas, or take a car or moto to Domdek village on Route 6, and turn south and continue to the water's edge where boats wait to ferry passengers into the village. As with Kampong Phluk, you can drive all of the way to the village in the dry season.