Tonle Sap Lake and Kampong Phluk Half-Day Tours from Siem Reap (4-5h)

We were picked up on time about 7.30 am and taken with 6 others to the lake in air con van. On the way our guide, SAN, gave us a very informative talk about the history of Cambodia- he had personal experience of the Khmer Rouge atrocities and had also worked on the princess Diana project for clearing land mines and was clearly very passionate about his country. We arrived at the floating village and SAN guided us through, explaining how the money from tourism was helping to build a medical centre and road for the inhabitants. We got on the boat and went down the river to the lake which was truly amazing. We stopped at a pontoon where we could take a small boat with a local lady ($5) who rowed us through the flooded forest then back to another pontoon where you could see the crocodile farm. Then back on our boat and back to the van. A superb way to spend the morning and SAN was so professional, highly recommended. Ali and Fiona

This trip was one of my favourite days in Cambodia. I went during dry season and it was amazing to walk through the village and see the stilted houses. Don't worry, you still get a boat ride and you go out to a floating cafe on the lake, so you will still get the entire floating village experience. I would highly recommend this tour! As a solo traveller, San went out of his way to make me feel involved and ensure I was having a good day. Thanks for going the extra mile!!

My husband and I were picked up from our hotel at 2.00 pm and the mini bus continued to pick up other passengers. In total there were 11 of us wanting to see the floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake. Our tour guide, SAN, was extremely knowledgeable and very professional in his approach. San was also very helpful to my husband (who has nerve damage to his feet) and assisted him on and off the boat. We disembarked at the village centre and walked past all the stilt houses. I had taken some books and pencils and SAN introduced me to the founder of the village school. The school requires volunteers to teach the children English if anyone is interested. We then continued our boat cruise out onto the lake and watched the beautiful sunset. The road trip to and from the lake was all part of the experience as which we thoroughly enjoyed. A big thank you to SAN who made the trip such a wonderful experience.

Great Trip. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a great job teaching us about the areas we visited. Highly recommend this 1/2 day tour.

We booked this not realizing that we were in the dry season, and then I read reviews that made it sound less than worthwhile if it isn't the wet season. I disagree. This tour isn't about water/land - it is about seeing villages and interacting with locals in a meaningful way. Our tour guide, San, was wonderful! Excellent English language skills and a pleasure to spend the time with. He was careful to make sure our group was comfortable throughout. The water level was pretty low on the canals. We still got to see the village from the water before walking into the village. We saw the temple, school children playing outside. Women in the village sold us packs of reading books which we could then hand out to the many kids playing near the school. Our guide did suggest that they get too many of the books with all of the tours coming through - so we do wonder if this was more for the appearance of do gooding or if there isn't a scam at play - but the cost was minimal and my kids enjoyed the act of philanthropy despite its legitimacy/need. We loved getting to talk with the kids who are studying English in an after school program run by the Pagna Cambodian Educational Fund (an NGO). Their fluency was impressive! Walking through the village was the best part of this excursion - witnessing villagers in their every day life and learning about their culture from our guide was amazing. After that, we got back on our boat and headed out to the lake. There is the option of getting in a canoe to go through the mangroves. It cost $5 per person, and was nothing special. In hindsight that was $25 we'd rather have not spent. The women rowing the canoe asks for a tip (the ride was very short and she's stopped at other boats selling you drinks and trinkets, and more books for the children, and those vendors encourage you to buy your boat rower something too.) It felt like a made up money making opportunity. Then you end up on a floating "restaurant" where you see crocodiles. It was kind of sad for us as we are not fans of animal tourism and these crocs don't have much space. After about 30 minutes sitting around here, we get back on our boat and head out into the lake to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous! The return by boat is short as we could board the car close to the village (thanks to it being the dry season). If you enjoy learning about culture, I highly recommend this excursion!

We did the 2pm tour 12/29- apparently, even though it’s the wet season, the area is fairly dry and water levels are still low. Nonetheless, it was a really interesting tour; saw the lush countryside and rice fields, took a power boat to the local church and a neighborhood of these stilt homes, took the optional row boat to the floating restaurant and saw the beginning of the sunset- The tour was made special and memorable due to our guide Nak- such a lovely and knowledgeable leader. He is a real gem and he truly made the day. I highly recommend.

Es war eine gut organisierte und interessante Tour mit Chhoub. Er hat uns schon auf dem Hinweg viel über die Geschichte und das heutige Leben von dem kambodschanischen Volk erzählt. Bei der Bootfahrt hat mat auch schöne Bilder zu sehen bekommen. Danach folgte der Spaziergang durch das Fischerdorf Kampong Phlug bis zu einer Pagoda wo man uns abgeholt hat. Zum Schluss haben wir noch bei den Reisfeldern angehalten um paar schöne Bilder zu machen. Sehr zu empfehlen. :))

Our guide Choub was really friendly, informative and humorous. The afternoon was so interesting - seeing the stilted houses (in the dry season), the way people love and the structure of the houses. The boat took is further out onto the lake where we saw crocodiles (caged) and had great views over the extensive lake. Walked through the village on foot, past village life and to the temple. Choub was very enthusiastic and super informative. A quick stop on the way home to see the rice fields. A great tour - recommended!

Interesante ver la construcción de sus casas teniendo en cuenta los meses de lluvias y los secos que provocan una gran diferencia de nivel de agua. El criadero de cocodrilos es muy turístico aunque interesante.