Highlight of our whole trip
This tour was made spectacular by our tour guide and now friend, San. My friend and I were absolutely blown away by how knowledgeable, warm, funny and passionate he was. I’ve never had a guide care so much about his community and about our experience in it. We lucked out and had no one else on our tour, so we got to do and see so many things thanks to San and our cheerful and willing driver Kaen. We started out taking the boat along the river (quite low as it’s dry season) to see the village of Kompong Phluk, which was both beautiful and impressive to see with the houses towering above us on stilts (the water level rises nearly 20 feet during the rainy season to make it appear to be a “floating village”). After getting out in the village center, San walked us through the history of the community, showing us important buildings and sites. San is a real advocate for this town and because of it, local residents know and love him. A true highlight was getting to meet Sreyoun, a little 8 year old girl who lives in Kompong Phluk that spoke great English and had the most wonderful smile and demeanor. She came running over to say hi to San and meet us. He was so knowledgeable about the entire community and people there, answering every question I had before I could ask it. It is so obvious how much he cares, stopping to help a little girl carry a heavy battery to the recharging station for her.
After visiting the village we got back in the boat to head out past the mangroves into the Tonle Sap lake, where we stopped at a floating building to hop in a much smaller canoe type boat with a local woman to go explore deeper in the mangroves for 30 minutes. This was so neat. Very calm and quiet, gliding among the trees. We even got the check some of her fishing lines with her and brought up some small fish! Despite not speaking any English, we all got along wonderfully and she was incredibly warm and sweet.
Next we headed to the crocodile farm, a nearby float. There was also some local jungle animals, rabbits, and a snake. Cool to see the animals, but I’m not personally a fan of any animal kept in captivity (with the exception of sanctuaries and rescue or preservation zoos).
Finally, we headed back to the river opening where Kaen was waiting for us with the car. After stopping for lunch at an amazing restaurant called The Hut (get the fish amok!) with peaceful gardens and private secluded tables, San had Kaen drive us back to our hotel on a different route so we could see even more of the outskirts of Siem Reap. His level of thought and care he puts into his tours you really can’t find often these days. It’s rare to find a tour guide who CHOOSES to stay out longer and customize stops and routes just so that you can walk away with “a really good experience and appreciation for the people and this place.”
Anything else we do on our trip will be tough to top this. San told us that the Khmer (Cambodian) people have very big hearts, and he is no exception.
Review of: Tonle Sap Lake and Kampong Phluk Half-Day Tours from Siem Reap
Written Feb 17, 2019