Tonlé Sap Multi-Day Adventure: Floating Villages, Flooded Forest & Prek Toal
Hightlight
- Convenient Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off
- Explore the Authentic Floating and stilted Villages
- Discover the flooded forest.
- Guided Tour with Local Insight
- Scenic Boat Ride on Tonle Sap Lake
- Stunning Sunset Views
- Perfect Photo Opportunities
Itinerary
**Multi-Day Lake Discovery & Exploration Cruise
Tonlé Sap Lake • Flooded Forest • Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary
(From Siem Reap)**
The most exciting and immersive way to discover the Tonlé Sap Lake.
This multi-day exploration cruise is designed for intrepid travelers, nature lovers, and anyone wanting to experience Cambodia’s floating world in the most authentic way possible.
From stilted villages to flooded forests, from sunset dinners on the Queen Tara to sunrise birdwatching with expert guides — this is a journey into a world few visitors ever get to see.
🌅 Day 1 — Floating Villages, Flooded Forest & Sunset Dinner Cruise
1:00 PM — Hotel Pick-Up
Your adventure begins with a comfortable pick-up from your Siem Reap hotel in an air-conditioned company minivan or tuk-tuk.
1:40 PM — Arrive at Kompong Phluk
Board your traditional Tara long-tail boat and glide into the famous Flooded Forest. Explore towering mangroves, stilted homes, and the serene waterways that define Kompong Phluk unique river culture.
3:00 PM — Cruise Across the Great Tonlé Sap Lake
Sail across Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. Discover the rhythms of life on the water as you pass floating villages, fish farms, floating schools, and family homes.
5:00 PM — Arrive at the Queen Tara Riverboat
Check in to your private floating cabin aboard the majestic Queen Tara, equipped with en-suite bathrooms, hot water, fans, Wi-Fi, and clean 24-hour green solar power.
5:30 PM — Sunset Dinner on Queen Tara
Take in one of the most stunning sunsets in Cambodia. Enjoy a full dinner with unlimited drinks as the sky transforms over the lake. A peaceful, unforgettable night.
Overnight — Queen Tara Riverboat
Sleep under the stars in the heart of the floating villages — the only legally licensed home-stay cruise on the lake.
🐦 Day 2 — Prek Toal Village & Bird Sanctuary Expedition
6:00 AM — Sunrise on the Lake
Wake to the stillness of first light — the best time for spotting rare birds before the heat of the day.
6:30 AM — Breakfast on Queen Tara
Light breakfast served before departure.
7:00 AM — Long-Tail Cruise to Prek Toal
Travel along the scenic Sangkor River toward the protected wetlands of Prek Toal — Cambodia’s most important bird sanctuary.
8:00 AM — Prek Toal Floating Village Visit
Explore this remote floating community, learning how families live on the water year-round. Experience a world untouched by modern time.
9:00 AM — Bird Sanctuary Guided Tour
Led by our expert bird guides and accompanied by official rangers.
Spot endangered and migratory species such as:
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Painted Storks
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Greater & Lesser Adjutants
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Black-headed Ibises
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Milky Storks
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Purple Herons
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And many more seasonal visitors
This is the premier birding location in Cambodia — a dream for serious wildlife enthusiasts.
12:00 PM — Lunch Included
Enjoy a final lunch on the lake before returning to the Queen Tara.
1:00 PM — Begin Return to Siem Reap
A relaxing journey back across the great lake and along the river.
3:00 PM — Drop-Off at Your Hotel
Arrive back in Siem Reap with unforgettable memories of Cambodia’s floating world.
What’s Included — No More to Pay
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Hotel pick-up & drop-off (A/C minivan or tuk-tuk)
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All boat transfers (Tara long-tail boats + village boats and Rangers boat)
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All government checkpoint & park fees
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Professional local English-speaking Tara guide
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Expert bird guides
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Ranger fees at Prek Toal
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3 meals (Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch) + unlimited drinks
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Overnight stay aboard the Queen Tara Riverboat
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24-hour solar power, ensuite rooms, hot water, Wi-Fi
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Zero scams — just honest service with a smile
Why Choose Tara Riverboat Tours?
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Only licensed operator offering guided home-stays on the Great Lake
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We own all our boats — no waiting for public boats
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Ethical, community-supporting tourism
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Professional, safe, reliable team
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Authentic & unforgettable lake experiences
- 24 years of experience
Sail Into Another World
A world time seems to have forgotten.
A world of floating villages, forests, birds, and endless water.
Join the Tara Riverboat for the ultimate Tonlé Sap adventure.
Includes & Excludes
River cruise and lake tour cruise with Tara Riverboat tours
Dinner and breakfast and lunch unlimited drinks
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
English-speaking tour guide
Life jackets and safety equipment
Scenic photo opportunities
Personal expenses
Tips and gratuities (optional)
Important Info
- $240 Per Person
- 1:00 PM -3:00 PM Next day
- Siem Reap
Package Relates
Lets celebrate a magical Christmas together in a unique Riverboat Cruise on the Great Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap.
- 4pm to 8.30pm
- Siem Reap
You will be picked up at your Hotel in Siem Reap or Battambang by our Tara lake guide just prior to 7:30 AM and be taken to our boat, we pick up in either tuk tuks or cars or mini vans depending on number of guests, the boats we use for this tour have western toilets on board, fully covered and comfortable seating for your comfort, luggage is not a problem, the cruise itself is awesome, lots to see along the way of this beautiful Sangkor River, as the only way to these villages are by boat, its basically untouched over time, You will enter a time forgotten, numerous sights and sounds, wildlife a plenty, water buffalo, jumping fish, the odd Siamese Crocodile, large endangered water birds, so many sights to see, once in a life time cruise, adventure and a real eye opener, numerous floating villages, Pergolas, fishing in the traditional ways and much more, your journey will be a life memory that few get to enjoy, be guided throughout your tour by a qualified local Tara Riverboat guides, who will explain all the sights and how the communities work, yes most of our guides are from the lake and floating villages, so can give a great in-sight into daily life, cruising the famous Sangkor River passing rice paddies, traditional villages and local areas. As no road exist here everything has to travel via boats, children going to floating schools, market shopping, community centers, all by boats, Along the way, discover traditional lifestyles, enjoy magnificent landscapes and experience rural Cambodia.
- 7.30am - 4.30pm
- Siem Reap - Battambong
2 days & 1 Night Lake Discovery and exploration cruise is the most exciting, interesting and amazing way to discover the Great Tonle Sap Lake, Flooded Forest, Floating villages and the most famous Bird sanctuary at Prek Toal. this is the area rare and endangered large water birds seasonally migrate for their nesting.
- 1:00 PM -3:00 PM Next day
- Siem Reap
Escape the city, tour the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers and watch the sunset over Phnom Penh whilst relaxing on the Mekong Tara Prince. We cruise by the Royal Palace before turning into the Mekong River towards Silk Island, passing the floating villages all from the comfort of the top decks enjoying the included BBQ and drinks. Once owned by the Prince of Cambodia, this beautiful boat has been refurbished to offer comfort and style ensuring a perfect journey, and its unique double hull enables us to navigate areas other river boats cannot.
Come and join us as we escape the hustle and bustle of the city of Phnom Penh and cruise up the Tonle sap river and join the mighty Mekong River to watch the sunset over Phnom Penh. whilst relaxing on the special Mekong Tara Prince. (Once owned by the Royal Family) Please note, we have 2 boats currently in Phnom Penh, they take in turns to operate daily.
- 5:00pm - 7:00pm
- Phnom Penh
This is an exciting and different way to travel, we Cruise/land tour, we go both ways Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and Siem Reap to Phnom Penh Daily. Travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap has always been difficult due to the ever-changing water levels on the Tonle Sap Lake, even in the wet season when the water levels are high enough you have other issues, low lying bridges,making the riverboats unable to pass, storms on the lake that can make the crossing treacherous. fishing nets and water hyacinth are also issues, the sheer boredom of crossing the lake as there is nothing to see apart from vast swathes of water, not anymore.
- 7:30am - 4.30pm
- Siem Reap - Phnom Penh
his is an exciting and different way to travel, we Cruise/land tour, we go both ways Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and Siem Reap to Phnom Penh Daily. Travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap has always been difficult due to the ever-changing water levels on the Tonle Sap Lake, even in the wet season when the water levels are high enough you have other issues, low lying bridges,making the riverboats unable to pass, storms on the lake that can make the crossing treacherous. fishing nets and water hyacinth are also issues, the sheer boredom of crossing the lake as there is nothing to see apart from vast swathes of water, not anymore.
- 7:30am - 4.30pm
- Phnom Penh-Siem Reap
The bird sanctuary at Prek Toal is one of the wonders of Southeast Asia, with the abundance of fish it attracts thousands upon thousands of rare and endangered water birds, on the freshwater lake and flooded forests and mangroves, (see bird list below), The most common bird species we see are the Spot billed Pelicans, Open billed storks, Chinese Pond Herons, Terns, Egrets.
- 6:00am - 3:00pm
Take a break from visiting temples and experience the amazing floating fishing villages and Stilted villages homes of Kompong Khleang on a day tour from Siem Reap. Enjoy the scenery on the boat ride (traditional long tail type) and meet the children and teachers at the local floating school. Our guide for this tour is actually from this same village, so can give you a great insight as to how the village operates. This village receives very few visitors as its 50km from Siem Reap, but certainly worth the extra effort, the trip out to the village is also interesting as we visit the local brick making kilns, a few stops on route also to explore the countryside, rice fields and taste of the sticky rice.
Don’t miss this opportunity to visit the unique and remote floating fishing village of Kompong Khleang, as Kompong Phluk, Kompong Khleang is mainly made up of stilted homes raising some 10 meters high, however does also have a small floating village, but not a large one like the floating villages of Chong khneas, its located on the Northeast of the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and the richest fishing lake in the World. The Tonle Sap is a unique ecological hotspot. Kompong Khleang is situated around 50km from Siem Reap. (Please note Kompong Khleang does not have a flooded forest as does Kompong Phluk, but it is a much larger village.
- 8:30am - 3:00pm
- Siem Reap
Does it get any better than this? Watching a magnificent sunset over the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia on board a 100-year-old ex-cargo boat. This unique cruise (Voted best in Siem Reap) is only available through Tara Riverboat tours and is the best way to experience 2 very different types of floating and stilted villages whilst also crossing the Great Tonle Sap Lake and enjoying a full buffet dinner (or fixed menu) and all-inclusive drinks (Includes Champagne, wines from Australia, beers, cocktails, spirits, soft drinks and water)on board our famous Queen Tara, (Queen Tara is the largest by far riverboat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest fresh water lake in S.E Asia). We depart your hotel just before 1.30pm, (our lake guide will meet you in your hotel or guesthouse foyer/reception area). and head to the docking station of Kompong Phluk where our traditional flat-bottomed boat will be waiting to cruise you through the floating villages and stilted villages and into the township of Kompong Phluk.
- 1:00pm - 7:30pm
- Siem Reap
Exploring 2 very different floating villages and fishing villages is a great way to experience and get a better understanding of how the villages work on the greatest fresh water lake in S.E Asia, the Tonle Sap lake, the first village is a true floating village whereas the second village (Kompong Phluk or Kampong Phluk) is home mainly to stilted homes and the famous flooded forest, this tour also includes the crossing of the Tonle Sap lake so we are able to explore more than just the different villages.
- 10:00am - 4.30pm
- Siem Reap
Our exploring journey to Kompong Phluk or Kampong Phluk (same village, different spelling) floating villages and stilted homes is one of our most popular , and after 20 years of conducting this cruise tour, we know of all the great places to visit, in fact some of our guides for this tour was actually born here, makes it even more exciting for our guests, we leave Siem Reap just before 8:30 am, or 2.30pm two difference daily (our Tara riverboat lake guide will meet you in your hotel or guesthouse foyer area)and travel (via a/c car or tuk tuk ) south/east through small beautiful rural villages and rice fields towards the great lake. Depending on the time of year and the current water levels we go as far as we can by road where our boats will be waiting for you. We travel the rest of the way by boat down the Kompong Phluk river and into the main fishing village.
- 8:30am - 1:00pm or 2.30pm to 7pm
- Siem Reap
Unique cruise tours in and around the local floating fishing villages and lake with floating houses, markets, police stations (even a floating jail), floating churches, floating vegetable gardens, floating markets, floating basketball courts, floating police stations, floating health care centers, complete floating villages & schools
- 3:30pm - 7:30pm
- Siem Reap
Best cruise tour of the floating fishing villages and lakes with floating homes, churches, floating markets, floating police stations, floating petrol stations, yes floating villages & schools (you name it, the village seems to have it) i guess that is why a lot of people refer to this village as the water village– then chill out on the Queen Tara Riverboat with lunch (Vegetarian options available) and 2 refreshing cold drinks, all free as part of the cruise tour. All our staff from cooks, to Captain, boat drivers and bar staff were born in this unique floating village, so can certainly answer any questions in regard to village life, described as (simply the best floating villages tour in Siem Reap) Trip advisor. ( best floating villages cruise is with the Tara boat guys) Lonely Planets.
- 10:00am-2:00pm
- Siem Reap
This is the largest true floating villages in Cambodia, sometimes called the water villages its home to some 6000 people, its a true floating fishing village, in fact it’s actually 2 villages in one, as our very professional Tara lake guides will point out.
- 9:00am-12:00am/Noon
- Siem Reap