Experience Siem Reap’s Most Stunning Sunset onboard the Queen Tara Riverboat
Hightlight
- Convenient Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off
- Explore the Authentic Floating Village
- Guided Tour with Local Insight
- Scenic Boat Ride on Tonle Sap Lake
- Stunning Sunset Views
- Unlimited drinks on board the Queen Tara River Boat
- Buffet Dinner or fixed menu on the Queen Tara River Boat
- Perfect Photo Opportunities
Itinerary
🌅 Sunset Dinner Cruise Itinerary – Queen Tara Riverboat
The Largest Riverboat on the Largest Freshwater Lake in Southeast Asia
Experience the most stunning sunsets over the Great Tonle Sap Lake as you explore Cambodia’s famous floating villages aboard the legendary Queen Tara Riverboat. Enjoy open bar, all-you-can-eat buffet, expert local guides, and the unbeatable space and comfort that only the largest riverboat on the lake can offer.
🕒 Tour Start Time: 3:30 PM – Hotel Pickup
Your Sunset Cruise adventure begins when our friendly, English-speaking guide picks you up from your hotel or guesthouse in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle or tuk tuk.
Along the scenic countryside drive to the port, your guide will introduce you to local culture, daily life, and points of interest.
3:50 PM – Lotus Flowers Farm (Seasonal Stop)
We stop briefly to admire Cambodia’s beautiful lotus flower farms, take photos, and, when in season, visit the Lotus Silk Farm to learn about the spiritual importance and many uses of the lotus plant in Khmer life.
4:00 PM – Arrive at Port & Board the Mini-Tara Boat
On arrival, you will board one of our Mini-Tara long-tail boats, all hand-built by expert craftsmen from the floating villages.
• Safe & stable
• Life jackets provided
• Locally trained drivers
• Comfortable seating
Your scenic river journey begins as you cruise from the waterways into the floating villages.
4:30 PM – Floating Crocodile & Fish Farm Stop
Learn about traditional lake trades at the crocodile and fish farm. Not into crocs?
Browse the small souvenir shop or head to the viewing deck for panoramic photos.
4:45 PM – Cruise Through the Floating Villages
Enjoy a peaceful and authentic journey through the floating fishing villages, part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. You’ll see:
• Floating homes
• Floating markets & shops
• Floating schools, churches & spirit houses
• Floating vegetable gardens
• Floating basketball courts
• Police & gas stations on water
• Generations-old fishing communities older than Angkor Wat
This is a mesmerizing and moving look into a world with no roads, where daily life happens atop the water.
5:15 PM – Board the Queen Tara Riverboat
Your Mini-Tara docks with the Queen Tara Riverboat, your grand floating restaurant for the evening.
The Queen Tara offers:
• 3 spacious decks
• 2 bars & 2 kitchens
• 5 western toilets
• Hammocks & lounge seating
• Unrestricted sunset views
• Free onboard WiFi
• 100% solar-powered eco operation
• Organic vegetables grown onboard
• Fully licensed, insured & safety-equipped
Only official Tara guests can board — beware of anyone claiming otherwise.
5:20 PM – All-You-Can-Drink Open Bar
Relax with unlimited drinks:
Cocktails | Wines | Spirits | Beers | Champagne | Juices | Soft drinks | Water
All free-flow, all included.
5:30 PM – Sunset Dinner Buffet on the Queen Tara
Enjoy a generous buffet dinner or fixed menu featuring:
• Khmer favorites
• Asian dishes
• Western options
• Organic & locally grown ingredients
• Vegetarian options available
Sit back and enjoy the comfort and space of the largest boat on the lake while other guests on small boats pass by enviously.
5:45 PM – Sunset on the Great Tonle Sap Lake
The highlight of the tour.
With completely open views from our massive upper deck, you’ll have the best sunset vantage point in Siem Reap.
Whether it’s a golden blaze across the water or dramatic cloud formations, every evening offers a unique and unforgettable sky show.
Enjoy:
• Hammocks
• Viewing decks
• Photo ops at the captain’s wheel
• Peaceful lake breezes
• Friendly local crew (all from the floating villages)
6:45 PM – Depart the Queen Tara Riverboat
After a relaxing and memorable evening, return to the Mini-Tara for your short cruise back to port,seeing the floating villages at night is awesome.
7:00 PM – Return Transfer
Your driver meets you at the port to take you directly:
• Back to your hotel, or
• Drop-off at Pub Street / Night Market upon request.
🌟 Why Choose the Queen Tara Sunset Dinner Cruise?
✓ Largest riverboat on the Tonle Sap Lake
✓ Best sunset views & most spacious decks
✓ Open bar – cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, champagne
✓ Buffet dinner with Asian & Western dishes
✓ English-speaking guides
✓ Locally staffed crew (supporting floating village families)
✓ Zero scams – no hidden fees
✓ Free hotel pickup & return
✓ Private vessel — no overcrowding
✓ 100% solar-powered, eco-friendly
✓ Supports education & environmental projects in the floating villages
✓ Safe, insured boats with life jackets and backup support
🌙 Optional Overnight Stay
A limited number of cabins are available for guests who wish to experience a peaceful overnight stay on the lake.
Please request at the time of booking.
Includes & Excludes
River cruise on the Tonle Sap Lake
Buffet or fixed menu dinner
Unlimited drinks ,Beers, soft drinks, cocktails,spirits, wines ect
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
English-speaking tour guide
Life jackets and safety equipment
Scenic photo opportunities
Best sunset views
Personal expenses
Tips and gratuities (optional)
Important Info
- $38 Per Person
- 3:30pm - 7:30pm
- 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