Tara Riverboat Floating Village Tour -Explore the Authentic Life on Tonle Sap Lake

Hightlight

  • Visit authentic floating fishing villages

  • Cruise past floating churches, schools, markets & homes

  • Ride comfortably in specially designed traditional boats

  • No road access – all travel done by water for a truly immersive experience

  • Avoid crowds with private, no-waiting riverboat departures

  • Family-friendly: Children under 5yo free.

  • No Scams, all inclusive price.

Itinerary

Queen Tara Floating Village Tour — Itinerary

Experience the beauty and authenticity of Cambodia’s largest floating village on our guided Tara Riverboat tour. Perfect for families, couples, and solo travelers — this scenic, cultural journey showcases stilted homes, floating schools and markets, lakeside temples, and daily life on Tonlé Sap Lake. Every booking supports local lake communities and sustainable development programs.


Quick facts

  • Pickup: 9.00 AM from your Siem Reap hotel

  • Return: ~1200 PM to your hotel

  • Duration: ~3 hours (door-to-door)

  • Boat: Traditional flat-bottomed boats + rest aboard Queen Tara (largest riverboat on the lake)

  • Who it’s for: Families, couples, solo travelers, photographers, culture seekers

  • Included: Hotel pickup & drop-off, guided village cruise, Queen Tara rest break, complimentary drink & fresh fruit, entrance/permit fees, support to local community projects


Full itinerary

9.00 AM — Hotel pickup in Siem Reap
Our friendly driver and guide will pick you up from your Siem Reap hotel. Enjoy a short scenic drive through the countryside en route to the lake.

9:20 AM — Stop at the lotus fields (photo stop)
Stretch your legs and walk among beautiful lotus blooms — a perfect quick photo opportunity (10 minutes).

9:30 AM — Arrive boat dock & board flat-bottomed boat
We’ll arrive at the dock and board our comfortable, stable flat-bottomed boats designed for safe passage through the village canals.

9:30 AM – 10:15 AM — Cruise the floating village
Sail through winding canals past stilted houses, floating schools, markets, fish farms and temples. Your guide will explain daily life on Tonlé Sap and point out highlights — from school boats to local fishing techniques. Learn about the lake’s ecology and the community’s traditions.

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM — Rest aboard the Queen Tara Snacks,drink and Relax)
Board Queen Tara, the largest riverboat on the lake, for a peaceful break. Enjoy a complimentary drink and fresh fruit while watching village life unfold. relax on our many viewing  decks or hammocks and take in the views.

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM — Final cruise back to dock
A gentle cruise back through the lake’s scenic channels toward the dock.

11:30 AM – 12:00 AM — Drive back to Siem Reap; drop-off at hotel
Return to Siem Reap by road — arrive at your hotel around 12:00 AM.


What to bring / tips

  • Lightweight, sun-protective clothing and a hat

  • Sunscreen and sunglasses

  • Comfortable shoes (for quick walk at lotus fields and dock)

  • Small amount of local currency (KHR/USD) for tips or souvenirs

  • Camera with extra battery / memory card — stunning photo opportunities!

Reliability & safety

  • Flat-bottomed boats are stable and can travel in shallow waters

  • Professional, English-speaking guides and life jackets are provided for all guests.

  • We follow strict safety and environmental guidelines to protect the lake and community.


Sustainable impact

Each booking helps fund community projects on Tonlé Sap — schools, clean water, and sustainable fishing initiatives. By choosing this tour you’re directly supporting the lakeside communities and responsible tourism.

Includes & Excludes

    Hotel pick-up & drop-off
    English-speaking guide
    Boat tour cruise with dock with Queen Tara River boat
    complimentary drink & fresh fruits
    All entry fees and taxes
    Life jackets and safety equipment
    Additional drinks or snacks
    Tips and gratuities (optional)

Important Info

Package Relates

$ 38 per person

Lets celebrate a magical Christmas together in a unique Riverboat Cruise on the Great Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap.

$119 per person

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.

$240 Per Person

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.

$28 Per Person

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.

$139 Per Person

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.

$139 Per Person

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.

$165 Per Person

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.

$72 Per Person

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.

$88 per person

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.

$88 per person

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.

$ 38 per person

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.

$38 Per Person

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

$36 Per Person

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.

$32 Per Person

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.
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