Authentic Siem Reap: Floating Village & Riverboat Experience
Hightlight
- Convenient Hotel Pick-Up & Drop-Off
- Authentic Floating Villages discovery
- Scenic Boat Cruise
- Relax on the Queen Tara Riverboat
- Lunch/drinks included on the Queen Tara Riverboat
- Knowledgeable English-Speaking Guide
- Family Friendly – Kids under 10 yo are half-price, and children under 5 yo are free.
- Support Local Communities
Itinerary
Floating Villages & Queen Tara Riverboat Cruise
The Best Floating Village Tour in Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake
Tour Overview
Experience the most authentic Floating Village Tour on Tonle Sap Lake, just 10km from Siem Reap. Explore floating homes, schools, markets, churches and more—an entire community living on the water. Then relax aboard the iconic Queen Tara Riverboat with a freshly prepared lunch and two complimentary cold drinks.
Local guides who were born in this village will share real-life stories and answer all your questions about life on the lake.
Rated: “Simply the best floating villages tour in Siem Reap.” – TripAdvisor
Tour Highlights
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Explore the Floating Fishing Villages by boat
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See floating homes, schools, churches, markets & more
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Learn about life on the water from local village-born guides
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Cruise onto the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia
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Relax aboard the Queen Tara Riverboat
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Enjoy lunch + 2 free cold drinks
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Hotel pickup & drop-off included
Itinerary – Floating Villages cruise & Queen Tara floating Riverboat Restaurant
10:00 AM – Hotel Pickup
Your guide collects you from your hotel in Siem Reap in an air-conditioned vehicle or tuk tuk. Begin your journey through the Cambodian countryside toward the Tonle Sap Lake.
10:20 AM – Lotus fields Visit
A quick stop to enjoy the peaceful lotus fields, a beautiful place for photos and a glimpse into local rural life,your guide will here explain the importance and the many uses of the Lotus Flower and plant.
10:30 AM – Arrive at the Boat Dock
Board one of our comfortable, smaller boats designed to explore the narrow waterways of the Floating Fishing Villages.
10:30–11:30 AM – Cruise Through the Floating Villages
See daily life on the water, including:
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Floating homes
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Floating markets & shops
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Floating schools & churches
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Floating police & petrol stations
Your guide—born in this very village—shares stories and insights into life on the Tonle Sap.
11:30 AM – Arrive at the Queen Tara Riverboat
Step aboard the historic Queen Tara, the largest boat on the lake.
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM – Lunch, Drinks & Relaxation
Enjoy:
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A tasty Khmer or Western lunch (vegetarian options available)
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Two complimentary cold drinks
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Time to relax on the shaded decks or in the cool indoor lounge
Take in the peaceful views across the Tonle Sap and floating communities. Our Queen Tara Riverboat has many viewing decks,western toilets,soft music and attentive staff.
1:00 PM – Cruise Back Through the Floating Villages
Reboard your boat and return through the village, offering more great photo opportunities and a final look at daily life on the water.
1:30 PM – Arrive Back at the Boat Dock
Meet your driver for the return trip to Siem Reap.
2:00 PM – Hotel Drop-Off
Arrive back at your hotel in Siem Reap after an unforgettable half-day experience.
- Tour Details
Duration:
Approx. 4 hours (hotel to hotel)
Includes:
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Hotel pickup & drop-off
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All boat transfers
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Floating Village tour
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Queen Tara Riverboat experience
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Lunch + 2 drinks
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Local Tara boat English-speaking guide
Suitable For:
Families, couples, photographers, nature lovers, solo travellers, and anyone seeking a truly authentic Cambodian experience.
Book Your Floating Village Experience
The most popular Floating Village Cruise in Siem Reap sells out daily.
WE CARE , your participation on any of our tours will have a direct benefit to the very same villages you visit as ALL profits go into these communities via both our EDUCATIONAL and ENVIRONMENTAL programs.
Includes & Excludes
Hotel pick-up and drop-off (Siem Reap city area)
English-speaking guide
Boat tour of the floating village
Queen Tara riverboat visit
Complimentary drinks and lunch
Life jackets and safety gear
All entry fees
Personal expenses
Tips (optional)
Important Info
- $36 Per Person
- 10:00am-2:00pm
- 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