🛶 Kompong Phluk Village Cruise – A Journey Through Cambodia’s Living Waterworld

Hightlight

🏘️ Forest of Skyscrapers Marvel at the incredible sight of houses built on 10-meter-high bamboo and wooden stilts, designed to rise above the seasonal floods of the Tonlé Sap.
🛶 Ancient Flooded Forest Glide through the tranquil “mangrove tunnels” of the flooded forest in a traditional rowing boat—a peaceful sanctuary teeming with local birdlife.
🚤 Gateway to the “Great Lake” Cruise out to the edge of the Tonlé Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, to witness the vast, mirror-like horizon.
🇰🇭 Authentic Village Life Observe the daily rhythms of a working Khmer fishing community, from monks at the local pagoda to children attending the “floating” schools.
🧭 Expert Local Insight Our professional English-speaking guides share the secrets of how this “amphibious” community survives and thrives in one of the world’s most unique ecosystems.
⏱️ The Perfect Time-Saver Experience the best of the lake in just 4 hours, making this the ideal morning or afternoon addition to your Angkor Wat itinerary.

Itinerary

Kompong Phluk: Stilted Village & Flooded Forest

A Journey Through Cambodia’s Living Waterworld

Step into a world where houses tower 10 meters above the water. Kompong Phluk is a breathtaking example of Khmer resilience and tradition. From the winding canals of the stilted village to the quiet mystery of the flooded mangrove forest, this tour offers the most dramatic scenery on the Tonlé Sap.

Epic Landscapes: See stilt houses rising up to 10 meters high.
Flooded Forest: Navigate the enchanting mangrove forests by boat (seasonal).
Direct Impact: Your booking funds free English-language schools for village children.
Two Departures Daily: Choose a fresh morning start or a golden afternoon cruise.

At a Glance

Morning: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Afternoon: 2:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Price: $38 Per Person (All-inclusive)
Includes: Hotel transfers, local village guide, boat cruise, forest visit, and all entry fees.
Family Savings: Kids under 10 are Half-Price; under 5 are FREE.

The Itinerary

Pickup | The Scenic Drive We’ll collect you from your hotel for a peaceful 40-minute drive through rice paddies and traditional Khmer countryside toward the Great Lake.

The Village | Life on Stilts Board a traditional wooden boat to cruise through Kompong Phluk. Marvel at the rows of towering stilted homes, floating pagodas, and schools. Your local guide will explain how this community of 3,000 residents adapts to the massive rise and fall of the lake.

The Nature | The Flooded Forest Experience the “Enchanted Forest.” Depending on the season, we navigate the flooded mangroves—a quiet, shaded world that looks like a movie set. It’s a photographer’s dream and the most peaceful part of the journey.

The Great Lake | Open Water We head out to the edge of the Tonlé Sap—Southeast Asia’s largest lake—to witness the vast horizon and local fishing boats in action before heading back to the pier.

Why Choose Tara for Kompong Phluk?

Local Expertise: We use licensed village captains and guides who know these waters intimately.
No Waiting: We own our fleet of boats—no waiting at the docks for public transport.
Transparent Pricing: Your $38 covers everything. No “surprise” fees for the forest boat or village taxes.
Community First: We’ve spent 20 years supporting the education of the children in these villages.

What to Bring: Camera, lightweight clothing, and a hat.

Includes & Excludes

Hotel pick-up and drop-off

all boats including the flooded forests boats

English-speaking local guide

complimentary drink & fresh fruits

Scenic photo opportunities

Life jackets and safety equipment

All entry fees

Personal Expenses: Any souvenirs purchased at the floating markets

Tips and gratuities (optional)

Important Info

🛶 Kompong Phluk Village Cruise – A Journey Through Cambodia’s Living Waterworld

Price List

Full Name

Hotel Name

Tour Date

Room Number ( if known)

Number of Adults

Number of Children

Where did you hear about us?

Package Relates

$119 per person

Private River Cruise: Siem Reap to Battambang | Sangkae River & Floating Villages

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

Tonlé Sap Multi-Day Adventure: Floating Villages, Flooded Forest & Prek Toal

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

Phnom Penh Sunset Cruise on the Mekong & Tonlé Sap Rivers

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

Cambodia’s Only Scenic Land & River Cruise Between Siem Reap and 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.

$139 Per Person

A Unique Journey from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: Cruise the River, Explore the Countryside

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

Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary: Home of Cambodia’s Most Endangered Birds

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

Kompong Khleang Not Just a Tour — A Glimpse Into Floating Life.

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

Kompong Phluk Flooded Forest & Two Villages Sunset Tour – Siem Reap’s Best Evening Adventure

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

Kompong Phluk “Discover Two Worlds on the Water – Floating & Stilted Villages

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

🛶 Kompong Phluk Village Cruise – A Journey Through Cambodia’s Living Waterworld

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

Experience the Most Stunning Siem Reap Sunset on the Queen Tara Riverboat

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

Authentic Siem Reap: Floating Village & Riverboat Experience

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

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

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.