This famous floating
village is now extremely popular with visitors wanting a break from the
temples, and is an easy excursion to arrange yourself. If you want something a
bit more peaceful, try venturing to one of the other Tonlé Sap villages further
afield. Visitors arriving by boat from Phnom Penh or Battambang get a sneak preview, as
the floating village is near Phnom Krom, where the boat docks. It is very
scenic in the warm light of early morning or late afternoon and can be combined
with a view of the sunset from the hilltop temple of Phnom Krom. The downside
is that tour groups tend to take over, and boats end up chugging up and down
the channels in convoy. Avoid the crowds by asking your boat driver to take you
down some back channels.
Visitors should stop
at the Gecko Centre, an
informative exhibition that is located in the floating village and helps to
unlock the secrets of the Tonlé Sap. It has displays on flora and fauna of the
area, as well as information on communities living around the lake.
The village moves
depending on the season and you will need to rent a boat to get around it
properly. However, Sou Ching, the company that runs the tours here has fixed
boat prices at an absurd US$20 per person, plus a US$3 entrance fee. This makes
it very poor value by comparison with the temples of Angkor. In practice it may
be possible to pay just US$20 for the boat shared between several people.
One of the best ways
to visit for the time being is to hook up with the Tara Boat, which offers
all-inclusive trips with a meal aboard its converted cargo boat. Prices include
transfers, entry fees, local boats, a tour guide and a two-course meal,
starting from US$27 for a lunch to US$33 for a sunset dinner.
Getting to the
floating village from Siem Reap costs US$2 by moto
each way (more if the driver waits), or US$15 or so by taxi. The trip takes 20
minutes. Or rent a bicycle in town and just pedal out here, as it is a
leisurely 11km through pretty villages and rice fields.