KH · Siem Reap · 12.88°N 104.07°E

tonle sap

Southeast Asia's largest lake, dotted with stilt houses and floating villages.

Best time
The water is highest from about September to November, when the stilt villages look their best and you can canoe through flooded forest. In the dry months, especially March to May, the water drops and some villages are hard to reach by boat.
How long
Half a day
Getting there
Fly KL to Siem Reap, about 2 hours. The nearest floating villages are about 30 minutes to an hour from town by road, then by boat.
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KH · Siem Reaptonle sap12.88°N 104.07°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Southeast Asia's largest lake, dotted with stilt houses and floating villages.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingTonle SapKH, Siem Reap
KLtonle sap
≈ 1,114 km from KL, as the crow flies
The Tonlé Sap (Khmer: Large Fresh Water River, more commonly translated as Great Lake) — is a lake and river ecosystem in Cambodia. Tonlé Sap is: the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia; a river

Photo: Deror_avi · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that swells and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. In the wet season the river that drains it reverses, and the lake spreads into the surrounding forest. From Siem Reap, most people take a boat out to the stilt and floating villages where life is lived on the water.

Things to do

  1. Kampong PhlukA village of houses on tall stilts, with canoe rides through the flooded forest when the water is high.Map ↗
  2. Kampong KhleangA larger, less touristy stilt village further from Siem Reap.Map ↗
  3. Chong KneasThe closest floating village to town, and the busiest with tour boats.Map ↗
  4. Prek Toal Bird SanctuaryWetlands on the lake's northwest side, with big colonies of storks, pelicans and other waterbirds.Map ↗
  5. Sunset on the lakeMost boat trips time the ride back for sunset over the water.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Book through a reputable operator. Be wary of pushy donation requests, such as buying overpriced rice for a school or orphanage.
  • These villages are people's homes. Ask before taking photos of people.
  • Bird-watching at Prek Toal is best in the dry season, roughly December to April.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.