Kompong Khleang is a floating village that is home to around 6,000 people (or 1,800 families). They have made their home on the waters of the Tonlé Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Asia!
Community Based Tourism
Unlike other floating villages close to Siem Reap that have been completely ruined by tourism, due to its size, Kompong Khleang has retained its authenticity and the boat service that allows tourists to explore the village is owned by the villagers themselves.
This means that when you visit Kompong Khleang village your money directly benefits the people of the village and helps to maintain local services such as schools, hospitals and environmental projects. If you are looking for an ethical way to experience Siem Reap’s floating villages, this is the tour for you.
NB: You can read more about the floating villages of Chong Kneas and Kompong Phluk Siem Reap and why you should avoid visiting them in this article.
Kompong Khleang Floating Village and Cycling Tour: 1-Day Itinerary
Morning – Cycling
- Free pick up is included in the price of the trip, between 8 am and 8.30 am at your hotel.
- Once everyone’s on board, you will head out of Siem Reap (the city) and drive to the beautiful countryside area.
- There, you will cycle along the red soil roads through some splendid villages (don’t worry, it’s a nice and peaceful ride and flat the whole way!).
- On the way, you will stop by the local fish market where you can watch (and take part in) traditional Khmer daily fish trading.
- After the ride, you will take a small break to get a refreshing and well-deserved drink.
Lunch – Floating Forest and Lunch at Kompong Khleang
- Next, you will visit of the most impressive floating village in Cambodia: Kompong Khleang.
- You will board a boat and start to explore the village and the astonishing flooded forest.
- At some point, your stomach will start rumbling… Worry not! That’s when you will arrive at a stilt house in the village to share a typical Khmer lunch with friendly locals.
Afternoon – Island Pagoda and the Moving Vietnamese Floating Village
- After lunch, you will get back aboard to reach a pagoda located on an island. Here you can see the monks go about their day-to-day routine.
- After that, you will head to the Vietnamese floating village. The Vietnamese village is not like the rest of Kompong Khleang, in that it is not composed of stilt houses. The houses there are built on floating objects and therefore float on the Tonlé Sap. The Vietnamese village moves along the river (and sometimes up to the lake) according to the season and is something you’ve most likely never seen before.
- You’ll get to see the floating school, hospital and local shops (they even have a hairdresser!)… An amazing sight!
- You will then get back to the bus and start driving back to Siem Reap through other rural villages stopping occasionally to grab snacks or chat with villagers..
- If you’re lucky, you will get to see some Cambodian famous water-bird species in rice paddies.
- You will arrive back in Siem Reap around 5 pm after an amazing experience!
Hi, I’m Nikki and I started South East Asia Backpacker in 2008 after my own first solo backpacking trip! My vision was to create a travel diary for everyone, a place for travellers to share their experiences from the road. After backpacking and writing about Southeast Asia for over 10 years, I saw the opportunity to provide backpackers with the kind of experiences that I’d treasured myself in the region! 
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