The Tonle Sap is the largest lake in Southeast Asia, and it changes shape every year. During the rainy season, now often called the green season, the Mekong River backs up into the lake and the water rises by several meters. Kompong Khleang’s stilted houses, which stand high above dry land from January to May, are surrounded by water and the village really does look like it floats. If you are visiting Siem Reap between June and December, here is what our daily floating village tour looks like at that time of year.
The tour stays the same; the logistics change
The heart of the tour does not change with the seasons. We pick you up at your hotel in Siem Reap, stop on the way for fresh sticky rice cooked in bamboo and palm sugar donuts, visit Bridge of Life’s school in Outaput village, take a boat through Kompong Khleang to the Tonle Sap and visit two floating villages on the lake before the sunset. What changes is where the boat leaves from, how far out on the lake we can go and how long we can stay for the sunset.
June: the water starts to rise
June is a transition month. The rains have started but the lake is still low, so the waterway through the village is a narrow canal cutting through farmland on the old lakebed. Depending on the road, we reach the school by boat or by van (we check with the village chief before each tour), and there is often time for a short walking tour of the village. The boat ride to the lake takes a little longer than later in the season, around 35 minutes, and you can still see farmers working the lakebed.
July to November: high water
This is the best time of year to see Kompong Khleang as a true floating village. The water keeps rising through the green season and peaks in November, around the Water Festival (Bon Om Touk). With the water high, the road into the village is often under water and our boat leaves from the community tourism dock at the very beginning of the village, so you see the whole length of Kompong Khleang from the water. The Khmer and ethnic Vietnamese floating villages also move closer to Kompong Khleang to stay out of the rough water on the open lake.
The open lake can be choppy in these months, so we go to the edge of the Tonle Sap rather than far out onto it. The boat driver decides how far is safe on the day. You can still see the lake stretching to the horizon.
December: the water recedes
After the Water Festival the Mekong reverses direction and the lake starts to drain. The water drops through December, and by January it has fallen a long way and the dry-season itinerary begins. You can read about it in What to Expect on a Dry Season Floating Village Tour.
Sunset and timing
The sun sets later in the middle of the year (around 6:30pm from June to August, compared with about 5:35pm in November and December), so in some months we stay for most of the sunset rather than all of it, so that you are not back in Siem Reap too late. You will still see the rest of it from the boat on the way back if it is not cloudy. On a clear evening with a flexible group we may stay longer; on a cloudy one we head back a little earlier. Pickup and return times can shift slightly with the season.
What to bring in the green (rainy) season
Despite the name, you will not necessarily get wet. Rain in Cambodia usually comes as a short afternoon shower rather than an all-day downpour, and both our vehicle and our boat are covered if it does rain. We always recommend sunscreen and bug spray no matter the season, and this is true for temple visits as well. You are welcome to bring an umbrella or rain jacket, but there is no need to pack much else: we always have cold water and snacks for you. Out of respect for the pagoda we sometimes visit, please avoid tank tops.
Book the tour
The shared group tour leaves Siem Reap daily at 2:00 PM and costs $38.50 per adult, all inclusive, with profits supporting Bridge of Life School in Kompong Khleang. If you have a question about a particular date, send us a message or WhatsApp us on +855 86 527 766 and we will tell you what to expect that week.