Kampong Khleang, Kampong Phluk, Chong Kneas and Mechrey: distance, boat prices and crowds, side by side.
Siem Reap has four floating villages you can visit in an afternoon: Chong Kneas, Kampong Phluk, Mechrey and Kampong Khleang. They are very different trips. Some are 30 minutes away and built around tourism; others are an hour out and still run on fishing. Here is an honest comparison from a team that lives and works on the Tonle Sap, so you can pick the one that suits your trip.
The four villages at a glance
| Chong Kneas | Kampong Phluk | Mechrey | Kampong Khleang | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from Siem Reap | About 15 km | About 30 km | About 25 km | About 50 km |
| Drive time | 20–30 min | About 45 min | About 1 hour | A little over 1 hour |
| Typical boat ticket | $7 per person; $28 for a small boat (4 tickets) | $20 per person | $20 per person | $20 per person ($21 if you go alone); included in our tours |
| Crowds | Busiest; big tour groups | Busy in high season; long waits for the flooded forest | Quiet; very small, so a short visit | Quietest; often the only foreigners in the evening |
| Type of village | Floating houseboats | Stilted houses, flooded forest | Floating houseboats | Stilted houses up to 10 m tall plus two houseboat villages |
| Visit all year? | Yes; the village moves with the water | Flooded forest closes for part of the dry season; low water March–May | Yes | Yes; deep enough for boats all year |
| Who runs the boats | Cambodian government | Village cooperative | Village cooperative | Village cooperative of 80+ residents |
Prices change often and drivers quote differently, so treat these as a guide and agree the full price before you get in a boat.
Chong Kneas: closest, and the most touristy
Chong Kneas is the easiest to reach, just south of town near Phnom Krom, which is why most large group tours go there. Tickets are sold at the government tourist port: $7 per person (age 12 and up). A small boat seats up to 8 but only leaves once 4 tickets are sold, so a group of up to four pays $28 for its own boat. If you come alone, you can pay $7 and wait for the boat to fill, which can take a while.
The downside is that you have no control over the route. Boats still stop at overpriced floating shops, and sometimes at a “school” where visitors are pressed to buy supplies at inflated prices. There is no guide on board, just a boat driver, so nobody explains what you are seeing. It is also the busiest village, with big tour groups in high season.
Kampong Phluk: stilted houses and the flooded forest
Kampong Phluk is a smaller stilted village. For part of the year you can visit its flooded mangrove forest in canoes paddled by locals, for $5 per person. The downside is the crowds: in high season there can be very long waits for the canoes, and sellers often paddle up to your boat trying to get you to buy things, which can feel frustrating. From around March to May the water also drops so low that boats struggle to reach the village and the lake.
Mechrey: beautiful countryside, but very small
Mechrey is a lovely floating village to visit. Like Kampong Khleang, you get there through the countryside, which is beautiful, and you can add an ox cart ride on the way. The downside is its size: Mechrey is very small, so the boat tour is over quickly.
Kampong Khleang: the largest, and still a working village
Kampong Khleang is the largest floating village on the Tonle Sap and the furthest from town. The drive takes you through rice fields and small markets, and then past hundreds of stilted homes, some more than 10 metres tall. From the boat you also pass two houseboat villages, the Khmer village of Chong Prolay and an ethnic Vietnamese village, so you see three villages on one trip.
It is the least visited of the four. There are no tourist floating markets or commission shops, and on our evening tours we are often the only foreigners there. The boats are run by a cooperative of more than 80 village residents who share the ticket income, so your boat fare goes straight into the local economy. Want to paddle through a flooded forest too? Our private tours can include a canoe trip near Kampong Khleang; ask us for details.
Kampong Khleang vs Kampong Phluk
These are the two most people choose between, because both have tall stilted houses. Kampong Phluk is closer (about 45 minutes) and has the flooded forest canoe ride. Kampong Khleang is only about 20 minutes further and is bigger, quieter, reachable by boat all year, and adds the two houseboat villages and a sunset on the open lake. If you are visiting between March and May, Kampong Khleang is the safer choice.
Why we take guests to Kampong Khleang
- It is the least touristy. No floating souvenir markets, commission restaurants or photo stops, just a real fishing community going about its day.
- Fewer scams. Without the tourist set-up of the busier villages, there are no overpriced rice “donations” or shop stops built into your boat ride.
- You see more of Cambodia. The drive passes rice fields, village markets and hundreds of stilted homes, some more than 10 metres tall.
- It is the least crowded. There is never a queue for a boat, and on evening tours we are often the only foreigners in the village.
- Three villages in one trip. On the way to the lake you pass the Khmer houseboat village of Chong Prolay and an ethnic Vietnamese floating village.
- The glimmering golden Buddha. At the village’s main pagoda stands a shining golden Buddha, the tallest standing Buddha we know of in Siem Reap right now.
- Your visit helps the residents. The boats belong to a cooperative of more than 80 villagers who share the ticket income, and because fewer tourists come here, every visit counts.
Read the full story: 6 reasons Kampong Khleang is the best floating village to visit.
Visit Kampong Khleang with us
Our guides grew up on the Tonle Sap. The daily group tour is $38.50 per adult ($27.50 for children), all-inclusive with hotel pickup, boat tickets, a local English-speaking guide, snacks and sunset on the lake. We leave between about 2:00pm and 2:30pm depending on the season, mainly to time the boat trip with the sunset, and are back around 7:00–7:30pm. Prefer your own boat? See our private tours. If your date looks full, contact us and we will do our best to fit you in.
Read more: what to expect in the dry season, or our FAQ.