The Village

ABOUT KOMPONG KHLEANG

Kompong Khleang is about 55km outside of Siem Reap city on the Tonle Sap and is the largest floating village in Siem Reap province. It consists of ten villages and is home to more than 10,000 residents.

The economy is dominated by fishing and due to seasonal flooding all homes either buoyed or on stilts (hence the name “floating village” – they literally appear to float for part of the year). Water levels drop several meters beginning in December and a sand bank forms during the later part of the season (end of January/February – June). You can learn more about this phenomena on our blog.

ABOUT OUTAPUT VILLAGE

The particular village we vist in is Outaput Village. It is closest to the Tonle Sap and consists of two hundred homes. Three of our guides were born in Outaput village and Bridge of Life operates its school and the majority of its programming in Outaput Village. During our tour we visit the school and, depending on the time of year, are able to take a walking tour of the village.

THE TONLE SAP

The Tonle Sap (literally the “Great Lake”) is a lake and river system that extends throughout Cambodia and is the largest lake in all of South East Asia. It is of extreme importance to Cambodians as many live on it and earn their living through the lake, including residents of Kompong Khleang. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for it’s ecology and local flora and fauna.

The Tonle Sap is unique because the water in it changes directions twice annually. As a result the level of the lake bottoms out during the dry season but can then swell by as much as 10 meters in the summer months. For this reason villages on the Tonle Sap are considered “floating”- homes, especially in Kompong Khleang, are either on stilts or are literally buoyant through the use of petrol tanks as bouys.

As mentioned earlier the Tonle Sap is rich in ecology and serves as the life blood for many Khmers and ethnic-Vietnamese immigrants who depend on it for survival. The majority of families living on the water earn their income through fishing in particular, and other businesses are supported through fishing income. Some families can also earn a living through farming in the dry season as the receding water leaves the soil wet and rich in nutrients carried in by the water movement..

As you will learn during your floating village tour, the Tonle Sap is an endangered environment. Overfishing has decimated local species and many of the fish caught today are extremely small. Man made pollution has also wreaked havoc on the lake, forcing dolphins and other rare fish and mammals to converge at small, cleaner locations. We are also seeing more and more damns up the Mekong River (for power generation) which has had disastrous effects locally. After being designated a world heritage site there have been many improvements and both the Cambodian government and local NGO’s are working to conserve the Tonle Sap’s biological diversity, landscape, and ecosystem.

Before participating on a floating village tour of Kompong Khleang we encourage guests to learn more about the Tonle Sap and communities living in Siem Reap. Here are some great articles and resources to get you started:

Adventure Team

For over 55 years, New York Tours has been the leader in guided sightseeing and exploration tours of NYC and surrounding areas.