The Great Lake Tonle Sap

Five provinces encircled Tonle Sap Lake, and more than three million people lived along its banks, with 90% of them earning a living from fishing and agriculture. As shown on the map of Cambodia, it stretches over the country's northwest corner.

The Lake is South East Asia's largest freshwater body. The monsoon and dry seasons have an impact on its size. The lake expands to a surface area of 10,000 square kilometers when it is filled with water from the Mekong during the rainy season, which lasts from June to October. Its area is 3,000 square kilometers, it has a two-meter depth, and water flows out from the lake to the Mekong. This natural phenomenon occurs between November and May during the dry season. The optimum habitat for all types of fishes to spawn and raise their young is the flooded forest that encircles the lake's shore. This lake is home to a wide range of biodiversity, including over 300 kinds of freshwater fish, as well as snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, turtles, and otters. There are about 100 different types of aquatic birds, including storks, pelicans, and others.

The Lake is also a valuable commercial resource, supplying more than half of Cambodia's fish consumption. In keeping with the specialized ecosystems, the human occupations on the lake's edges are also distinctive - floating villages, towering stilted houses, massive fish traps, and an economy and way of life that is deeply intertwined with the lake, the fish, the wildlife, and the rising and falling water cycles.

You can go from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh by express boat, which will traverse the lake and land at the village of Chong Khneas, which is located about 15 km south of Siem Reap. Although it just takes six hours, we might advise against taking this trip during monsoon season. Because the water level is low during the dry season, sometimes boats become trapped in mud. Depending on your interests and available time, there are a variety of ways to experience the local wildlife and culture.

Chong Khneas is the name of a well-known floating town on the lake's edge. It is located about 15 kilometers south of Siem Reap town and takes about 30 minutes by automobile to the boat pier, where there are always boats ready for visitors. The boat ride through the floating village lasts about two hours. You will visit Khmer, Muslim, and Vietnamese floating residences, as well as floating markets, fisheries, clinics, schools, a basketball court, a pigsty, and other tourist boats.

Chong Khneas was formerly quite intriguing, but now that it is owned by a private company, the prices have gone up and the neighborhood has a more commercial appearance. Two stops are typically made during the boat trip: the first is at a touristy floating "fish and bird exhibition" with a gift and snack shop, and the second is at the highly recommended Gecko Environment Centre, which provides displays and information on the ecology and biodiversity of the lake area.

Location: About 15 km south of Siem Reap town, Lower Mekong Basin, northwest of Cambodia