Tonle Sap Secrets

Highlights / General details

When the heat and crowds of the city get a bit much, join this Siem Reap tour to spend a day out on the water among the floating villages and farms of Tonle Sap. Recharge on the lake where villagers fish and farm is the perfect antidote to Angkor overload (it happens). Travel by remork (Cambodian tuk tuk) and local boat. Visit a floating and stilted fishing village on the Tonle Sap Lake. See seasonal Cambodian agriculture and aquaculture activities such as a duck farm prahoc (Cambodian fish paste) making, lotus and cricket harvesting. Explore a local village and Buddhist Monastery. Enjoy Khmer snacks.

Inclusion

English speaking local guide; Transport (remork and local boat); Khmer snacks.

Exclusion

Items of a personal nature; Tips or gratuities for drivers or guide.

Hours of operation

Available: Daily; Start time at 8:00am-8:45am.

Duration

Approximately 4 - 5 hours.

Location Meeting point: Pick up at centrally located hotels in Siem Reap. Finish point: Drop off at centrally located hotels in Siem Reap.

Itinerary The Tonle Sap one of the world’s most productive bodies of fresh water. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake swells to 12,000 km². During the dry half of the year, the lake shrinks to as small as 2,500 km², draining into the Tonle Sap River. Each year, millions of fish come to spawn in the seasonally flooded forest surrounding the lake, attracting a myriad of water birds as well as people, who have settled in villages along the shores and who live with the rhythm of the water. This ecosystem was classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Take a boat trip around the lake to see floating villages and get a taste for life ruled by monsoonal rains and water-based agriculture. Afterwards jump back on the remork to return to Siem Reap. Take the back roads back to town on this half day tour in Siem Reap and witness seasonal agricultural activities like cricket catching, rice planting and harvesting, smoking fish, fish paste (prohoc making), and duck farming. Stop at a local village to pick up Khmer snacks and explore. Visit a Buddhist monastery before heading home.

Participant restrictions

Children must be 6 years of age or older. Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this half day tour in Siem Reap. To qualify for the child price a traveler is consider a child if they are younger than 12 years of age.

Additional Information Dress standards are conservative throughout Asia, especially outside major cities. To respect this and for your own comfort, we strongly recommend modest clothing. This means clothing that covers your shoulders and knees. Loose, lightweight, long clothing is both respectful and cool in the predominantly hot Asian climate. For most of the year it is hot when exploring. The guide will make regular stops where you can purchase water and snacks. Please keep hydrated and bring sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun.

Itinerary

The Tonle Sap one of the world’s most productive bodies of fresh water. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake swells to 12,000 km². During the dry half of the year, the lake shrinks to as small as 2,500 km², draining into the Tonle Sap River. Each year, millions of fish come to spawn in the seasonally flooded forest surrounding the lake, attracting a myriad of water birds as well as people, who have settled in villages along the shores and who live with the rhythm of the water. This ecosystem was classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Take a boat trip around the lake to see floating villages and get a taste for life ruled by monsoonal rains and water-based agriculture. Afterwards jump back on the remork to return to Siem Reap. Take the back roads back to town on this half day tour in Siem Reap and witness seasonal agricultural activities like cricket catching, rice planting and harvesting, smoking fish, fish paste (prohoc making), and duck farming. Stop at a local village to pick up Khmer snacks and explore. Visit a Buddhist monastery before heading home.

Participant restrictions Children must be 6 years of age or older. Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this half day tour in Siem Reap. To qualify for the child price a traveler is consider a child if they are younger than 12 years of age.

Location

Meeting point: Pick up at centrally located hotels in Siem Reap. Finish point: Drop off at centrally located hotels in Siem Reap.

Itinerary The Tonle Sap one of the world’s most productive bodies of fresh water. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake swells to 12,000 km². During the dry half of the year, the lake shrinks to as small as 2,500 km², draining into the Tonle Sap River. Each year, millions of fish come to spawn in the seasonally flooded forest surrounding the lake, attracting a myriad of water birds as well as people, who have settled in villages along the shores and who live with the rhythm of the water. This ecosystem was classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Take a boat trip around the lake to see floating villages and get a taste for life ruled by monsoonal rains and water-based agriculture. Afterwards jump back on the remork to return to Siem Reap. Take the back roads back to town on this half day tour in Siem Reap and witness seasonal agricultural activities like cricket catching, rice planting and harvesting, smoking fish, fish paste (prohoc making), and duck farming. Stop at a local village to pick up Khmer snacks and explore. Visit a Buddhist monastery before heading home.

Participant restrictions Children must be 6 years of age or older. Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this half day tour in Siem Reap. To qualify for the child price a traveler is consider a child if they are younger than 12 years of age.

Additional Information Dress standards are conservative throughout Asia, especially outside major cities. To respect this and for your own comfort, we strongly recommend modest clothing. This means clothing that covers your shoulders and knees. Loose, lightweight, long clothing is both respectful and cool in the predominantly hot Asian climate. For most of the year it is hot when exploring. The guide will make regular stops where you can purchase water and snacks. Please keep hydrated and bring sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun.

Policies This tour is offered on a "join-in" basis. Maximum group size is 12. If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. We'll see you at your hotel for pick up. Please check your hotel details are correct on the voucher. Complete information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, will be included on your Confirmation Voucher.

All information requested must be supplied or booking is subject to automatic cancellation