Kompong Khleang aldeia flutuante de Siem Reap

We booked this tour through our hotel, hoping to get an off-the-beaten-path, authentic glimpse into the lives of local Cambodians. Boy, did it deliver. Our guide, Mony, clearly loves his country and his job. He gave us so much insight into how people in these villages live: their homes, their livelihoods, schools, marriages, health care, family structure, values and so much more. We made a few stops to try food from roadside vendors. We went into a local open-air food market where we were the only Caucasians, and we didn't recognize half of the foods. We stopped to learn about drying and salting fish. Passing out notebooks and pencils to children on the street (Sunday, so no school) was delightful - they were so excited and happy to receive them. Once we arrived at the water (a channel leading to Tonle Sap Lake) and boarded an authentic boat driven by a local, we witnessed people fishing by a variety of methods. Mony explained the differences in fishing between the wet season (high water) and the dry season (shallow water) and talked about the kinds of fish they catch. Most fishermen were in the water throwing nets to catch fish but there were also traps being used. They use rustic longtail boats as transportation. The houses lining the channel were on very tall stilts, reflecting the major seasonal changes in water levels. When we got closer to the lake, we started to see the floating villages. The people were extremely friendly, smiling, waving, and giving us thumbs up. The children were especially interested in us. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and consider it one of the highlights of our travels to Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many thanks to Mony and to our driver, Mr Da.

This trip was a fantastically rich experience and a very interesting introduction to Cambodia and the Cambodian people. Our tour guide, Mr. Friday as he called himself, had grown up an orphan, and noticed by a local NGO, who gave him the opportunity to study and eventually earn a university degree. He currently works part-time as an English teacher in a school in a Floating Village of Lake Tonlé Sap and part-time as a guide for Tara Boats. During the whole (very clearly non-commercial) trip, first with a minivan, he introduced us to the lives of the people around the lake, to the food, the local fresh market, the fishermen, the farmers on their rice fields, things we visited on foot. Then we made a long boat trip through Kompong Khleang itself past the houses on high stilts and the floating homes of the Vietnamese refugees. We visited the local school with him, where we handed out pencils and notebooks to the schoolchildren. Then we took a boat trip on the lake itself, where he had the boat stopped and first began to explain about the lake, but after a short time he began to tell more and more about himself and his life, which became a particularly moving and almost emotional moment, that direct testimony of a sensible man, raised locally, who is committed to the local population and the children. Highly recommended, it is an experience we will never forget. Courtesy of Mr. Friday and Peter Gardiner for this unforgettable day.

This is a Must Do trip. We did it this week with TaraRiverBoat tour company. They picked us up at our hotel in an air conditioned minivan exactly at the time they'd said. Included a great driver, Da, and a tour guide Sapor. Both did an in excellent job all day. Stopped twice on trip to Tonle Sap lake, once at traditional fish market and once to see sweet "bamboo rice" being made. Sapor gave great overview during trip to lake, at the stops and after we reached Kompong Khleang. Glad we chose that further, to ess visited village, not touristy at all. And the boat cruise from the village out onto the lake was great! Highly recommend seeing this village and that you utilize Tara Boat. Everything Tara Boat says about themselves on their website was completely born out, a high quality outfit.

We had the best experiences with Taraboat. We see a lot of things show by Mr. Friday. We would like recommend you with Taraboat. The food is good. All is excellent.

This was a pricey tour. Most of the time was spent travelling in the bus to each stop or on the lake where you weren't told anything by the guide. We stopped at a local village market to look at fresh meat, fruit and vegetables being sold. Then looked at how sticky rice is made in short bamboo pieces over coals. We stopped at a local school to hand out a story book and lead pencil to each student. We had read this in preparation of our tour, so had gone to a local supermarket and purchased (very cheaply) boxes of coloring-in pencils and blank notepads, and handed these to the teacher for use. Then we went on a boat on the lake. No life jackets or safety preca of any kind. It was good to see how the houses were on stilts and a small number of floating houses. Lunch was at a lovely village restaurant, which had beautiful tropical gardens and was clean and traditionally decorated. We picked from a menu and the food was good, but very few Cambodian local dishes. The meal is included in the cost of the tour, except if you want extras. We arrived back in town at about 3pm. Given the choice I would not choose this tour again.

Don't use this company. Very overpriced for what they give you. We did the more expensive tour to Kompong Khleang. On the website it seems like we spend a lot of time at the floating village. The tour is supposed to start at 8h30 and finish at 3pm. They arrived 30 mins late and at 14h10 we were already back at the hotel. In the website they say you go with a guide from the floating villages, and that you will go into the local school and meet students and teacher. None of this happened. At last, we were supposed to have a full meal included, but they take us to a restaurant where the main courses cost 7,5 dollars and they only allow you to spend 8 dollars. Really disappointing experience for the high price we paid. It does not match what the website promised.

We had a visit with the guide Pon and his friend driver. One stop at sticky rice making village and tasting , visit at local market and finally the boat tour and one stop at a school to give some books to the children. Pon is a very nice guide with good English that will tell you all the things you want to know about Tonlé Sap and the surroundings. I will definitely recommend this activity.

I had a great time on this trip, a nice change from the heat of walking round the temples the day before. Guide was friendly and really helpful. We stopped at a local market, rice coconut stall, floating village boat trip and then lunch. I recommend this trip. Would have been a couple but my husband felt rough and stayed in hotel, so glad I went ahead on my own :)

You are often offered to go on this excursion by tuck tuck drivers, and you, who have already travelled Angkor and have one day left, think about doing it. The tuck tuck leaves you at the box office and from there you leave, after payment of $25 per head (Un nonsense). What you see is nothing, especially if you have already been to other floating markets. Since you get on the chalupa, the scam continues, they tell you that if you want to take a canoe to see a part of the river inaccessible by boat. One scam, they charge you another. They take you to a floating bar where there are 4 captive crocodiles, which they use as hooks. The guide takes the opportunity to ask you for pasta, and tells you he's a poor little guy, asks you to help him with $20. He asks if you want to have a beer, and since you don't trust him, you ask him the price, $1 says, okay, you answer him. It's time to pay and they ask you to double. In the face of your dissatisfaction comes the owner, gets cool and faces. Then they want to take you to orphan school, and they want to take $50 more out of you, supposedly for rice. Rest assured, the kids won't see a hard one. You come back, having been a little over an hour, stumbling along the river, having seen nothing noteworthy, having spent at least $60, if you just fell for the first scam, the boat ticket and the tuck tuck. If you get tricked with the subsequent scams, you get almost $200. You'd rather have spent your money anywhere else, I assure you. DON'T FALL.

Great guide Billy with overboat tara who speaks good English and especially explains well and answer all questions. We didn’t see the time pass from 8:30 to 3:30. For 72$ still per person we really did not regret (meal included rather nice). A visit to an authentic Cambodian market far from the tourist circuits, moreover we were alone with the guide and the driver. And the visit of a first village very large and sedentary in the dry season, and a second nomadic village further. We didn’t get the feeling of being tourists, it took us on board. A real change of scenery.