Angkor Wat Travel Forum

I'm thinking of taking a side trip to the floating village (lake Tonle Sap?), would i need to book a driver to bring us there or are there any other modes of transport to it? what about the boat? Approximately how long should this side trip take?

I've read a few comments that the floating village is sort of a tourist trap? any comments on that? Or any other suggestions for an interesting 1 or half day side trip?

many thanks!!

I went to the Floating Village near Siem Reap, on Tonle Sap lake last year. It is nothing great. The one near Bangkok is much better. Any Tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap will be able to take you to this place. This is on the outskirts of the Siem Reap and takes around 1 hr to reach from Siem Reap town. The countryside is nice and quiet. The boat trip takes around 2 hours. It starts from a narrow dirty river and take you to the mouth of Tonle Sap lake (it is massive-looks like sea). On both sides of this narrow river, you will find floating school, dispensary, Govt offices and private homes-all on boats or stilths. Once u are at the lake, the Vietnamese village folks will surround your boat and plead you to buy their goods. You may give it a miss, if you are running short of time.

Yes, it is a bit touristy, it is one of the most depressing places I have been to. One should really visit it to realize how well off one is compared to what they are seeing. It is definately a learning experience.

When I was Siem Reap I hired a driver at a cost of US25 per day. He organized everything for me, including a boat for the floating village. It's about a 30 min drive from town. I found the boat trip interesting coz it gave some insight as to how some of the locals live and it was good to do something other than visit the temples.

I got a Tut Tut for 10 dollars 40 min ride to boat a fee for the boat
which i cannot remember but not too high as most things are cheap in
Cambodia. Felt it was worth a visit just to see a bit of the area

When we took the boat trip, we bought a ticket from a Government ticket office located near the river, the cost was USD $20.00 per person.

We did our own independent thing. We were picked up by a taxi at the airport and he asked us whether we wanted a driver. He offered to drive us around to the places we wanted to go to for $US 25.00 day. We thought this was very good to have an airconditioned car at our disposal!! I am sure others do it!! On our first day because we were tired we opted to have a look at Tonle Sap.Our driver organised it as part of the $25 (I think..if we paid the boat driver it wasn't much!!) I have to agree with the previous response that it was the most depressing tour and we felt quite uncomfortable taking photographs of such a poverty stricken group of people. If you have been elsewhere and observed people living in one room stilt houses or house boats that is what Tonle Sap is like!!

I will agree with previous mentions that the Floating Village is not what you would call 'exciting', but it is certainly interesting to see. Actually, I much more enjoyed the drive along the dusty road to the floating village more than I enjoyed the boat ride itself.

Any tuktuk driver can bring you. You will be a ticket from the gov. before approaching the village and be given a boat. My gf and I had our own private boat for the price (don't remember the price now though).

If you choose to go, there is a nearby hilltop temple which is a wonderful vantage point for a view of the sunset on the watery world below you. It was quite nice and I highly recommend it if 1) you go to the village 2) conditions are right 3) you enjoy sunsets.

We were the only people on the hill top for the sunset so it also had a romantic feel to it, which was very nice. There was a good rainshower about an hour before, which probably kept others away.

We had our driver's services for three days and he timed our experience just right so we could catch the sunset without a lot of wasted time waiting for it to happen. Tell the driver what you would like and see what they say.

just did this trip yesterday,we used a company called tara riverboats and for $20 they picked us up at our hotel,we meet the guide,we had our own personnel boat ,we toured the flooded forrest,floating village and visited the croc and fish farm had lunch and drinks supplied on the riverboat and back to hotel,tour lasts 4 hours,we rang aroung first and found this the best valve by far,,,website is www.taraboat.com