Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap

General information

Tonle Sap Lake (Cambodia)

Tonle Sap Lake is one of the most popular attractions near the city. Siem Reap in Cambodia, of course, in addition to Temples of Angkor. Despite the fact that many tourists call that place a "tourist trap", this place is quite interesting and exotic.

The second name of Tonle Sap Lake is "Big Lake", because it is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. When looking at this huge water mirror, especially during the rainy season, it becomes clear that the locals worship the "Inland Sea Cambodia" with an area of 16 thousand square kilometers (for comparison, the area of the Moscow region is only 47 thousand km. square). The maximum depth of the lake is 9 meters. But these figures are valid only for the rainy season, when the lake fills with water and increases in area by almost six times compared to the dry season, and the depth of the lake at this time rarely exceeds 1 meter. Such a changeable character of the lake is due to the river of the same name flowing from it, which in the rainy season changes the direction of the current and turns back, filling it with water. And because of the same large-scale changes in size and the coastline that periodically shifts by many kilometers around the lake and on it, an unusual life has formed – a lot of floating villages. After all, thanks to the constantly changing water level, people can grow rice on fertile soil after lowering the water level in the dry season, extract shellfish and fish all year round. And in order to keep up with the periodically moving coastline, the locals decided not to move their houses all the time, but simply build them on the water. So floating villages were formed here, which attract tourists here.

The "foundations" of the houses of "lake dwellers" in floating villages are a cluster of boats, rafts, interconnected barrels and various other watercraft that simply defy description. There are not only dwellings on them, but also small plots of land where local residents manage to grow vegetables and keep pets. There is a restaurant for tourists, also on the water, a small observation deck. Floating crocodile farm is a mandatory item of the excursion program. But crocodiles do not swim on the lake, the local fauna is quite harmless.

Tonle Sap Lake (Cambodia)

Even without tourists, life here goes on as usual: children go to a floating school, there is a police station, a village club. Some children overcome the way to school... swimming in large basins. The adult population of the village, as if not noticing the interested glances of tourists, leisurely continues their usual activities. Small, tanned men catch fish, which is especially rich in Tonle Sap Lake, extract shellfish, weave nets. Moreover, women work on a par with men. What is striking is the constant smiles on their faces.

But the local population does not live in the last century. The houses have electricity (from generators), well-to-do owners have televisions and even Internet access.

In these villages, people live all their lives without going ashore, they move only by boat, many have small vegetable gardens next to their houses, on which they grow vegetables. Shops, schools, temples are built on the same rafts. Residents are mainly engaged in fishing. The water in the lake is a nasty yellow color. It's amazing how they manage to drink it. However, they have no choice.

Among the villages there are those that are inhabited exclusively by illegal immigrants from other countries, mainly from Vietnam. The fact is that they are forbidden to settle on land, so they huddle on the water. According to approximate estimates of lake residents from 100 thousand to 2 million.

How to visit Tonle Sap Lake

If you really want, you can swim on the lake and on such boats

The lake is located about 15 kilometers from Siem Reap.

The easiest way to visit the lake is to buy an excursion from one of the travel agencies in Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh. The cost of such an excursion is from $ 19. You will be taken to the lake by bus, transferred to a boat and will be taken along the lake, landing on "land" in villages. Some excursions also include visits to crocodile and fish farms. Also, a visit to the lake is included in some tours to Cambodia from Thailand, in particular from Pattaya.

Another way to see the lake is to simply take a speedboat from Phnom Penh or Battambang to Siem Reap. This method is very popular for moving between cities, but you can only look at the lake life from the side: the boat does not drop off passengers on floating villages. And in the dry season, a significant part of the journey takes place by bus.

You can visit the lake yourself by arriving at the pier by tuk-tuk (from $ 5) and hiring a private pleasure boat on the shore (from $ 5 per boat). But you should be prepared for the fact that they will try to take you for a walk on an expensive branded boat, for which the tuk-tuker will take you not to the local pier, but to a special tourist pier. The cost of a trip on a branded boat there will be from $ 20 per person. Therefore, ask the tuk-tuker to take you directly to the pier "Chong Khneas boat docks", aka "Port of Chong Khneas".

Entrance to the floating villages is charged from $ 1.

Useful tips

• It is best to visit the lake during the rainy season, when the lake is full of water, starting in June.
• Do not wear clean white clothes, you will get them dirty in dirty water.
• It is better to leave a lot of money in the safe at the hotel, and take only a few dollars with you to the lake to eat and for small souvenirs: whether you go to the lake on your own or with an excursion, they will try to take you everywhere for money.
• If you are not an experienced independent traveler, it is better to refrain from organizing a trip to the lake yourself and buy a tour. An independent trip can cost you much more.

Author: Svetka. Photo used from the myasiatravel website