If you’re visiting Cambodia’s Angkor temples and crave for a change of scene, we discovered a village in Tonle Sap Lake that may sooth your “templed out” soul. No, it’s not the heavily touristed and more accessible floating village of Chong Kneas but a more fascinating village about 25 kms further east.
Located within the floodplains of Tonle Sap, Kompong Phluk is a village of tall stilted houses surrounded by serene flooded mangrove forest. A visit to the village provides a good insight into the way of life of the people whose livelihood depends on the ebb and flow of Tonle Sap Lake. Kompong Phluk will appear different depending on the season you visit.
From Siem Reap, we took about an hour tuk-tuk ride through the beautiful countryside to the port in the village of Roulus where we boarded a boat that would take us to Kompong Phluk.
Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Asia and the source of 50% of Cambodia’s fish consumption. It has a unique ecology. When the season changes so does the direction of its flow. It also shrink and expands according to season.
After 45 minutes of relaxing boat ride, we caught sight of the first structures in the village – a regal pagoda-like hall and a secondary school on high stilts.
Few minutes later, the rest of the village was within our sight.
We were amazed by the sight of houses that were built over stilts and tower six to eight meters high.
It was fascinating to note that the row of houses on one side are much larger and more colorful compared to the row of houses on the other side. We called this side the Beverly Hills of Kompong Phluk:)
This is the side of cheaper real estate. Houses are much smaller and cramped.
Regardless of the size of the houses, each household owns a boat or two in this village where the economy is centered on fishing and shrimp harvesting.
Behind this fisherman is a floating pig pen! Apparently, they don’t limit their protein intake to seafood.
Villagers perform most of their daily chores right on the lake – laundry, dishwashing, bathing, etc…..
We transferred into a small canoe that afforded us an upclose observation of the village scenes and allowed us to navigate the narrow waterways of the flooded forest.
Women cleaning fish.
Upclose view of the stilts. They look so thin and delicate that its amazing how they can support the weight of a house.
The village supermarket.
Like typical kids, the children of Kompong Phluk enjoy playing in their backyard, only theirs is wet.
Paddling our way to the flooded forest.
We meandered through the tranquil labyrinth of waterways where there were no other souls in sight.
It was so peaceful and the only sound we heard was the calming splash of water from the oar.
It was very meditative to stare at the reflection of the trees on the clear water.
On our way back to the port, we stopped by a sub-village of Kompong Phluk that is located on a higher ground and is never immersed in water. It has a temple and a school. We met some school children who Keith entertained with his usual magic trick.
The magic trick was a big hit that Keith was invited to a classroom to perform and to teach his trick to the kids.
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We visited Kompong Phluk in November which is close to the tail end of the wet season. If we visited more than a month later, we would be exploring the village on foot instead of boat. Here are some photos of the village from sources who visited Kompong Phluk during dry season.
Remember that Kompong Phluk is on the floodplain of Tonle Sap where the water rises and drains according to season. During the dry season, the villagers set up temporary houses on the lakeside where they dry up shrimps to produce shrimp paste, a staple condiment in Cambodia. As soon as the water rises, they return to their permanent stilted homes on the floodplain. And the cycle continues.
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Travel Notes:
• We paid $20 per person for the private boat ride to Kompong Phluk.
• The ride around the village and flooded forest took about 2.5 hours.
This link is part of Travel Photo Thursday. Check it out for more interesting travel links.
What an interesting post to read and what an incredible difference between dry and wet seasons. I can’t imagine the actual living conditions — especially when I think of toilets – hmmm. And a floating pig enclosure is something else. What a confined life too for the pig.
My eyes have been opened .
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Hi Leigh, its interesting and different way of life indeed. But people seem to deal with their living condition with ease; It’s the only lifestyle they came to know and the general before them.
I have bookmarked this because we will be in Cambodia this November. How amazing that the houses are on land in the dry season. I am glad we are going when they will be under water. I thought some of the trees looked like they were not normally under water.
I think this will be a perfect trip for us.
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Hi Jan, great! I’m sure you will enjoy this trip. It’s truly fascinating seeing the village in person.
Such colourful photos giving an insight into a way of life that is so very different to ours. Thanks for a wonderful meander to a whole different world.
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Our pleasure, Jo!
Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted..Kompong Phluk: The Village of Stilted Houses and Flooded Forest
I love seeing different cultures and how the people live. It was also great to compare the houses in the dry and wet seasons. I’m wondering if the rising water level ever reaches the houses…they seem so high. Wonderful photos and story.
jenny@atasteoftravel recently posted..Our Summer Hideaway: Rottnest Island on Instagram
Hi Jenny, we were told that if they get a heavy rainfall the water level reaches close to the houses. Glad you enjoyed the post.
This place is absolutely fascinating especially the floating pig pens and the pagoda-like hall. What a contrast between wet and dry season and between the rich and poor. It is amazing to see how they built these houses and for it to have withstood time and weather elements. I love your shots of the flooded forest and how peaceful it looks.
Mary {The World Is A Book} recently posted..The Underground Wonders of Carlsbad Caverns
Hi Mary, it truly is so fascinating in so many ways. Their way of life exemplies the great resilience that the Cambodians are known for. The flooded forest was very peaceful and we enjoyed our time in there very much.
It’s interesting that your post of elevated houses follows Michele’s with the Long Neck people.
So fascinating to read this, especially for me since I learned to swim (and not very well) when I was much older than these children. The homes are really beautiful. I wonder what type of wood they use for the stilts and how often they do repairs.
It’s lovely to read about other places. Angkor Wat is on my ever expanding list of places to see and I’ll keep this post in mind for when I do go. Thanks!
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Hi Marcia, the homes are really fascinating . Not sure of the kind of wood they used but we were told that they reinforce the stilts every turn of the season. Angkor Wat and other Angkor temples are wonderful places to visit. I hope you get there soon.
Great photos. It’s interesting how in these Asian cultures they learn to live with nature and adapt to it. They’re far more ready for floods that are part of life than so many western communities in flood zones, aren’t they?
eileen at FamiliesGo! recently posted..4 Tips For a Family Weekend in Lancaster & Hershey
Hi Eileen, that’s so well said. So true how they learn to adapt to the changes of nature around them. Put us all in the west to shame.
Very Interesting! Guess we can tell how high the water gets. Loved your pictures of the flooded forest.
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Hi Debbie, thanks. The water gets almost as high as the houses when they get lots of rain, but normally gets it up to half of the stilts. The flooded forest was very memorable; we had a very peaceful time there.
That flooded forest looks incredible. I would love to visit it sometime. A great way to get over being “templed out!”
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Hi Margaret, the flooded forest was a wonderful experience. I hope you get to visit it sometime soon.
I love that Keith was invited to the school to show off his magic trick. This looks like a great excursion out of Siem Reap and not over-run with tourist. We’re planning to go there in the next year, so I’ll have to keep this lake in mind.
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Hi Michelle, it was really great experience and rewarding for Keith to be invited to the classroom. It’s definitely a great excursion from Siem Reap. I’m sure your family will enjoy it.
Our world is full of unique cultures, and this one is something I’ve never heard about before. It was a very interesting read. Love the photos of the flooded forest.
Salika Jay recently posted..6 Best Family Days Out In Britain
Hi Salika, isn’t that amazing how diverse the cultures in this world is? And that’s what makes traveling so fascinating – there so much to discover, so much to learn.
We lived in Siem Reap for two months and this place is amazing to explore but unfortunately we didn’t manage to go there. It was a heavy rain at that time and the Kompong Phluk village was absolutely flooded. That was a real pitty. Looking at those photos and reading your posts makes me so jealous!
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Hi Agness, that’s too bad. I hope you can visit it when you return to Siem Reap; it truly is an amazing place to explore. Too bad also that we didn’t get to meet you in Sierm Reap; you just for Poland when we got there.
One of the first few photos – the one with the lady in the boat and the stilt houses blurred behind her – is stunning
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Thanks Den. That’s my favorite as well.
This floating village is truly different than the one I saw on Tonle Sap lake on my way to Phnom Penh years ago. Besides your boat ride in the flooded forest, I like so much that you had a chance to interact with locals – just wowing the school kids with magic is one of a kind!
Hi Dennis, I’ve been to other villages in Tonle Sap few years ago and I say this one is truly unique. Yes, meeting the local kids was a very special experience.
What an interesting place to visit around Tonle Sap! I went to Siem Reap in summer 2011 but I skipped the lake altogether. I didn’t regret that….until I saw your pictures in this post. One day when I return to Cambodia I’ll make sure to visit this village – and ask you for any suggestion.
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HI Bama, this lake village is really worth a visit. Hope you can check it out next time you’re in Cambodia.
Wow, it’s amazing that those houses are able to be so stable on those delicate stilts! This looks like an amazing journey you guys took!
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Hi Jess, yes they are truly fascinating and make for a good journey indeed.
Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted..Monks Don’t Live in Angkor Wat
I remember visiting that village when we were in Cambodia a few years back. Isn’t it fascinating to live in such a place at the mercy of the river?
jill recently posted..Sola to Nicaragua
Hi Jill, It’s truly is fascinating how their lives revolved around the changes of the lake.
The photos of the village are incredible! I went to a floating village from Siem Reap and missed this one. Flooded Forest looks so mysterious…
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Hi Alex, I also visited other floating villages in Tonle Sap many years ago. they were a lot more touristy and they were not nearly as fascinating as this one.
Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted..Monks Don’t Live in Angkor Wat
you capture beautiful photos! this is something we miss when we revisited Siem Reap last year, because we find the $20 per person a bit hefty. LOL but it’s interesting though because another group was charged $20 for one boat. We ended up touring the boat houses near the road though. Now seeing your photos, esp of that flooded forest convinced me that I should take the tour next time. 😀
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I hope you take the tour next time. It really is worth a visit.
This looks incredible and as we’ll be heading to Cambodia in less than a week, I’ve taken plenty of notes! This is something I would love to do (we have yet to see a floating village despite months in Asia) and that mangrove forest was surreal! I’m just wondering whether hitting this area in early June will be too early in the wet season for it to be so beautiful…
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Hi Steph, you’ll love Cambodia. It’s fascinating and the people are just wonderful. They said the water in Kompong Phluk has a good flow in June so you should be okay. Enjoy it and the rest of your trip in Cambodia.
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Hello! I am planning a week long trip to Siem Reap in April and want to visit the Kompong Phluk while I am there. You said you got a private boat tour after a tuk tuk took you to Roulus. I’m sure I can arrange a tuk tuk from my hotel in Siem Reap to take me to Roulus and pick me back up, but how did you organize the boat tour?
Thank you!