Tonle Sap flooded forests: when and how to see them
In the rainy season, forests around the Tonle Sap stand in water for months. Here's when to visit, which villages to start from and what to expect on a boat trip.
In this guide
Gliding through a forest in a small wooden boat, with trees rising out of the water around you, is one of the most memorable experiences in Cambodia. These flooded forests surround the Tonle Sap lake and exist only for part of the year.
What is a flooded forest?
When the Tonle Sap swells in the rainy season, it spreads into low-lying forests around its shores. The trees, adapted to months underwater, keep growing with their trunks submerged. The forest becomes a nursery for fish and a feeding ground for birds.
When to go
The forests are best visited from around August to December, when the lake is high and small boats can enter the trees. By the late dry season, around March to May, the water recedes, and boats may not be able to reach them at all.
Where to go from Siem Reap
- Kampong Phluk: a stilt village surrounded by flooded forest. Visitors usually take a motorboat to the village, then switch to small rowing boats paddled by local women to enter the forest.
- Kampong Khleang: further from Siem Reap, larger and less visited, with tall stilt houses and access to the lake.
- Mechrey: a floating village with flooded forest nearby.
Other areas
Flooded forests also line parts of the lake near Battambang and Pursat, and inside the Prek Toal core area, where bird colonies nest.
What to expect
A typical trip from Siem Reap takes half a day. You'll travel by road to a boat landing, then by boat through the village to the forest. The paddle through the trees takes around half an hour. Some tours combine the trip with a sunset on the open lake.
Choosing a responsible trip
- Book through a reputable operator or community-run service, so that money goes to the village.
- Agree the full price in advance, including the small rowing boat.
- Be wary of pressure to buy expensive gifts for schools or orphanages; it is better to support community projects directly.
- Ask before photographing people in their homes.
Tips
- Bring a hat and sun protection; the boats are open.
- Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little wet.
- Bring cash for the small boats and tips.
- Visit early or late in the day for softer light and fewer boats.