One Day in Kampong Khleang

Kampong Khleang is the furthest, most remote and the least visited floating village accessible from Siem Reap. A day trip there can be arranged through travel agents and you'd need a minimum of two to go. The journey takes about an hour.

One Day in Kampong Khleang, Siem Reap

Kompong Khleang is a large floating village in Tonle Sap - Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake. It is located 50 kilometres from Siem Reap city and provides a vivid picture of the lush and traditional Cambodian way of life.

During your boat ride to Kompong Khleang, you can see for yourself the stilt-houses that move in sync with the water stream. The way of living here is unique, as there is no running water or internet access, yet life is nothing short of extraordinary. This boat trip will make you reflect about poverty and the difficult lives of Southeast Asian communities.

How to spend one day in Kampong Khleang

Kampong Khleang in Siem Reap

The bridge leading to Kampong Khleang

Just like Kampong Phluk, Kampong Khleang is located close to Tonlé Sap so houses are built on stilts to prevent flooding during the wet season. During this trip, I have had the chance to interact with the villagers as well as to have home cooked meal in one of the houses. The experience was amazing:

The ancestors of the elderly woman living here were Chinese, hence the red drapes and deco

A look inside the kitchen. Not the cleanest, but very comprehensive.

Lunch was served!

To be honest, I find the food in Cambodia exceedingly bland and simple. I would not have enjoyed my meal at all if it wasn't for the chicken-flavored sauce (somewhat like Thailand's fish sauce) and chili sauce (similar to Sriracha). Nevertheless, I was very grateful for the experience and hospitality.

Photos to compare the condition of the village during the dry and wet season

A great way to relax!

I visited Tonlé Sap for the second time during the same trip, but this time around I was at a different community, which is mostly made up of Vietnamese fishermen and families.

Jetty to Tonlé Sap from Kampong Khleang

So he is about 13 years old. I was fearing for my life but thankfully this little guy knew what he doing.

20 minutes later, we've arrived at our destination:

 

Not leaving without a selfie

Kampong Khleang was the highlight of my entire trip to Siem Reap.The village is huge, and you will quickly get an idea of how people live there e.g. fishing methods, daily meals (mostly fish), favorite pastime (lounging on a hammock/karoake) etc. Needless to say, a guide is a must as you'd want someone to answer all your questions as well as to be your translator.