Explore the captivating world of Tonle Sap Lake through our blog, where we delve into Cambodia’s largest freshwater reservoir. Discover its floating villages, rich biodiversity, and cultural festivities, offering a glimpse into traditional Khmer life.

Learn about seasonal changes, like the dramatic expansion during the rainy season. Dive into conservation efforts and the challenges facing this vital ecosystem.

Whether you’re planning a trip or seeking to understand its ecological significance, our blog provides insights, travel tips, and stories that illuminate the beauty and resilience, ensuring an enriching virtual journey through this natural wonder.

Welcome to Tonle Sap Lake: Cambodia’s Aquatic Treasure

Boeung Tonle Sap is another name for Tonle Sap Lake. This lake is located in Siem Reap. This massive lake has a length of 250 km and it is 100 km across at its widest point. It is impossible to see the opposite shore from ground level.

This lake is not too deep, it has a maximum depth of only 10 meters. It is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. You will find a wide range of flora and fauna in and around the lake.

This diversity has also helped to sustain and grow the ancient Khmer civilization. This lake is a very famous tourist destination because of its fascinating local communities and floating villages. 

Major Attractions:

1. Floating Villages

Around the lake, you will find several so-called floating villages that depend on the lake for the natural resources it provides. If you want, you can book a tour of the area which includes roundtrip transport, lunch, and opportunities to interact with locals.

Some of the most visited and popular floating villages are Chong Khneas, Kampong Khleang, Kampong Phluk, and Prek Toal.

The best time to visit is in the rainy season which starts in June and ends in October. Excess water due to rain in the Mekong River causes Tonle Sap to reverse its flow.

In the rainy season, the lake grows to 5 times its size in the dry season. In the summers the lake becomes too shallow that the large boats sit on the floor. The floating villages move forward onto the middle of the lake. 

2. A biosphere reserve:

In 1997, UNESCO designated Tonle Sap a World Network Biosphere Reserve. This lake also supports a large crap-breeding and crap-harvesting industry.

Tonle Sap Lake with the Mekong River forms a great diversified biodiversity. This ecosystem serves as a house home to over 200 species of fish out of which 70 are of commercial relevance.

It also houses 23 snake species and 12 turtle species that live in and around Tonle Sap Lake.  

3. The festivities:

The neighbouring floating villages celebrate the seven-headed snake to mark the reversal of the Tonle Sap Lake and open the fishing season.

This celebration lasts for three days and begins on the last day of the full moon. Almost 375 teams participate in a series of canoe races. The victory is believed to bring good fortune for the entire village in the coming fishing season.

The men of the community prepare for the festival by either restoring the sacred canoes or building new ones. Men consider being chosen as a member of the crew to be the highest honour, painting each canoe with patterns and eyes symbolizing the guardian goddess.

For the past few years, Tonle Sap Lake and its surrounding ecosystems have been in danger of deforestation, infrastructure development, and climate change.

Several dams are constructed that are exploiting the lake’s hydroelectric potential. 

How to reach Tonle Sap Lake:

Reach Tonle Sap Lake by Ferry:

You can reach Tonle Sap Lake from Siem Reap, Kompong Phluk, Konpong Khleang, Phnom Penh, Kampong Chhnang, Kompong Luong, and Battambang.

The most convenient way to reach Tonle Sap Lake is from Phnom Penh. You can take a ferry from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap that travels up to the Tonle Sap River, stopping at Kampong Chhnang. The journey takes 6 hours to complete. 

You can also get into a ferry between Battambang and Siem Reap that will drop you at the northwestern corner of the Tonle Sap. It is considered the best boat trip in Cambodia. 

The journey will take about $26 per person.

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