Option I

Day Trips:

Kampong Phluk Village

You will not want to miss a visit to Kampong Phluk the next time you visit Angkor Wat because this river village is like nothing you have ever seen. When your boat slows down as the first houses come into view, you can’t help but be awestruck by the sight of them. Houses supported by bamboo stills, sitting 10 meters above the water.     

The village is huge! The sheer volume of houses built closely together is overwhelming as you see house after house after house. And that’s not all. As you go further into the village, your senses will be assaulted by a salty smell that is not entirely pleasant. It comes from fish, crocodile, and pig farms.

The Villagers also grow their vegetables. This water hyacinth on the left grows naturally and they eat the young ones as part of their diet. Kampong Phluk is practically located at the edge of the Tonle Sap lake, where every year the water level rises and falls depending on the season.

During the wet season, the lake “overflows” and floods the area surrounding it. The opposite happens during the dry season. This flooding ritual is why houses on the village are constructed on stilts.

The Cambodian villagers adapt to the yearly change by adjusting the height of their houses depending on the water level.You will see Cambodian people going on with their lives, whether it’s washing clothes, trading, cleaning newly caught fish, or relaxing in the house safe from the hot sun.

The village has all the basic facilities for its residents, a temple, a stupa to keep the ashes of the departed, a monastery, and schools. There is no western hospital, and the people still prefer their traditional medicine for minor illness. Only in serous cases do they go to a hospital in Siem Reap.  
 

If you go to Kampong Phluk during dry season, you could actually walk on land. During this time, the water level falls so drastically that kids can walk to school. But this road is completely submerged in the rainy season. You can see how high the house is built, in anticipation of the wet season.

During the dry season, you will also see the villager take advantage of the available dry space to dry their shrimp.

After spending some time in the village, do not miss out on seeing the great Tonle Sap lake that is very short boat ride away. Being on the lake is more like being on the sea as you can not see the edges of the lake.

The Road to Kampong Phluk
During the dry season

Kamong Phluk is a must-see during your visit to Angkor Wat. The view of stilted houses towering 10 meters is a sight to be seen. But going there during dry season is more difficult than the wet season because Kampong Phluk is located in the edge of Tonle Sap lake.

When the road to Kampong Phluk are flooded, those roads become a river. So we can just use a boat to go the village.

During the dry season, the condition of the roads leading to Kampong Phluk are bad!

 Option II

2 Days – 1 Night
Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary

The 'bird sanctuary' at the Prek Toal core area of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve has been called "the single most important breeding ground in Southeast Asia for globally threatened large waterbirds." The Biosphere covers 31,282 hectares at the northwest tip of the Tonle Sap Lake and plays host to species including Greater and Lesser Adjuncts, Black-

headed Ibis, Painted Stork, Milky Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle and many more species. Of the three Biosphere core areas on the Tonle Sap

 Lake, Prek Toal is the most accessible from Siem Reap and the most popular with birdwatchers. The best time of year for viewing is the dry season from December – through March when flocks of migratory birds congregate at Prek Toal. As the dry season progresses and the water recedes, the number of birds increases but the travel to some of the more important viewing areas becomes more difficult. There are also basic overnight accommodations at the Research Station if you want to stay the night to take full advantage of the sunset and early morning viewing hours.

Day 1:
Morning:
Trekking along Siem Reap river visit local villager house and taking ox cart through village.
Afternoon: We drive to the boat pier and taking a boat from floating village across the north part of the lake to Prek Toal. The village of Prek toal has both houseboats and land dwellings and is very enjoyable place to spend an evening and night. Overnight at Prek Toal Environment Center.

Day 2:
Morning: Start very early morning by boat to the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary. Wooden dugout canoes will allow us go inside the forests. If water level is low which we would explore the floating villages to observe the fishing techniques, fishpond, crocodiles breeding and cruise along Sangke River though birds sanctuary. Return to Siem Reap.

"Trip to Prek Toal also can be arranged a day trips"