We were not confined solely to the double-decked tour boats on this trip. We made a stop along the way for refreshments and a bathroom break at one of the floating restaurants. We also disembarked for a much smaller vessel powered by muscle, and which took us for an up-close and personal view not only of Kampong Phluk, but also some of the sights in the Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve with its mangroves and swamps. Here are some of those highlights:
Kampong Phluk floating restaurant
Kampong Pluk water taxis
A water taxi safari
As you can tell, there is much to see and do on this excursion. But you have to get off the larger tour boats to take advantage of it all. I’ll finish up today with this photo gallery/slide show:
After our motorized rickshaw tour and exploration of the Wat Preah Prom Rath Buddhist temple and garden, we had lunch at the Golden Temple Residence before our afternoon tour arrived to pick us up for a boat ride on Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in all of Southeast Asia. Tonlé Sap is also home to several “floating villages,” which don’t actually float, but rather consist of homes and businesses built upon tall stilts. The village we would visit this day was Kampong Phluk, which spends parts of the year dry, and other times finds itself surrounded by water. What we didn’t know was that the road would be so crowded this day that we would have to depart the tour bus and walk a considerable distance, weaving through myriad vehicles, to get to our tour boat. Surprise! It was Day One of the annual three-day Bon Om Touk “Boat Paddling” Festival, otherwise known as the Cambodian Water and Moon Festival. This festival is held in late October/late November, and it heralds the end of Cambodia’s monsoon season. On this trip (2025) it ran 4-6 November. For 2026 it’ll be 23-25 November.
Tonlé Sap tour boat; note the crowded, at times impassable, road beyond
When you’re in your seventies, scrambling down the steep slope to the tour boat can be a bit challenging. As me how I know. But Ursula and I both made without dying, so there’s that. Just kidding about that. It wasn’t that dangerous, just tricky to navigate.
Tonlé Sap tour boats on the Tahas River north of Kampong Phluk
At any rate, I’m sure you’ll agree that the climb down that slope was worth it for views such as this:
Heading down the Tahas toward Tonlé Sap and Kampong Phluk
It doesn’t take long to sail from the Kampong Phluk boat dock to get to the floating village of the same name. And when you arrive, this is what awaits you:
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R. Doug Wicker — Author 