Kompong Khleang Floating Village

If you are fortunate to travel to Siem Reap I'd strongly recommend visiting the floating Kompong Khleang  floating village in Siem Reap Province. 

The floating village is located about 55km outside of the city and its easy to get a guide to take you there, there are tuk tuk around Siem Reap.  My recommendation would be to go with a local friend if possible or negotiate your price with the tuk tuk driver first.  The driver will take you to the floating village and bring you back to the centre of Siem Reap.  I was fortunate to go with my friends and the drive was awesome sitting at the back of her Helix truck with other members of the family who were having a picnic on the way to the village.   The villages homes to over 10,000 people, this is generation after generation living at the floating village. 

When you arrive to the newly made road entering the province you hire an engine propelled boat which takes you up the Tonle Sap River towards the village.  The boat is loud due to the engine but its a beautiful ride and you can either sit inside or go up on the roof.  As you approach the village you see other tour boats and the locals swimming in the water.  Everyone is smiling and waving and it looks awesome with shops, a school, tourist shops standing on wooden stilts in the water.  Many of inhabitants have been living here for generations.

You also have an option to hire a canoe which seats 2 people, the tour is in the forest and lasts about an hour, be warned though you will make a pit stop where there are locals in canoes selling drinks, biscuits, books and pencils for the school and snacks.  The prices were very high compared to even Pub Street which is expensive as its a tourist hotspot.

At the end of the ride its polite to tip your driver.

There is a wooden bridge where a few restaurants are, we were not hungry so we decided to walk the bridge to see where it led.  After 20 minutes walk the bridge just stopped so we walked back to take our ride back to mainland.

Overall an excellent experience and well worth the visit.

Good luck on your travels.