Quick Facts:
Tonle Sap is the famous freshwater lake in Cambodia and plays an important role in the daily life and economy of surrounding residents. Therefore, the floating villages with increasingly expanding scale were established on the fringes the lake, in which the largest one is Kompong Khleang. Nowadays, it has become an attraction should not be missed when experiencing SiemRieap, Cambodia.
The floating village of KompongKhleang is the residence of about 20.000 locals and has existed for centuries, so it is called largest community in the Tonle Sap Lake area. Its size is larger 10 times more than Kneas Chong, which is also a well-known village on Tonle Sap Lake. The ecological environment of the lake creates favorable conditions for the surrounding population having the deep attachment to the cultural economy of agriculture and fishery. Therefore, the lake is the same as the house, livelihood, and source of food for numerous Cambodians. The resident’s life in here depends completely on the seasonal water levels. In the rainy season, the water increases leading to the uplift of each house less than a meter above the water level.
When sailing around the floating village of Kompong Khleang, visitors can admire a part of the Angkor complex because Chong Kneas is near to Siem Reap. The ancient and crumbling temples scattering near the village shows that from several centuries ago, the Khmer empire spread as far as here and left a few relics as the sign of the ancient civilization. Moreover, the local people are always friendly and ready to introduce the old traditions existing several centuries as well as their daily work life.
Visiting the floating village of Kompong Khleang will be an interesting experience in your trip to explore the hidden beauty of Cambodia.
