For half the year the mangrove forests on the shore of Tonle Sap Lake stand in water deep enough to paddle a canoe between the trunks. People here call it the flooded forest, sometimes the floating forest, and it is one of the most memorable parts of any floating village trip from Siem Reap. There are two places near Siem Reap where you can do it, Kompong Phluk and Kompong Khleang, and they are not the same. This guide says which to choose, when the water is high enough, and what the canoe really costs.
- What it is
- Freshwater mangrove forest that floods every rainy season
- Where
- Kompong Phluk (most accessible), Kompong Khleang (biggest)
- When it floods
- About July to January; highest in October to early November
- Canoe ride
- 20–30 minutes, two guests per canoe
- Canoe price
- USD 5 at Phluk · USD 10 at Khleang
- Our tour
- $28 per person, canoe included
What a flooded forest is
When the lake rises each rainy season, the forests along its shore stand in water for months. They are freshwater mangroves and other flood-tolerant trees, and their canopies close over the channels between them. The villages themselves once stood in flooded forest too, but those trees were cleared to make way for the stilt houses, so today the forest starts towards the end of the village. It still does the village a service: it acts as a buffer against the open lake, keeping the water calmer between the houses. Fish spawn among the roots, and the forest is home to birds and wildlife and important for shrimp fishing. For more on how the lake rises and falls, see our guide to Tonle Sap Lake.
When the water is high you move through the forest by canoe, the paddler at the stern and the light coming down green through the leaves. When it is low you can actually walk through the forest on foot, if you really want to.
Where the flooded forests are
| Village | The forest | Best for | Our tours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kompong Phluk | The most easily accessible, with a canoe cooperative run by village women | The classic ride: a long paddle through dense forest, then sunset on the lake | Daily group tour $28 · private days |
| Kompong Khleang | Much bigger and quieter, reached by canoe from the community boat | Fewer tourists; combine with the largest village on the lake | Private days (canoe +$10 pp) |
At Prek Toal the bird sanctuary sits beside large stands of mangrove, and you see them from the boat; you do not paddle into them.
Chong Kneas, the village closest to Siem Reap and the one most tuk-tuk drivers suggest, has no flooded forest. If a driver offers you a "floating forest" at Chong Kneas, you will be paddled through water hyacinth beside a floating restaurant. Our village comparison explains the differences.
When the forest floods
The water starts rising in June and the canoes usually begin running in July. The forest is at its best from September to December, with the peak around October and early November, when the trunks are fully submerged and the canopy sits just above the surface. Some of the shorter trees disappear under the water entirely; you can sometimes see their tops, or their leaves floating just below the surface, as you paddle over them. By late January the water is falling and by March the forest is dry; the canoes stop, and the main boat still passes the edge of the forest on its way to the lake. Rainfall varies from year to year, so a month either side is possible. The lake line at the top of this page shows the water today; for planning a whole trip around the lake see when to visit Kompong Phluk.
What the flooded forest costs
| Place | Canoe | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kompong Phluk | USD 5 per person | Paid at the floating platform where you change boats; two people per canoe |
| Kompong Khleang | USD 10 per person | On private days; the canoe meets the community boat |
The canoe is on top of the village boat ticket (USD 20 per person plus a USD 2 tourism tax at Kompong Phluk and Kompong Khleang). Our Kompong Phluk tours include both, so there is nothing to pay at the platform.
The two work differently. Kompong Phluk has a proper meeting point for the canoes, with a restaurant and a queue of canoes waiting for guests. Kompong Khleang has no established cooperative, so on a private tour there a canoe trails the community boat; you dock at an entrance to the flooded forest, change into the canoe and are paddled through the trees by a woman from the village, then return to the boat and head out to the lake. The Khleang forest is an active fishing site, so you will paddle past shrimp traps set between the trees. The Kompong Khleang canoe is not included on our group tour; you can add it on a private day for USD 10 per person. Every fee is on our prices page.
What the ride is like
After the big boat passes the last houses of Kompong Phluk, it ties up at a floating platform and you step down into a wooden canoe with one other person. Your paddler is usually a woman from the rowing cooperative. The engine noise stops. For the next 30 minutes or so you drift between trunks close enough to touch, under a roof of leaves, past village sellers paddling around with drinks and snacks for sale. Then the trees thin out, the boat comes to collect you, and a few minutes later you are on open water with the sun going down.
See the flooded forest with us
| Item | Group sunset tour | Private day |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $28 per person | $145 for up to 4, built your way |
| Departs | Daily 2:00 pm, back about 7:00 pm | Any time you like |
| Includes | Hotel pickup, guide from the village, village boat, flooded forest canoe, water, snacks, market and pagoda stops | Air-con car and driver, guide, boat tickets; add the canoe and anything else |
| Group size | Any size | Just your party |
Booking here costs no more than booking through an agency. Free cancellation up to 4 hours before pickup, and a WhatsApp line straight to your guide.
High water, no queue for the flooded forest, and a flawless sunset at Kompong Phluk
Yesterday’s Kompong Phluk Sunset Tour had everything going for it. The water is still high, up near the floors of the stilt houses, so the boat goes right between the homes and the whole village sits in the lake.
It was not too crowded, and there was no wait at all for the flooded forest: our guests stepped straight off the community boat into the rowboats and were paddled out between the trees. The weather was great all afternoon, and the sunset on the open lake was flawless.
If you are deciding when to come: early November is about as good as it gets at Kompong Phluk. The forest is still fully flooded, the rains have eased, and the skies are clearing for sunset.
A lovely group tour of Kompong Khleang at high water
We had a lovely group tour of Kompong Khleang yesterday. The water on Tonle Sap Lake is very high right now and has reached close to the floors of many of the stilted homes, so the whole floating village seems to sit right on the lake.
With the water this high there was no walking tour through the village, but the boat ride was lovely. We were able to take the boat between the houses and see village life up close from the water, then head out onto the open lake for sunset.
The weather was great: not humid at all, and we didn’t get any rain. A great time to visit Kompong Khleang and Tonle Sap Lake. If you are planning a floating village tour from Siem Reap, our Kompong Khleang guide explains what to expect in each season.
Frequently asked questions
Is the flooded forest a mangrove forest?
Yes. The trees around Tonle Sap Lake are freshwater mangroves, adapted to standing in water for months at a time, and that is what the villagers call them. It is the largest flooded forest in Siem Reap province, and one of the few in the world you can paddle through in a canoe.
Is the flooded forest worth it?
If you are here between July and January, yes; for most guests it is the highlight of the trip. In February and March there is often still enough water and the canoes may still run, but it depends on how much rain fell in the wet season, so message us on WhatsApp to check before you book. From April to June the forest is dry and walkable, and the lake and the village are the reason to go.
Can you visit the flooded forest in the dry season?
You can see it and walk through it, but not paddle it. The canoes usually stop around February and start again in July.
Which flooded forest is best?
Kompong Phluk is the most easily accessible, with an organised canoe cooperative and the canoe included on our group tour. Kompong Khleang's flooded forests are much bigger and far quieter, on a private tour. Those are the only two near Siem Reap where you paddle into the forest.
How long is the canoe ride?
Around 30 minutes.
Is it safe? Do you need to swim?
The canoes are stable, the water in the forest is calm and shallow, and there are life jackets in both the main boat and the canoes. You stay seated the whole time.
Is it the same as the "floating forest" at Chong Kneas?
No. Chong Kneas has no flooded forest. The canoe rides offered there go through water hyacinth beside the main channel.
How much does the flooded forest cost?
The canoe is USD 5 per person at Kompong Phluk and USD 10 at Kompong Khleang, on top of the village boat ticket of USD 20. Our tours include both.