Kompong Khleang is the biggest community on Tonle Sap Lake and the one fewest tourists reach. Around 14,000 people live in ten linked stilt villages along a channel 50 km from Siem Reap, with two genuine floating villages of houseboats, one Khmer and one ethnic Vietnamese, moored further out towards the open lake.
- Distance
- About 50 km · 60–75 min
- Boat ticket
- USD 20 per person plus a USD 2 tourism tax
- Forest canoe
- USD 10, private tours, July–January
- Population
- About 14,000
- Best months
- August – January
- Our tour
- $35 · daily 2:00 pm
The houses stand on stilts up to ten metres high; in the wet season the water laps at the floors, in the dry season there is a town underneath them. It is an hour's drive each way, so few tours make the trip, and that is exactly why it is worth it: it is quiet, unhurried and still entirely a fishing town. This guide covers how to get there, what it costs, what changes between seasons, and how it compares with Kompong Phluk.
What is Kompong Khleang?
Kompong Khleang (also written Kampong Khleang or Kampong Kleang) is a commune of ten stilt villages strung along a channel that runs from the main road down to Tonle Sap Lake. It is the largest settlement on the lake, with its own market, three pagodas, a medical post, primary schools, a houseboat school and a secondary school. Most families fish; in the dry season many also farm the exposed land, and a few now work in tourism.
Beyond the last stilt houses, where the channel opens into the lake, are two villages that really do float: clusters of houseboats that move with the water level, one Khmer and one ethnic Vietnamese. Our boat passes through both on the way to the open lake.
How to get to Kompong Khleang
Take National Road 6 east from Siem Reap for about 35 km to Damdek, the biggest town on the way. Pass the Damdek market and a smaller market, and turn right on the first paved road after a tall white building; from there it is about 15 km south to the village. Allow an hour by car, more by tuk-tuk. The road is paved to the village, which is not the case at Kompong Phluk.
If you go on your own, the community tourism office at the boat dock sells the ticket. In the dry season the dock moves to Wat Kompong Khleang, further down the channel, and you drive through the first part of the village to reach it.
What it costs
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Community boat ticket | USD 20 per person plus a USD 2 tourism tax |
| Flooded forest canoe (private tours, July–January) | USD 10 per person |
| Our group sunset tour, everything included | $35 per person |
| A private day, built your way | $145 for up to 4, van, guide and boat included |
See the full prices and entrance fees guide for all the villages.
Wet season or dry season?
Most people picture Kompong Khleang in high water, from August to January: boats leave from the top of the village, the stilts disappear into the lake, and the houseboat villages sit on open water. It is the obvious time to go.
The dry season, February to July, is a different place and not a worse one. The water drops nine metres. Families move their belongings and boats to the ground under the houses, open shops on the newly dry land, and dry their catch in the sun along the road. You drive through half the village before boarding, which means you see more of ordinary life than from a boat. The lake is further away and the trip out takes longer. Guests who came expecting Venice are sometimes disappointed; guests who came to understand how people live are not.
Kompong Khleang or Kompong Phluk?
| Item | Kompong Khleang | Kompong Phluk |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 50 km, about an hour | 31 km, 45–60 min |
| Size | About 14,000 people, ten villages | About 3,000 people, three villages |
| Flooded forest | Small; canoe on private tours, $10 | Large; canoe on every tour, $5 |
| True floating houses | Two houseboat villages | Mostly stilts |
| Tourists | Few | Moderate |
| Our group tour | $35, 2:00 pm | $28, 2:00 pm |
If you want the flooded forest paddle, choose Kompong Phluk. If you want scale, the houseboat villages and almost no other visitors, choose Kompong Khleang. With two afternoons, do both. Our comparison of all the villages goes deeper.
Visiting responsibly
Kompong Khleang gets few enough visitors that each one is noticed. Our guides ask guests not to give money or sweets to children, to ask before photographing people at home, to buy snacks from village stalls rather than from the boat, and to be aware that the houseboat villages are private homes, not an attraction. Part of what you pay goes to the community tourism office, which funds the boat crews and the commune.
Visit Kompong Khleang with us
| Item | Group sunset tour | Private day |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $35 per person | $145 for up to four with van, guide and boat; add what you want on the water |
| Departs | Daily 2:00 pm, back about 7:30 pm | Any time; mornings for the market and the fishing boats coming in |
| Includes | Hotel pickup in an air-con van, guide, boat ticket, sticky-rice stop at Poom Krolahn, roadside doughnuts, pagoda visit, water, snacks | Your own vehicle and boat; the flooded forest canoe is $10 per person |
| Group size | Any size | Just your party |
| Children | $10 off | $10 off |
Book direct. Free cancellation up to 4 hours before departure, and a WhatsApp line to your guide.
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 Kompong Khleang worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you have already seen a busier village or want to avoid one. It is the largest community on the lake and the least touristed, and the two houseboat villages are the closest thing to a true floating village near Siem Reap.
How far is Kompong Khleang from Siem Reap?
About 50 km, an hour by car on a paved road, longer by tuk-tuk.
Does Kompong Khleang have a flooded forest?
A small one. On our private tours you can take a canoe into it between July and January for USD 10 per person. For the big flooded forest go to Kompong Phluk.
Can you visit in the dry season?
Yes. You drive through part of the village and board the boat further down the channel. The stilts are fully exposed and the village is busy on the dry ground beneath the houses.
Can you stay overnight?
Not on our standard days. If you would like to stay a night in the village, WhatsApp us and we will talk it through.
Kompong Khleang or Chong Kneas?
Chong Kneas is 15 minutes from town and is where most tuk-tuk drivers go, so it is the busiest. Kompong Khleang takes an hour and feels like a working village.