Tonlé Sap Lak
Tonlé Sap Lake is a unique freshwater lake located about 17km outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia. Not only is it the largest freshwater lake in South-East Asia, but it also ranks as one of the most productive fishing lakes in the world. Plus, it has the added feature of Chong Khneas, a floating fishing village.
Chong Khneas is made up of more than one hundred floating shanties. The people live a very primitive life, making the best of what they have. In the village, you can find a small floating basketball court, a floating church, and also one of the most famous elementary schools in Cambodia. Many children paddle to school in a little disk that they sit in, almost like a small saucer. Inside the school, young students get some instruction and practice learning to read and write. The students also help each other - I watched a young girl, maybe five years old, taking the writing hand of a younger student and guiding her hand motion to form written words in her notebook.
Paddling to School
Tonlé Sap Lake has two rare qualities. First, the flow of the lake/river changes direction twice a year as the area that forms the lake expands and contracts with the seasons. During the dry season, from about mid-November to May, Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River in Phnom Penh. When the wet season rains begin in June, Tonlé Sap backs up and expands to form a gigantic lake. During winter, the lake is a meter deep and 3,000 square km. In contrast, when the water from the Mekong Delta reverses its flow and pushes towards the lake, it averages nine meters in depth and approximately 14,000 square km.
Tonlé Sap's other feature is that it is home to hundreds of different species of birds and fish as well as otters, crocodiles, turtles, and many other animals that inhabit the brown, murky, waters of the mangrove forest.
Fresh Catch
If you take a boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, you will go past the floating village and dock at Chong Khneas. Although this will not allow for a full viewing, you can get a decent glimpse. From Siam Reap, the easiest way to get to Chong Khneas is to take a taxi or tuk-tuk; we opted for the thirty-minute tuk-tuk ride to the river basin. From there, locals will be available to take you out to the floating fishing village from the docks. The ride up the tributary to Tonlé Lake and back takes a couple of hours
The remarkable Tonle Sap is a river that becomes a freshwater lake in the centre of Cambodia, the largest in Southeast Asia, and then flows down to join the Mekong River just past Phnom Penh. During the dry season, the river feeds the lake and continues to flow downriver.
When the monsoon breaks in June, the flow reverses as the Mekong floods and forces enormous quantities of water uphill into the lake, swelling it to five times its size and thus acting as a gigantic natural reservoir.
This
unique natural phenomenon reduces the force of
the torrent rushing towards the sea, and is a
major factor in the steady expansion of the
Mekong Delta.
Fish spawn in the newly flushed lake, covering a seventh of the country at its peak. As the waters recede, the lake teems with fish, some of which have evolved to flop across land to follow the disappearing water.
The
highly fertile mud left behind is excellent for
rice. A unique
strain of rice has been developed to suit the conditions
- it grows in the rising water reaching a stem length of
several metres.
The lake, now a National Park, is a key element in Cambodia's economy. Approximately two-thirds of the protein consumed in Cambodia comes from fish from Tonle Sap.
One of the most
endangered species in the world is the Mekong's giant
catfish. It's the world's largest freshwater fish
- a mature catfish reaches three 
metres
in length and averages 300kgs in weight. Last
year, a fisherman caught a giant weighing almost
650 pounds - the largest freshwater fish ever
recorded.
It appears to migrate out of the Tonle Sap Lake and into the mainstream Mekong River at the end of the rainy season.
The giant catfish are considered sacred by the Thai people, and special ceremonies are performed to seek permission from the Water Spirits and other higher beings to capture these sacred 'Pla Buek' giants.
The species is now under grave threat. Although over fishing is a problem, the main danger is the construction of dams and, in particular, the Pak Mun dam's impact on the catfish population in the Mekong river basin.
A
large crocodile farming industry thrives on and
around Tonle Sap. The main species is the Siamese
crocodile, critically endangered in the wild.
The lake also provides a habitat for 13 different
species of turtle.
From a tourism point of view, the lake offers an alternative, more leisurely, route from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and vice-versa - the 'express' boat takes around five hours.
This is an option for serious travellers: the boats are often overcrowded and uncomfortable but the views compensate.
In
1997, the entire Lake was designated as a
protected area under UNESCO's 'Man and Biosphere'
programme. There are three 'core zones', but the
most interesting is the Prek Toal Bird
Sanctuary, not far from Battambang.
The best time to visit is the dry season, when the water level falls and the birds are concentrated in a comparatively small area. Apart from large numbers of storks, pelicans and ibis, there are many rare species, such as the Painted Stork, the Darter and the Masked Finfoot.
If you travel with Haivenu, we can arrange a chartered boat trip for you to visit both the bird sanctuary and the floating villages on the lake.
Sunset Dinner Tour of Floating Village, Tonle Sap Lake
The Floating Village and Port of Chong Khneas are located less than 15km from Siem Reap. It is the perfect place to visit on the Tonle Sap Lake for those that don't have the time to explore Prek Toal or Kompong Phluk. The Sunset Tour with its 'all-you-can-drink' offer is also the perfect start for those planning
The Tara Boat Sunset Tour of Chong Khneas will begin at 3.30pm, when we pick you up from your Hotel or Guesthouse in an air-conditioned vehicle. Our friendly and knowledgeable tour guides speak English, Thai & Japanese (and Khmer of course), and they will ensure that you enjoy your tour, pointing out areas of local interest along the way and answering any questions you may have. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the port of Chong Khneas, and upon arrival we will exit the vehicle and jump onto one of the Mini Tara's - smaller boats with life jackets and driven by experienced and safe local drivers.
On route to the Tara Boat we will make two stops. The first will be the GECKO Environmental Education Centre, which provides a whole host of useful information about the human societies & unique ecology of the Tonle Sap. The GECKO centre itself is a floating structure - and is a favourite amongst tourists who want to learn a bit more about life on the lake. The second stop will be the Crocodile & Fish Farm at Chong Khneas. If catfish, crocodiles and large snakes don't interest you, there is a souvenir shop and a viewing deck on board for you to purchase some presents for loved ones or take a few photos.
The boat ride through Chong Khneas will allow you to see ordinary Cambodians going about their daily life in the floating village. Fishermen, boat-makers, markets, schools, spirit houses and waving children are always in plentiful supply on this mesmerizing scenic route, and it is not uncommon for the scenery of Chong Khneas to provoke silence on the Mini Tara, as customers take in the sights and sounds that surround them. Once the trip through Chong Khneas is complete, your boat will briefly enter the edge of the Great Lake before docking with the Tara - the Biggest boat on the Tonle Sap Lake.
There you will enjoy a well-deserved 2-course meal and all you can drink - for free. Afterwards you can lie back in a hammock, take a seat on the viewing deck or get your photo taken at the steering wheel. Watch as other tour groups drive past on their rickety little boats whilst you chill out, relax, and enjoy the comfort & luxury of the biggest boat on the lake. And if the weather is good, you will get a first class view of a spectacular sunset, the likes of which you will never forget. Even if there isn't a sunset, the magnificent & unique cloud linings that form above the great lake are always a spectacle to behold. At about 6:45pm you'll leave the Tara and head back to the port at Chong Khneas where your air-conditioned vehicle will be waiting to transport you directly home to your Hotel or Guesthouse.
