Kampong Phluk is situated off Highway 6 to Phnom Penh, take road 812. In wet season the villages are only reachable by motorbike and then boat, as the small dirt highway becomes flooded. Kampong Phluk is a small cluster of three villages on stilts that visitors are welcome to tour on a boat. It used to be a much more authentic ‘floating village experience’ than the one close to the Tonlé Sap-ferry harbour, however, in recent years the prices have risen exponentially and tour lengths have shortened significantly.

Featured image by Greg Willis from Denver, CO, usa, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The best time to visit in the rainy season when the road is flooded and the water level rises to the level of the houses. At this time of year the villagers make their living by catching the fish that move from the flooded Tonle Sap, into the partially submerged vegetation. 

Floating Restaurant

Part of the tour usually includes a stop off at the Kampong Phluk floating restaurant, which is geared towards tourists and, therefore, is a little overpriced and a little inauthentic. The main attraction of the restaurant is the crocodile meat dishes on offer, and the live crocodiles kept on show at the restaurant. Given the rarity of the Siamese crocodile in the wild, it’s fairly safe to say that it is not a common ingredient in Khmer cuisine. That being said, it does offer spectacular views of the Tonle Sap at sunset for anyone lucky enough to be there at that time. 

This day trip should cost around US$30 and it takes about 2 hours to reach the village, depending on the road conditions and water level.