Boeng Tonle ChhmarAbout Boeng Tonle Chhmar
Boeng Tonle Chhmar is a lake, a web of small channels and a belt of seasonally flooded forest on the northeastern shore of the Tonle Sap, in Stoung district of Kampong Thom province. It is one of the three core areas of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, alongside Prek Toal and Stung Sen, and has been protected since 1999, the same year it was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
In the dry season it is a distinct lake ringed by flooded forest and fed by the Stoung and Chikreng rivers. When the monsoon swells the Tonle Sap, the lake vanishes into the larger body of water and the forest stands knee-deep, then trunk-deep, in the flood.
The reserve is all about birds. Colonies of large waterbirds nest and roost here, among them painted storks, lesser and greater adjutants, spot-billed pelicans, Oriental darters and Indian cormorants, many of them globally threatened. In the dry season raptors arrive as well, including the Greater Spotted Eagle and Eastern Marsh and Pied harriers, while the open grasslands of the surrounding floodplain are one of the last strongholds of the critically endangered Bengal Florican. Fishing families live in floating villages in Peam Bang commune at the reserve’s edge, and their livelihoods depend on the fish that breed in the flooded forest.
Weather & Climate near Boeng Tonle Chhmar
Boeng Tonle Chhmar's climate is classified as Tropical Savanna - Tropical Savanna climate with hot summers (peaking in April) and warm winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from 20°C to 34°C. Abundant rainfall (1256 mm/year), wettest in September with a pronounced dry season.
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Ideal | 21° - 29° | 25° | 2 mm | some cloud | 57% | 1.2 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.4h |
| February | Ideal | 22° - 31° | 26° | 6 mm | some cloud | 52% | 1.2 m/s | 2.0 very high | 11.6h |
| March | Excellent | 24° - 33° | 30° | 30 mm | partly cloudy | 55% | 1.5 m/s | 2.1 extreme | 12.0h |
| April | Very Good | 26° - 34° | 33° | 64 mm | partly cloudy | 63% | 1.3 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 12.3h |
| May | Good | 25° - 33° | 34° | 143 mm | partly cloudy | 73% | 1.5 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 12.6h |
| June | Acceptable | 25° - 32° | 34° | 133 mm | overcast | 80% | 1.8 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 12.7h |
| July | Acceptable | 25° - 31° | 33° | 156 mm | overcast | 83% | 1.4 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 12.7h |
| August | Acceptable | 25° - 31° | 33° | 179 mm | overcast | 84% | 1.4 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 12.4h |
| September | Good | 25° - 31° | 32° | 249 mm | overcast | 85% | 1.1 m/s | 2.0 extreme | 12.1h |
| October | Good | 24° - 30° | 30° | 202 mm | partly cloudy | 82% | 1.1 m/s | 1.9 very high | 11.7h |
| November | Excellent | 23° - 30° | 27° | 77 mm | partly cloudy | 76% | 1.6 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.4h |
| December | Excellent | 21° - 29° | 25° | 15 mm | partly cloudy | 66% | 1.8 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.3h |
How to Get to Boeng Tonle Chhmar
Boeng Tonle Chhmar is a protected core area, so visits need a permit and must be arranged through an authorised operator, usually a birding specialist in Siem Reap or a guide in Kampong Thom. Trips combine a road transfer to the lakeshore in Stoung district with a boat ride into the reserve. Allow a full day, and go in the dry season for the best birding.