Kompong Phhluk Travel Guide

The famous stilted village of Kompong Phhluk is one of the most interesting sights along Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake. The reason the locals build all their houses on stilts is that the village is on a floodplain that rises more than 20 feet during the rainy season.

During the dry winters, when the waters of the lake recede, people can actually walk around the village and under the thatched bamboo and wood houses. But when the rains come, the waters of Tonle Sap rise up to 30 feet, flooding the entire village.

This is when the boats come out, and everyone gets around by paddling. Vast mangrove forests surround the entire village, offering incredibly scenic locations for boat excursions into the flooded forests. Kompong Phhluk is just 10 miles from Siem Reap, making it a great daytrip.

Getting There & Away

Kompong Phhluk is about 10 miles from Siem Reap. The best way to reach the stilted village is to go through a local tour company in Siem Reap who can arrange daytrips out to the village. To reach Siem Reap, there are several daily flights from regional Southeast Asian cities. Otherwise, buses from the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, run frequently to Siem Reap.

Things to Do

Kompong Phhluk Attractions

Mangrove forest

During the rainy season the surrounding mangrove forest floods, creating a surreal environment unlike anything else in the area and is well served by local boat tours.

The village

The rainy season is the best time to take a boat out to the stilted village, where everything takes place in funky houses accessible only by boat.