Prek Toal Nature Reserve

Address: Prek Toal, Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (northwestern Tonle Sap), Cambodia; site is reached by boat from Siem Reap

Prek Toal is a core bird-protection area on the northwestern margins of the Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia and forms part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. It is internationally important for breeding colonies of large waterbirds and several globally threatened species.

The site comprises seasonally flooded forest and river channels where trees provide nesting platforms for storks, pelicans and other large colonial waterbirds. Tourists and birdwatchers visit by boat to view nesting colonies from raised hides and river channels during the dry season when nesting is most concentrated.

Prek Toal is managed as a protected area with conservation monitoring and limited visitor access to reduce disturbance to nesting colonies. It lies on the Tonle Sap floodplain and is reached by boat from nearby towns and floating villages.

• Conservation status: Part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve and recognised for large nesting colonies of waterbirds, especially during the dry season when water levels concentrate breeding sites.
• Access: Access is by boat through flooded forest channels; travel times vary with the lake’s seasonal water levels and the nearest launch points are outside the core sanctuary.

Prek Toal is the most accessible of the three protected biosphere cores on Tonlé Sap, and the easiest to visit from Siem Reap. It is best known for its bird colonies, but the reserve also takes in one of the lake’s floating villages, where fishing communities live in houses that rise and fall with the water.

A wide variety of rare birds gather in a relatively small area, including storks, pelicans, ibises, cormorants and darters, especially during the dry season from December to April, when concentrated water levels nearly guarantee a memorable sighting. Otters, slow loris and flying foxes also inhabit the surrounding flooded forest. The reserve holds the largest colonies of breeding waterbirds in South-East Asia, among them the world’s biggest spot-billed pelican and openbill stork colonies.

Visits require a permit from the Wildlife Conservation Society, most easily arranged through a reputable birding or ecotourism operator in Siem Reap. Going with an established outfit ensures your visit does not disturb the nesting colonies or the community, and some trips can be combined with a village home-stay.

Prek Toal is a bird‑sanctuary area on the northwest edge of Tonlé Sap and is reached only by boat. Most visitors travel from Siem Reap: arrange a tour or private longboat that departs from the Tonlé Sap piers at Chong Kneas or Kompong Phluk (both are reached by a short drive from Siem Reap town). From Siem Reap you’ll drive to the pier (by tuk‑tuk, taxi or tour van) then take a boat ride of roughly 1.5-2 hours to Prek Toal; public transit direct to the sanctuary is not available, so organized boat transfers are the normal option.

• Visit at first light - sunrise boat trips during the dry season (roughly December-April) offer the best bird activity and light for photography.
• Book a trip through a reputable eco-lodge or tour operator that includes the sanctuary's floating hides; trips to Prek Toal are long (half- to full-day) so expect substantial boat travel time from Siem Reap.
• Ask your guide to include visits to the nesting islands and bird hides rather than only floating villages - the hides give much closer views of breeding waterbirds like storks and spoonbills.