Day 1: Siem Reap - Chnok Trou
11:30 Meeting in front of FCC hotel in Siem Reap.
High water (July - December)
12:30 Transfer to Phnom Krom, pier of Siem Reap. Transfer from the pier by local boat to the Toum Tiou. Lunch on the boat. Passengers embark and check-in at the boat docked near Phnom Krom in Siem Rea, security briefing. Departure for a relaxing half day. Dinner by crossing the Tonle Sap Lake.
19:00 Arrival to village floating of Chnok Trou, The boat drops anchor close to the village for the night.
Low water (January - June)
12:00 Lunch at local restaurant
13:30 Passengers embark on speedboat, charter for our passengers to cross the Tonle Sap Lake.
18:00 Arrival to village floating of Chnok Trou, passengers embark Toum Tiou, check-in at the boat, security briefing. The boat drops anchor close to the village for the night.
19:30 Welcome drink and info meeting about cruise, crew introduction. Welcome dinner. Overnight on boat.
** From March it might not be possible to visit Floating village depending on the water level.
At the end of the low water period (around end of March to June), the water level may not allow the speedboat to cross the lake. In this case, passengers will be transferred by our convenience from/to Siem Reap by land or river way. (~5-6 hour).
Day 2: Kampong Chnang - Kampong Tralach
07:00 After breakfast, local boats come to the Toum Tiou and pick passengers up for the visit of floating village. Almost totally overlooked by tourists because of its remoteness and difficult access, the village is completely self-sufficient. A floating school, factories to make ice for fish preservation, church, pagoda, service stations, pigsty, stores, boat or television repair shops, video club, karaoke bar, police station... everything is on the water. All trades are represented and everybody from children to grandparents goes by the boat through the network of canals that cross this little town.
10:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou. Lunch on boat on the way to Kampong Chnang.
14:00 Arrival at Kampong Chnang. Visit the village and its environment. Located some 90 kilometers from Phnom Penh, the town of Kampong Chnang is one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonlé Sap. Fish farming is also widely practiced in the area. The area is famous for its pottery ware, unchanged in style for centuries, which is produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire country? And not to be overlooked are the products of the Thnot tree (sugar palm - a real national symbol) that abounds in the area: a mellow tasting, caramel-colored sugar sold in large cakes and palm wine.
18:00 Passengers re-embark the boat, Toum Tiou leaves Kampong Chnang to kampong Tralach. The boat drops anchor close to the village.
19:00 Dinner and overnight on boat.
Dy 3: Kampong Tralach - Kôh Chen - Oudong - Phnom Penh
07:00 Breakfast during navigation, departure for Kampong Tralach to visit its wonderful Vihara belonging to Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To get to it, we cross Kampong Tralach Krom village along a small road perpendicular to the river, crossing some gorgeous stretches of emerald rice paddy as we leave the river behind. The Vihara dates back to early last century. It was probably built on an older site, as indicated by the latérite foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer from weathering. They remain one of the last survivors of cultural destruction that continues unabated due to widespread indifference. Standing by itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest pagoda that receives very few visitors. Its isolation may well be its undoing, as was the case for Wat Tani Pagoda in the province of Kampot.
10:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou. Lunch on boat on the way to Kôh Chen.
14:00 Visit of Kôh Chen, small village of which the inhabitants specialize in silver and copper smiting. They make ornamental items, including delicately engraved tropical fruits, used in traditional ceremonies at the pagoda or for marriages. The distant hills of Cambodia's old capital, Oudong, and its royal stupas can be seen a few kilometers away from the ferry. At the top of the hill, are the ruins of Anthareu temple.
16:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou.
18:00 Arrival to Phnom Penh. |
