Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 445

AROUND SIEM REAP
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Floating Village of Chong Kneas
The famous floating village of Chong Kneas is an easy excursion to arrange yourself. The
village moves depending on the season and you will need to rent a boat to get around it
properly.
Unfortunately, Chong Kneas has become somewhat of a zoo in recent years. Large tour
groups tend to take over and locals have invented countless scams to separate tourists from
their money. Sou Ching, the company that runs the tours, has fixed boat prices at an absurd
US$20 per person, plus a US$3 entrance fee. In practice it may be possible to pay just
US$20 for the boat shared between several people, or contact Tara Boat ( 092 957765;
www.taraboat.com ) for an all-inclusive trip.
In-the-know travellers steer well clear of Chong Kneas, opting for harder-to-reach but
more memorable spots like Prek Toal or Kompong Pluk , an other-worldly place built on
soaring stilts about an hour's boat ride from Chong Kneas.
To get to Chong Kneas from Siem Reap costs US$2 by moto each way (more if the
driver waits), or US$15 by taxi. The trip takes 20 minutes.
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Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary
One of three biospheres on Tonlé Sap Lake, Prek Toal (admission depending on group size
US$25-50) is an ornithologist's fantasy. Rare breeds that nest here in large numbers include
the huge lesser and greater adjutant storks, the milky stork and the spot-billed pelican. They
build enormous nests and congregate atop treetops in thick droves during the dry season
(December to April). It is also possible to visit from September, but the concentrations may
be lower. As water starts to dry up elsewhere, the birds congregate here.
Sam Veasna Center MAP GOOGLE MAP (SVC; 063-963710; www.samveasna.org ) , in the Wat
Bo area of Siem Reap, offers trips to Prek Toal. The full-day trips cost about US$100 per
person for a group of five or more, with additional charges for smaller groups, and include