Community First: Kompong Khleang Floating Village Tours
KompongKhleang
Community First: Kompong Khleang Floating Village Tours
Community First: Kompong Khleang Floating Village Tours is a social enterprise benefitting Bridge of Life School, a non-profit organization operating in Siem Reap and Kompong Thom Province. Our mission is to connect tourists to Kompong Khleang, a floating village on the Tonle Sap, in a responsible and meaningful way by both seeing the sites and learning about the community. Our tours are unique because we are based in the community, run by local residents, and all profits are reinvested in the community based educational programming - hence the name "Community First"
The village we visit is on the Tonle Sap, a fresh water lake the extends throughout Cambodia. It is approixmately 55km outside of Siem Reap city and is home to over 200 families (with more than 5000 living in the area). The economy is dominated by fishing and due to seasonal flooding all homes are on stilts and appear to literally float for part of the year (September - January). Water levels drop several meters beginning in February and a sand bank forms during the later part of the season (April - August).
Because our staff comes from the village and our non-profit works in the community we enjoy a particularly close relationship with the villages and their community members. Rather than visiting as outside tourists you are welcomed friends. During the trip (and depending on the season) you will be introduced to locals, visit staff homes, try sticky rice and Khmer donuts, check out at a local market and tour the village's pagoda. Please keep in mind everyday is different and, depending on weather and season, the tour is subject to change.