Tonlé Sap, Phnom Penh: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Tonlé Sap is Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, in central Cambodia, expanding from roughly 2,500 square kilometers in the dry season to over 12,000 during the monsoon when the Tonlé Sap River reverses flow and carries Mekong floodwater back into the basin. Floating villages, including Kampong Phluk and Chong Kneas, sit on or beside the lake, their stilt houses adjusting to water levels that shift by up to 8 meters annually. The lake supports one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries, providing over half of Cambodia’s fish. UNESCO designated it a Biosphere Reserve in 1997. is just one of many options in Phnom Penh. Major attractions worth considering include Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument, Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (Choeung Ek Killing Fields), and Kandal Market (Phsar Kandal).