Tonle River, Cambodia

Tonle River is a part of the Lower Mekong River basin in Cambodia. This amazingly narrow and meandering river connects the Great Tonle Sap – the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia to the mainstream of the Mekong River from Laos. Stretching about 120 km in length, Tonle River along with Tonle Sap plays an important role in the water regulatory of Mekong River in the delta region of Cambodia. In flooded season (rainy season), the water from Mekong River will flow into the river towards the lake while the stream in dry season will be on the contrary, as an additional tributary of Mekong River. This unique kind of flow reversal of the river and the lake is caused by the annual fluctuation of the Mekong's water volume, supplemented by the Asian monsoon regime.
The region of Tonle Sap and Tonle River is regarded as Cambodia’s “water world”, where everything is on sticks balanced on water-rich soil. It is also one of the world’s most diverse and productive ecosystems, which contains a large variety of interconnected eco-regions with a high degree of biodiversity and plays a part in food supply significances for Cambodians. Also, Tonle River region including Tonle Sap area is the home to large numbers of predominantly Cambodian rural population as well as strategically located near the world-famous Heritage Site of Khmer Empire in Siem Reap.
For many people, itineraries discovering the richness of nature and culture in Tonle River and Tonle Sap are among the most fascinating Mekong River cruise parts in Cambodia. Disembarking the main cruise, you will take mini-buses heading to a rural village nearby and go on a walking tour. Here, besides witnessing how locals make their living, the guides will introduce to you traditional specialties of the village: Khmer-style pottery and palm sugar making process in local families. Before returning the cruise, you will also get opportunities to explore the local floating villages as well as admire the wetlands’ biodiversity of the region. Because the vast “sea” of Tonle Sap can only be crossed during high water (flooded) season, hence almost local exploration will be in sections of Tonle River. If you travel during flooded season, the cruise will follow the Tonle River’s stream that opens up to the great lake of Tonle Sap, where offers you the endless eye feasts of the scenic water landscape, exotic yet vibrant floating lives, and an incredible variety of plants, birds, reptiles, and aquatic animals. Visiting here also means that you’re reaching near the end of the cruise voyage during upstream Mekong River Itineraries with the last destination is the sought-after tourist hotspot as well as the cultural pride of Cambodia – Siem Reap.