The Tonle Sap lake, Cruise Tonle Sap Tours

Temples aside, Siem Reap has another unique attraction in the fascinating Tonle Sap, the massive freshwater lake that dominates the map of Cambodia. The lake is at once a reservoir, flood-relief system, communications route, home, and larder to the people who live on and around it; even Cambodians who live nowhere near depend on it as a rich food source.

At its lowest, in May, just before the rains, the lake covers an area of around 2500 square kilometres. Himalayan meltwater flows down the Mekong just as the monsoon rains arrive, causing the level of the river to rise so quickly that at Phnom Penh the pressure is sufficient to reverse the flow of the Tonle Sap River, which would normally drain the lake. As a result of this inflow, each year the lake inundates an area of over ten thousand square kilometres, making it the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The flow of water reverts to its usual direction in late October or early November, the receding waters leaving behind fertile mud for the planting of rice, and nutrients for the fry which have spawned amid the flooded trees. February sees a bumper fish catch, much of it going to satisfy the insatiable Cambodian appetite for prohok.

Fishing is big business on the Tonle Sap, and the government has awarded large concessions to wealthy businessmen at the expense of local fishermen, who have to either practise their trade illegally or rent a share from a concessionaire. The majority of these fishermen are part of the lake’s huge itinerant population, mostly stateless ethnic Vietnamese, living in mobile floating villages on the lakeshore.

The lake was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997 – a status which reconciles sustainable use with conservation. One core area of the reserve, Prek Toal, is a sanctuary for a wide range of water birds, including three endangered species – spot-billed pelicans, greater adjutant storks, and white-winged ducks. Prek Toal lies on the northwest edge of the lake in the dry season and is easily reached from Siem Reap, though you’ll have to take an organized tour.

It’s easy enough to get out on the lake by hiring a boat with driver at the lakeshore ($10 for 2hr; each boat takes eight people). In the rainy season, you should head for Phnom Krom, 12km southwest of Siem Reap, where the lake laps at the base of the hill at this time of year; in the dry season you’ll have to go on to Chong Khneas, 5km further along the road from town.

Also moving to and fro with the seasons is the floating office of GECKO (Greater Environment Chong Khneas Office; daily 8.30am–5pm), an NGO whose main role is to improve the environmental awareness of the local fishing population. Their exhibition centre (free) houses displays about the local flora and fauna, and an aquarium containing some fish species found in the lake. (If you plan on visiting, it’s also worth having a look at Krousar Thmei’s exhibition about life on the lake.) Alternatively, both Osmose and Terre Cambodge offer a range of pricey tours of the lake area using their own boats.