ONE-DAY BIRD AT PREK TOAL WATERBIRD COLONISE, TONLE SAP

Best Season: October – April (dry season for easier bird sightings)

Location: Siem Reap and Battambang Province, Cambodia

Duration: 1 Day

About: 40 minutes from Siem Reap.

Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary & Floating Village Tour

The Largest Waterbird Colony in Southeast Asia

Nestled on the northwestern edge of the Tonle Sap Great Lake, the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary is a spectacular Ramsar site and part of Cambodia’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This unique ecosystem, dominated by seasonally flooded freshwater swamp forest, hosts thousands of rare and endangered birds during the dry season, making it one of the premier birdwatching destinations in Southeast Asia.

What You’ll Experience:

Scenic boat ride across the vast Tonle Sap Lake and into the heart of the protected flooded forest
Guided birdwatching tour inside the sanctuary – a haven for storks, pelicans, ibis, and many more
Visit to the authentic floating village of Prek Toal, where everyday life flows with the water
Traditional Cambodian lunch served at the floating Saray Restaurant, run by the local community
Learn about the area’s biodiversity, conservation initiatives, and community-based ecotourism

This immersive day trip offers not only world-class birding, but also a deep connection to Cambodia’s remarkable lake culture and conservation efforts.

Key Bird Species at Prek Toal Sanctuary

Globally Threatened & Iconic Species

Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) – Critically endangered, one of the rarest storks on Earth
Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)
Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea) – Endangered
Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) – Near threatened
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) – Near threatened
Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans)

🐣 Common & Wetland Birds

Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Chines Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)

🎶 Smaller Wetland and Woodland Birds

Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)
White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea)
Yellow Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern, Black Bittern ……..and many other fascinating forest species! This rich diversity makes Prek Toal Waterbird Sanctuary and the surrounding temples a fantastic destination for both casual birders and serious listers.
“See newly found bird species at the Prek Toal Waterbird Sanctuary: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1110389

Prek Toal Floating Village and Waterbird Sanctuary

Option 1 Morning Birding Tour at Prek Toal Waterbird Sanctuary

5.30 am pick up from your hotel by an English-speaking bird guide, with our A/C vehicle, transfer to Mechrey Pier for the boat trip to Prek Toal village.
7 am half-way on the tonle sap lake, enjoy packed breakfast on the boat.
7.30am arrive at the Prek Toal floating village,
7.45am transfer into smaller local community boats and explore the biosophere reserve.
8 am enjoy birding along the way one hour through the core reserve.
9 arrive at the observation platform, climb the tree top to enjoy the wider views of the bird colonies.
10 am return back to Prek Toal village for lunch at Saray Community Restaurant.
1 pm after lunch, visit the Water Hyacinth Handicraft Workshop located next to the restaurant.
(OPTIONAL)1.30 pm, we will take you on paddle boats around the floating village, observing how locals adapt their floating environment, visiting the crocodile farms, fish farms, floating school, floating gardens, etc.
2.15pm travel back to Siem Reap
4 pm arrive back at your Siem Reap hotel.

Option#2: Afternoon Birding Tour

Looking for a relaxed afternoon activity? Join our half-day birding tour to spot dozens of bird species just outside Siem Reap!
8:30 AM – Pick-up from your hotel by a Bird Guide English-speaking bird guide and tuk-tuk or driver
Short transfer to the scenic Phnom Krom marshland
11:00 AM – Lunch at Local Restarant
1:00 PM Birding at Waterbird Sanctuary
4:30 PM – Drop-off at your hotel in Siem Reap

Tour Details

Tour Cost: per person

Included in the tour cost: All transport, park and all reserve entry fees, all meals from Breakfast and Lunch on the day of departure, bottled drinking water, boat trips, services of English-speaking birding guide and Temple Tours guide.

Not included in the tour cost: International flights, travel insurance, entry visa, alcoholic and soft drinks, tips, laundry, hotel mini bar, phone calls, and any other items of a personal nature.

Physical effort: This trip does not require any great physical effort in terms of long uphill hikes, but does require that participants are fit enough to walk, sometimes for 3-4 kilometres in hot conditions. The walking is mostly on a flat landscape, but some walking on even ground is needed to search for some key species. The physical effort required is well within the capabilities of most healthy people with the ability to deal with tropical climates.

Weather: Hot and dry weather is expected throughout this tour. There is always the possibility of a shower or two, given the world’s changing climate, but it is likely to be dry most, if not all, of the time. Midday temperatures are likely to be very hot, but most of the woodland sites we visit have low humidity. Wetland sites, however, can be fairly humid by their very nature. The tour has been paced so that we have plenty of time and are not forced to be birding throughout the heat of the day to see most of the birds.

Food: Khmer cuisine is similar to most Southeast Asian cooking, but rather less spicy. The traditional cuisine of the country is recovering after much of the knowledge being lost through the years of war here, but staff at the lodges we visit cook a wide variety of good local food. The former French influence manifests itself in the fact that good bread is available in many areas, and for those who like beer, there is a surprisingly wide range of local brews to try.

Note: Other things to bring: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, and binoculars.