Morning at Phnom Krom: Salt Fields, a Hilltop Temple, and Tonle Sap Light

A Hill Above the Floodplain

We left the villa at 5:15, while the sky was still the colour of a bruised plum. Phnom Krom is only 12 kilometres south of Siem Reap town, but at that hour the road is almost empty except for a few monks collecting alms and the occasional truck loaded with vegetables. The hill itself is not high—barely 140 metres—but it rises abruptly from the flat rice plain, and the last 800 metres of the approach road are steep enough that our driver shifted into low gear.

The temple at the summit, Wat Phnom Krom, was built in the 9th century under King Yasovarman I, the same king who moved the capital to Angkor. The sandstone towers are weathered, their lintels carved with scenes from Hindu mythology, and the whole place has a quiet, unpolished feel that the big monuments in the Angkor Archaeological Park lack. We were the only visitors. A monk in an orange robe swept the courtyard with a palm-leaf broom, and the only sound was the wind and the occasional clank of a bell from the small monastery below.

The View That Makes the Climb Worthwhile

From the top, the panorama is extraordinary. To the west, the Tonle Sap lake stretches to the horizon, its water the colour of old pewter in the early light. To the south and east, a patchwork of rice fields, palm trees, and—closer to the lake—the geometric grids of salt evaporation ponds. The salt fields are the real surprise. Most visitors come to Phnom Krom for the temple and leave, but the salt harvest is one of the most visually striking and least-known activities in the Siem Reap region.

We walked down the hill and followed a dirt track through the salt fields. The ponds are shallow, divided by low earthen bunds, and the water is a pale pinkish-brown from the algae that thrive in the high salinity. Workers in conical hats were raking the crystallised salt into small piles, then shovelling it into woven baskets. The air smelled of brine and wet earth. One woman offered us a taste: the salt was clean and sharp, with none of the metallic aftertaste of industrially processed salt. She explained, through our guide, that the harvest runs from December to April, when the dry-season sun and wind are strongest.

The Floating Villages at the Lake’s Edge

From the salt fields, it is a short drive to the village of Chong Kneas, the main embarkation point for the floating villages on the Tonle Sap. We hired a small wooden boat for an hour-long loop through the flooded forest and the stilted village of Kampong Phluk—though the name is a little misleading, because the houses are not actually floating but built on tall stilts, some as high as six metres, to survive the dramatic seasonal rise of the lake.

In the dry season, when we visited, the water level was low, and the stilts stood exposed like the legs of wading birds. Children paddled around in basins made from old tyres, collecting snails from the muddy bottom. A women’s cooperative was drying fish on bamboo racks near the shore. The smell was pungent but not unpleasant—the smell of a working lake, not a tourist attraction. Our boatman pointed out a flooded temple, its roof just visible above the waterline, and a cluster of floating shops that sell fuel, snacks, and phone credit to the villagers.

Getting there from the villa

Phnom Krom is about a 25-minute drive from the villa, depending on traffic. The road is paved all the way to the base of the hill, but the final stretch up to the temple is steep and rough, so we recommend taking a tuk-tuk or a car with good suspension. From the temple, the salt fields are directly below on the lake side; you can walk down in about 15 minutes, or ask your driver to meet you at the bottom. To reach Chong Kneas, continue another 5 kilometres past the salt fields. Your driver will know the way, but it is worth confirming the route in advance, as some drivers are more familiar with the main tourist pier at the lake.

Good to know

• Go early. The temple is at its most atmospheric at sunrise, and the salt workers start their day before 7am. By 9am, the heat is intense and the light becomes harsh.
• There is no entrance fee for the temple or the salt fields, but the boat trip at Chong Kneas is a private arrangement—ask your host to help negotiate a fair price with a local boatman.
• Wear sturdy shoes for the temple steps and the muddy paths between the salt ponds. The salt crystals can be sharp underfoot, so sandals are not ideal.
• Bring water and sunscreen. There is no shade on the salt fields, and the reflection off the water and salt can be blinding. A hat is essential.

Staying in Siem Reap? Our 6-bedroom villa with a private pool sleeps 12 and sits 15 minutes from Angkor Wat — see our rates and availability.