The Silk Weavers of Puok: A Morning at the Golden Silk Farm

A working farm, not a showroom

Twenty minutes north of Siem Reap town, in Puok district, the Golden Silk Farm is a place where silk is made from beginning to end. The farm sits on a flat stretch of land beside a canal, with mulberry trees planted in neat rows and long, open-sided sheds where women work at wooden looms. The air smells of boiling water and leaves. This is not a polished tourist attraction. It is a functioning farm where the entire silk process happens in one compound.

We walked past the mulberry grove first, where women in krama scarves were stripping leaves from branches to feed the silkworms. The worms live in shallow bamboo trays inside a thatched shelter, munching steadily. The sound is a soft, continuous rustle, like light rain on dry grass. The farm breeds a local variety of silkworm that produces a deep golden-yellow thread, not the white thread common in other silk regions.

From cocoon to thread

In the next shed, women dropped cocoons into a pot of boiling water and stirred them with a small brush. The heat loosens the silk filament, which is then lifted, twisted, and wound onto a spool. One cocoon yields about 600 metres of thread. The women work fast, their hands wet and red from the heat. Steam rises into the morning light. The farm does not use chemicals to soften the cocoons, only water and heat.

After reeling, the thread is dyed in large clay pots. The farm uses natural dyes made from local plants: indigo for blue, turmeric for yellow, and the bark of the angkor wat tree for a reddish-brown. The colours are not uniform. They shift slightly from batch to batch, depending on the season and the plant harvest.

The weavers and their looms

The weaving shed is the largest building on the farm. About a dozen women sit at wooden floor looms, their feet working the pedals while their hands pass the shuttle back and forth. The looms are not electric. The only sounds are the clack of the shuttle and the creak of the frame. Each piece of fabric takes several days to complete, depending on the pattern. The weavers do not use punch cards or jacquard attachments. They memorise the pattern and count the threads by eye.

The farm sells finished fabric and scarves in a small shop at the front of the property. There is no hard sell. The women simply continue weaving while visitors browse. The scarves are soft and heavy, with a slight unevenness that tells you they were made by hand.

Getting there from the villa

The Golden Silk Farm is located in Puok district, about 12 kilometres northwest of Siem Reap. From the villa, take National Road 6 west toward the airport, then turn north onto the road to Puok town. The farm is on the left, just past the village of Svay Ompov. The drive takes about 25 minutes by car or tuk-tuk. The road is paved most of the way, but the last kilometre is a red dirt lane that can be bumpy after rain. Tell your driver to wait, as there is no public transport back to town. The farm is open in the morning, and the best time to visit is between 8 and 11 am, before the heat becomes intense and while the women are actively working.

Good to know

• The farm does not charge an admission fee, but donations are accepted. Ask your host if a small contribution is appropriate.
• Photography is allowed, but ask the weavers before taking close portraits. Some prefer not to be photographed while working.
• The farm has a basic toilet and a shaded rest area with water. There is no café or restaurant, so bring snacks if you plan to stay long.
• Silk takes time. If you want to buy a scarf, check the edges for loose threads and the colour for evenness. The farm does not accept credit cards, so bring cash in Cambodian riel or US dollars.

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