A boat trip is an excellent way to get a way from the busy and noisy streets of Phnom Penh and just enjoy a relaxing afternoon and sunset on Tonle Sap and Mekong River. A boat cruise typically takes about 1 – 2 hours and runs up the Tonle Sap River along the central riverfront area providing a photographic view of the Royal Palace and Phnom Penh skyline. The cruise continues across the Tonle Sap and up the Mekong River which will give you a sense of the country side close to Phnom Penh.
You can also turn the boat trip into a party either by asking the boat owner to arrange food, drinks and music or you bring it yourself. If you are bringing your own music don’t forget to ask the boat owner in what format you need to bring it in.
Short river cruises and sunset cruises are easy to arrange, the tourist boats are clustered together on the river along Sisowath Quay (Riverside) on the corner of street 118 . The price of the boat tour depend on the duration of the trip and the size of boats and not the number of the passengers. Small boat ( up to 20 passengers) cost about 15$/h , medium size (up to 30 passengers) about 20$/h, large size (up to 40 passengers) about 25$/h.
Here is some of the companies that are organizing boat tours:
Mekong Flower Tour Boat, Tel: 011 977 484/012 432 268
Paris Le Mekong, Tel: 016 700 249/012 298 918/016 869 447
Mekong Boat Angkor, Tel: 012 879 300/012 207 789
Chheoun Menghiek Boat & Tours, Tel: 017 717 078/015 717 078
Tourist Boat, Tel: 012 407 931
Note: The price of hiring is the same between expat and Khmer.