As the day cools and the light over Phnom Krom turns amber, leave the town behind for an evening unlike any other in Siem Reap. In four and a half hours you walk through a working lotus farm, drift across the lake at golden hour, receive a sunset blessing from Buddhist monks, spin lotus fibre with your own hands and share a farm dinner under the open sky. Slow and genuine, this is the evening our guests talk about long after the temples.
4:00 pm, Maison Lotus
Your evening begins at Maison Lotus, our tea lounge in city centre Siem Reap, five minutes from Pub Street. The shuttle leaves at 4:00 pm and takes you through the countryside to the foot of Phnom Krom.
4:30 pm, a working farm
You are welcomed with a cocktail and a guided walk through Lotus Silk Farm, a UNESCO Award-winning social enterprise where 200+ artisans preserve seven endangered Khmer crafts. You'll see lotus stems drying, fibres drawn by hand, weavers at their looms. Not a show. A working farm in the middle of its day.
Golden hour on the lake
Then you board a flat-bottomed boat and spend an hour on the lotus lake. The flowers are closing. The sky is changing colour by the minute. There is nothing to do but watch, breathe and take the photographs you will keep.
The sunset blessing
As the sun drops to the horizon, Buddhist monks gather on a lakeside pavilion to perform a traditional blessing ceremony, chanting over the water as the light fades. You are invited to sit with them and receive the blessing, a ritual observed in this part of Cambodia for generations and rarely accessible to visitors. Please dress respectfully, with shoulders and knees covered.
Made by your hands
Back on land, you spin raw lotus fibre by hand, the same fibre that becomes one of the world's rarest textiles, then weave a lotus seed bracelet to take home. Both made by you, guided by artisans who have spent years at these looms.
Dinner under the open sky
The evening closes with a vegetarian, lotus-based farm dinner and unlimited drinks, served beside the water as night falls. The shuttle brings you back to Maison Lotus at about 8:30 pm.
Good to know
Daily departure at 4:00 pm from Maison Lotus. Duration 4.5 hours, transfers included. Suitable for ages 6 and up.