Silk Island is a lowlying island in the Mekong River northeast of the capital that is an important center of silk production. The island makes for a great day trip and provides a glimpse of rural life and the ancient tradition of silk weaving.

Silk making is a way of life here, as it has been for centuries. There are a number of silk weaving facilities on the island and you will often see women working on antique looms under their stilted houses.

Most guided tours take visitors to the Silk Weaving Center, which is about a kilometer from the ferry landing and across a small bridge on the neighboring island, Koh Okhna Tei. The center has small machines to unravel the silk cocoons and looms where women weave the silk into beautiful scarves, place mats and table runners.

One of the center's staff will provide a full explanation of the process of silk making from beginning to end. Visitors are encouraged to purchase silk products from the center's showroom, but it is not obligatory.

You can walk, cycle or take a tuk tuk to see the rest of the two islands. There are villages to explore, colorful Buddhist temples, farmers tending their fields and livestock, and several places to simply relax or eat next to the river.

Silk Island is about a 45-minute journey from Phnom Penh by car or tuk tuk including a short ferry ride. Private boat tours also leave from the capital's Riverside district.