During our travels through Cambodia, I had heard whispers of a paradise island in the south. After celebrating Christmas in the party town of Sihanoukville, Joe and I were ready for some relaxation on the beach, so we decided to check out this island we had heard so much about. That’s how we ended up spending a few days on the beautiful island paradise of Koh Rong.
How to Get There
Koh Rong is an island located just off the coast of Sihanoukville, a town in the southern region of Cambodia.
You can reach the island via a 45 minute speedboat or a 2 hour slow ferry. The speedboat costs about $25 for a round trip ticket. The slow ferry is only $10 round trip but the safety and comfort of the boat really depends on the day.
Both rides can be a bit bumpy so bring some motion sickness medicine, if you need it.
What to Do
Hike to Long Beach-
The hike to Long Beach is about an hour through the jungle from Koh Touch. The hike is a bit perilous, with lots of steep climbs and dangerous drop offs. But the beach on the other end is amazing! You can also take a long-tail back to the main beach if you want to watch the sunset.
Rent a Kayak-
Almost all of the resorts along the beach will rent you a kayak for a reasonable rate. You can kayak around the island to various snorkel areas or to different spots along the beach.
Have 4k Beach to Yourself-
Just a short walk from the main pier you can find 4k beach, a long stretch of beach that only has a few resorts on it. If you hike far enough you can have an entire beach to yourself!
Go Snorkeling or Diving-
The snorkeling & diving around Koh Rong is subpar due to overfishing and coral bleaching, but some good spots can still be found. PADI open water courses are reasonably priced but can be found cheaper in other parts of Southeast Asia.
Swim with Bioluminescent Plankton-
This is one of the coolest things you can do on the island! If you have enough darkness you can see the plankton light up as you move through the water. If you are staying at one of the resorts farther from town you can see the plankton right on the beach. If you are staying on the main beach, you may need to take a tour or rent a boat in order to see them.
Take a boat tour-
If you only have a short amount of time on the island you can see most of the above things at a quicker pace on an all-day boat tour. I suggest the tour by Three Brothers in the main town of Koh Touch. They took us all around the island, stopping at all the main spots and included a delicious dinner of fish we caught earlier in the day!
Nightlife on Koh Rong-
Koh Rong Pub Crawl-
The Koh Rong Pub Crawl takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays every week. For around $10 you go to a few bars along the main beach. You also get a free shot and a Koh Rong Pub Crawl tank top!
Raves on Police Beach-
Police Beach has all-night beach parties a few nights a week. You can buy tickets at some of the guesthouses before the party for around $5 or pay a bit more at the door. If you happen to be there at the Full Moon, they have an even bigger party on Police Beach to celebrate.
Where to Stay
Most backpackers stay on the main beach in Koh Touch since the popular speedboat companies drop off there. There are also a few resorts on Long Beach or father along 4k beach. If you stay at these resorts, you will need to get a specific speedboat to that part of the island or arrange long-tail transportation with your resort.
Hostels on Koh Touch-
Island Boys Hostel-
Island Boys Hostel can be a bit loud and rambunctious but is definitely the place to stay if you are looking to party on the island!
Bong’s Guesthouse-
Bong’s has decent private rooms with en-suite or shared bathrooms. They also have a few dorm options. Bong’s has its own bar so sleep might not be possible until the earlier hours of the morning, but the people and the atmosphere are worth it. Their happy hour deals are great!
Monkey Island-
Monkey Island is the sister hostel/resort of Monkey Republic on the mainland in Sihanoukville. They have 23 bamboo bungalows that sleep 3-5 people. You can pre-book at Monkey Republic.
Resorts near Koh Touch-
Paradise Bungalows-
Paradise Bungalows has beachfront bungalows, mountain bungalows and even bungalows with AC (this is probably one of the only places on the island with AC!). There is an office on the mainland in Sihanoukville, if you would like to book in advance.
Tree House Bungalows-
The Tree House Bungalows are located a short walk down the beach from the main town. You can get a tree house bungalow or a regular raised bungalow. These are a bit pricier than some of the other accommodation on the island. We paid $50 for one night in a raised bungalow.
See this guide for more of the best tree house hotels.
Where to Eat
The main beach of Koh Touch is teaming with amazing restaurants. If you want to sample some local food or BBQ just walk along the beach and check out the menus. The restaurants often have drink and food specials nightly. There are a few restaurants that really stand out though:
Sigi’s Thai Food-
Sigi’s Thai food is some of the best you can find outside of Thailand. Try the curries or keep it simple with some delicious Pad Thai.
Da Matti? –
Da Matti is a strange mix of Italian restaurant and reggae bar, making for a strange atmosphere with amazing food. I had the pesto gnocchi and it was literally the best gnocchi I have ever had!
Tree House Bungalows-
In addition to being amazing accommodation, the Tree House Bungalows makes an amazing pizza for only $6!
Monkey Island-
The Western food at Monkey Island and Monkey Republic is amazing. I had been craving a decent burger after traveling Southeast Asia for two months and Monkey Island definitely delivered!
Important Things to Know
There are no ATMS on the island. The entire island, like most of Cambodia, operates as cash only and there are no ATMs available on the island. Make sure that you take out enough cash on the mainland to last your whole stay. If you are in a jam there are a few places that will lend you money until you get back to the mainland, but you have to leave your passport as collateral.
Since Koh Rong is a small island, there is no hospital. There are a few pharmacies that can give you some basic first aid but there are no doctors. Please keep this in mind when planning your trip. If you need to get back to the mainland for a medical emergency a fast boat back to the mainland can cost more than $200 USD.
Be wary of food poisoning on the island due to lack of proper refrigeration. Just make smart food choices and you’ll be fine.
See more: How to Avoid Food Poisoning in Southeast Asia
Lastly, Koh Rong has sand fleas. If you are sensitive to bug bites like me you will want to pick up one of the containers of coconut oil the locals are selling everywhere and lather up before hitting the beach. Just make sure to use sunscreen on top!
The island has everything you could want from a tropical paradise—crystal clear water, delicious food, vibrant nightlife and plenty to see & do! Make sure to add Koh Rong to your Cambodia itinerary!
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Oh my goodness, Cambodia looks so beautiful! I would love waking up on that beach. I love all the activities and tips you have here they make me wanna ditch work RIGHT NOW and hop on a plane to do them myself. Thanks for making the wanderlust kick in super hard this morning =] =] =]
Danielle | http://www.FollowMyGut.com <3
Cambodia is such a beautiful country! It’s definitely a challenge to travel in at times but the beauty of it is worth the effort! Hope you get to go someday 🙂
I haven’t been to Cambodia yet but it’s high on my list of travel destinations I hope to visit soon. Monkey Island looks really cool, but my favorite thing has got to be that bio-luminescent plankton! I haven’t seen anything like that yet!
Yes, the plankton was one of the coolest things I saw on my travels! It’s only found in certain places around the world in warmer water temps! I literally never got tired of splashing the water and seeing it glow in the dark. Definitely a bucket list experience!
Wow. A location without ATM machines? That’s crazy to think about and so helpful to know on my first visit!
Yeah there were a few places where there were no ATMs available through my travels in Southeast Asia. I thought it was kind of crazy since I live like a block away from at least 3 different ATMs haha.
This seems to be a perfect guide for Koh Rong, will bookmark it for future reference. We would love to stay at Paradise beachfront bungalows :). And also thanks for the tips especially the ATM one 🙂
This looks absolutely beautiful! Thank you for the tips one ATMs and sand fleas. I have never heard of sand fleas before but I am very sensitive to bug bites so this is good to know! Lots of good information for travelers in here. It’s exactly the type of info I look for when researching a place!
I had never heard of sand fleas either but I met a girl on the mainland covered in bites and knew I needed to stock up on some of that coconut oil ASAP. The beaches were so beautiful that they were worth the extra step 🙂
Koh Rong looks amazing! I have wanted to travel to Cambodia for quite some time, but Angor Watt gets most of the attention on tours and itineraries! This beachy island looks like a perfect escape from life. It seems a bit inconvenient to have no hospital on the island so I hope to be prepared when I go 🙂
I totally agree! There is so much more to Cambodia than Angor Wat so hopefully you have time on your travels to explore more of the country!
I love SE Asia and have so many places on my ‘must do’ list. I’m heading to Vietnam in May next year and will be looking at Cambodia after that. The beaches look amazing and exactly the kind of place I could spend a few lazy days. I would have to boom the bungalows with air con though lol
Hope that you enjoy your travels to Vietnam!
I’m definitely adding this to my itinerary! I love how you described all the places to eat because that’s always the toughest part of my trip. I want to try local food, but I don’t know where to get it. I think I would probably stay on the more popular island for convenience.
For such a small island, Koh Rong had a surprisingly large amount of good food! It’s definitely worth a detour when in Cambodia!
Great Guide! I’ve heard Koh Rong is a paradise – and your pictures confirmed it. I’d also love to swim/see the bioluminescent plankton and having a beach to myself sounds awesome! Definitely on my list for when I go back to Cambodia!
This is extremely helpful since I’m planning my next stops after Fiji! thank you so much for sharing, going to bookmark this page 🙂
I would love to do the hike to Long Beach. What a great way to end a tough hike by taking a dip in the water! The Paradise Bungalow looks like the treehouse I always wanted as a kid, so I would definitely check that out if I make it to Koh Rong!
OMG this pictures look amazing !! Paradise !
Ah, Koh Rong <3 I was there back in 2013 (I think?) and electricity only ran between 11AM – 11PM… How times have changed the island! Still looks like the paradise I left it though. Definitely seems like tourism has picked up a fair bit on the island with more hostels – there was only one or two while I was there but heaps of local guest houses.. Any idea if Frank's burger is still there? I heard it burnt down a couple of years back! He makes the BEST burgers I've ever had.
Caroline @ The Travelling Sloth recently posted…Budget Guide: London
Yeah I’ve heard that it changed rather drastically in the last few years. Long Beach is beautiful but they have already torn half of it up to build a huge resort which is sad. I hadn’t heard to Frank’s Burger but it could definitely still be there!
I have been to Koh Rong last year and stayed at monkey island, which my friends and i really liked.
we also went to a rave at police beach, it was quite hilarious.
x
stephanie recently posted…Food: Vietnam
Haha the parties on the beach were pretty funny!
I love Cambodia! I haven’t been to Koh Rong yet so this will prove very useful to me. Thanks.
OMG Cambodia is literally my dream country! I would love to go anywhere as long as it`s there. Also, your post is brilliant as it has everything you could possibly want to know about this little amazing island. <3
Cambodia is definitely a beautiful place! I really enjoyed the country, especially Siem Reap!
Awesome advice for such a beautiful area. Thanks for the great tips and beautiful pictures!