Island to Koh Rong, Cambodia. Koh Rong: semi-wild and beautiful island of Cambodia. Main attractions. What to see

Continuing the story of our traveler Lauren about Cambodia, we will tell you about the following unusual place of this country. When it was time to leave Otres, Lauren set out to conquer and explore Koh Rong.

Koh Rong is located a couple of hours from Sihanoukville, accessible by ferry. There are a lot of accommodation options on the island, but the downside is that there is only 4 hours of electricity a day.

For $20, travelers settled in a bungalow, which was located slightly on a hill with a balcony overlooking the beach. The incredible bathroom is partly indoors and partly outdoors, which was a delight.

Koh Rong is a stereotypical paradise deserted island. The snow-white sand is so soft and pure, like powder, and the sea is calm and warm.

After a short walk along the coast, you can easily find completely deserted beaches without a single person in sight. And this is exactly what you should do on the first day of arrival.

But you should be prepared for some adventures when getting to deserted beaches. There are no roads on the island and you will have to travel most of the way, crossing rivers and jungles, carrying suitcases over your head.

Koh Rong is home to many venomous snakes, so you should be extremely careful.

Despite all the difficulties, it will still be possible to carry out unforgettable time on the beach, where you won’t meet a single person nearby.

Koh Rong is the absolute definition of paradise and not many beaches can compare to it.

Don't forget that the island is inhabited by quite a few a large number of mosquitoes that bite completely unnoticed, but the bites can cause an allergic reaction.

It is best to obtain the necessary medications and remedies for bites in advance, since finding a qualified doctor on the island is quite problematic.

You can eat at any hostel. The main and very tasty dish here is mashed potatoes and sausages, prepared according to Cambodian recipes.

Koh Rong is amazing island, which is definitely worth a visit even despite the mosquitoes and snakes. But you should not lose your vigilance, since bites can be fatal.

Three days spent on the island left pleasant impressions and a good mood.

And if you're looking for tropical Paradise Island with stunning scenery, little development, and the fewest people, then Koh Rong is for you. Just make sure first that you don't mind the company of mosquitoes.

Also, if you did not find the information you are interested in on our website or on the Internet, write to us at and we will definitely write useful information just for you.

To our team and:

1. get access to discounts on car rentals and hotels;

2. share your travel experience, and we will pay you for it;

3. create your blog or travel agency on our website;

4. receive free training on developing your own business;

5. get the opportunity to travel for free.

Koh Rong... An island of adventure where you will forget about reality. Complete, total immersion... Ecstatic full moon parties on the ocean, where in a crazy dance a crowd of people merges into one, and the boundaries of what is permitted are erased... Colorful sunsets in a hammock, hugging your loved one, when heaven on Earth is in your hands ... Dangerous and exciting treks into the jungle in knee-deep water through tropical rivers full of snakes and scorpions... Living in a tent on the wild coast, where locals gather around our fire in the evenings; and at the same time, Cambodian children with bottomless eyes and magical smiles draw pictures in my diary, my friends and I smoke a peace pipe with the local “leader”... Let decades pass, but I will never forget you, Koh Rong, you You will forever remain in my heart with that bright and piercing love, the memory of which is treasured forever.

How to get there?

You can only get to Koh Rong island from Moscow and St. Petersburg by plane via main airport Cambodia, which is located in the capital of the country, Phnom Penh, and then by boat. In my review article I provided detailed information about flying to Phnom Penh.

By ferry

So, you have arrived in Cambodia. Now you have three main ways to get to the island from the mainland: through Siem Reap, or Sihanoukville.

From Siem Reap you can take a nine-hour bus to Sihanoukville. In terms of price, it will cost about 20 USD round trip.

If you go to the island via, this will allow you to save time and get to Sihanoukville in 5-6 hours by minibus for 12 USD round trip. If you want your trip to be comfortable or are traveling with friends, you can chip in together on a taxi for 45 USD.

Once you reach Sihanoukville, be prepared to haggle with tuk-tuk drivers to get to the pier where the ferry departs to the island. Don’t immediately give up their exorbitantly inflated price, designed for “naive rich foreigners”; bargaining is a tradition in Asia, and the locals respect those who are able to adequately resist them in this. A particularly advantageous option would be to split the price of one trip among several fellow travelers. Read more about this in my material about Cambodia in the section

A ferry ride costs 10 USD. It will take 45 minutes, during which you can admire the picturesque views while standing on the bow of the boat and breathing in the sea air.

The boat arrives at the pier of Koh Rong Island, the main destination for all tourists. From there you can get to Koh Rong Samloem, which is less noisy and party-heavy and more secluded. I wrote more about Koh Rong Samloem in this page on our website.

Clue:

Rong - the time is now

Hour difference:

Moscow − 4

Kazan − 4

Samara − 3

Ekaterinburg − 2

Novosibirsk 0

Vladivostok 3

When is the season? When is the best time to go?

The weather in Koh Rong is governed by a tropical climate with monsoon rains during the summer season. If you are a fan of swimming during tropical downpours in the ocean, come to the island from May to September (which is what I did), and for those who prefer a less “wet” holiday (except for swimming in the calm, warm Gulf of Thailand) I advise you to visit Koh Rong the rest of the year.

The period from November to March is the most ideal time to travel to the island if you live in the harsh Russian climate. You will enjoy a pleasant temperature of +30 °C, warm sea, mild sun and fewer mosquitoes than in summer.

Koh Rong in summer

The weather on the island is for the most part the same as on the main territory of Cambodia. You can read more about the weather in Cambodia in this section.

Rong - weather by month

Clue:

Rong - weather by month

What are the prices for holidays?

Vacation prices depend on many factors. If you travel as a backpacker, rent a guesthouse for 6 people with friends and eat in cheap eateries, then 300 USD will be enough for you for a month. And if you are going to stay in a five-star hotel and eat in posh restaurants, as well as attend numerous paid excursions, then even 1,000 USD may not be enough.

Forget about transportation costs such as taxis or tuk-tuks, there are simply none on the island!

Prices for excursions and a list of the best excursions on Koh Rong can be found on the island’s official website, which is easy to Google.

Main attractions. What to see

Koh Rong Island is known as the island of party people. People come here to party seashore, wild dancing on Fridays with the obligatory tradition of pouring tequila down the throat and ecstatic Full Moon Parties on the full moon, where you will be offered a variety of means to expand your consciousness...

The island will also be of interest to divers and those who like to explore wildlife.

There is only one street on the island of Koh Rong; all the local bungalows, guesthouses and restaurants are located on it.

She does not have official name, but some French tourists call her 1st Avenue.

Top 5

Full Moon Parties

If you haven't been to the famous Full Moon Parties, then you haven't experienced the true free spirit of Koh Rong!

I first heard about this tradition two days after arriving on the island from my new Australian friend Kelly. We agreed to go to the party together.

So, I put on my hippie dress in hallucinogenic shades, braided a red ribbon into my long dreadlocks and went to the Island boys bar, where my friend and I agreed to meet. Imagine my despair when I saw pale, sick Kelly, barely holding on to the edge of the bar counter! She stammered that yesterday's celebration of her brother Cameron's arrival from the mainland to the island, or rather a deadly mix of hookah and local Mekong whiskey, did not leave her a chance to take part in today's party.

“What should I do now? - I asked in despair, “I don’t know almost anyone here yet...”

“Cameron will go with you,” and she pointed me to a tanned hippie with blond dreadlocks, cat eyes and a sly pirate smile. - Cameron spent six months as part of the team that sailed to the shores of England last spring. So, no matter how good you feel after the party (and I know from experience, you will want to swim in the ocean), he is a sailor, so you will not drown.”

“In the meantime, eat this for a good mood, this is a happy cookie,” and Cameron handed me a cookie that looked like oatmeal.

"Cookie?" - I smiled incredulously, but ate it like Alice, who drank a bottle of unknown liquid and was ready to go to Wonderland...

Full Moon Party is the best thing that happened to me on this island... Music that pierces my consciousness with magical, ecstatic waves, when every cell of the body becomes a zone of pleasure... A feeling of emotional unity and merging with other people, which is unusual for me, after all, I’m an introvert... The dissolution of my unconscious into their unconscious, when people from different countries becomes a melodic song that is sung in one language...

And, of course, the ocean. I left everyone in the middle of the party. And she walked silently along the sandy shore until the lights of the party disappeared somewhere in the distance. I remember, as now, my silent conversation with the ocean, when I sat on the sand, and the warm, salty waves gently touched my body.

The moon seemed so huge, and it was incredibly close, as if it was about to fall into my palms... There, in the distance, hundreds of hippies were dancing, celebrating youth, life and love. And here, on the coast, everything around lived its own life... And for a moment I became part of it.

Glowing plankton

If you love night swimming in the ocean, then plunging into it warm waters On one of the quiet, delightful moonless nights on Koh Rong, you will be surprised to notice moving silvery dots that scatter to the sides with every movement of your hands in the water. This is glowing plankton, one of the magical wonders of the island.

It can only be seen at night. When I first noticed it, it seemed to me that thousands of silver grains of sand were sliding along the surface of the water, and no matter how hard you tried to catch them, they were elusive, impossible to touch, as if they did not belong to the material world. They slip through your fingers, as if laughing at man’s clumsy attempts to sense the intangible and understand the mysterious.

Jungle

If Full Moon Parties was my most transcendental adventure on Koh Rong, then the jungle was the most extreme experience.

At first there were six of us! Three guys and three girls, including me, Kelly and Cameron. Having bought cold orange juice, sandwiches and happy cookies at the local Vagabonds cafe, we stocked up on a change of clothes, towels, mosquito repellent, a small first aid kit and hit the road. The guys also carried all kinds of camping equipment for the tent. Our idea was to cross the jungle (no, not those small thickets that you see when approaching the coast at Tree House Beach, but a real wild jungle), passing through central part island, which they make up, to find themselves on the opposite wild shore of Long Beach.

There are no tourist facilities other than one small local cafe where you can eat and sleep on the floor. There is no fresh water for showering either! I’m generally silent about the toilet.

However, there are also no tourists, discos, noise, in general, no civilization, except for a couple of wooden bungalows with local residents, and if we cross the jungle, then the entire endless sandy strip of the beach, washed by the ocean, belongs to us...

The first two hours of our journey were spent very cheerfully, with jokes and fun. However, as we moved deeper into the jungle, we deviated from the signs drawn on the trees as a guide by previous pioneers, and part of our team panicked. They desperately tried to persuade us to turn back, and in the end only me, Kelly and Cameron continued on our way.

We crossed rapidly flowing tropical rivers in knee-deep water. My pants stuck disgustingly to my body, but I endured it, knowing that if I took them off, I would scratch all my legs on the exotic plants. Cameron moved as deftly and quickly as Mowgli, Kelly kept pace, and I, to my shame, discovered that I was terrified of jumping off cliffs and slippery slopes near waterfalls, when you risk falling down and being left crippled. In this case, it would be better to die right away, I thought, since life values ​​much less freedom, including freedom of movement.

On one of these descents, paralyzed by my own fear, I moved my hand in the wrong direction, the slippery rope for the descent treacherously slipped out of my hands, whipping me in the face, and I lost my balance... My whole life flashed before me in slow motion... I closed my eyes and instinctively covered my face with my hands, preparing to fall on the sharp stones that were waiting for me below, but suddenly I felt someone’s strong hands grab me around the waist and with a sharp movement pulled me up. Cameron. He balanced on the edge, risking falling onto the rocks after me. Suddenly. I had no idea that this funny hippie with cat eyes had other character traits besides the eternal habit of laughing and smoking.

Kelly smiled and said, “I told you he’s a sailor, you can count on him!”

As it turned out, my sneakers were torn, and it was impossible to continue the journey in them. Cameron gave me his. He expertly walked barefoot through the muddy waters of tropical rivers and narrow paths, sometimes strewn with fallen thorny branches of exotic trees, calmly warning us about snakes and scorpions along the way.

Me and Kelly walked behind. I was no longer afraid. The panic disappeared without a trace, leaving only a feeling of dispassionate peace and harmony, as if I knew this place and these people in a past life, but forgot, and now I remembered...

Long Beach

After arriving on the opposite side of the island, we were struck by its contrast compared to the tourist one. Here it is, a wild beach! Kilometers of sandy shore and endless ocean, and most importantly, silence, interrupted only by the cry of seagulls.

We went to the only local cafe. Wet, dirty, hungry, but incredibly happy, we felt on top of the world. Many more adventures awaited us ahead.

Refusing to spend the night on the floor of a cafe, where a company of local fishermen might well drop in at midnight to drink whiskey, we pitched a tent right on the ocean shore in a place where local shamans probably once often came, for there were many interesting symbols hanging there, and also dream catcher.

The three of us slept, wrapped in one blanket, and, I must say, Kelly was the luckiest of all, because she slept in the middle. During the day we sunbathed, swam, Cameron fished, Kelly and I collected firewood, and we all roasted our catch on the fire together. The Dream catcher, hanging above the makeshift benches, rang quietly and mysteriously at night.

Local children often came to us, I played with them and tried to understand their speech, looking into their radiant eyes.

They drew pictures in my diary, and this became the most priceless souvenir that I brought from Cambodia.

And in the evenings the magic began. The mysterious night slowly descended onto the beach, enveloping it in an invisible veil. Huge stars gaped right above my head, I lay down on the sand, looking up at the sky, and time seemed to stop.

Local residents often came to the evening bonfire, and we smoked the “peace pipe” with them. After that, I often had lucid dreams.

Local school

Although Koh Rong mainly serves tourist purposes, there is a school on the island for local children. It is located in a village that is closer to the jungle line (this is where we began our journey deeper into the island).

The school is supported by foreign volunteers who come from all over the world to teach Cambodian children English language, mathematics, history, drawing.

Local kids are not at all like spoiled children from prosperous countries. They exude an atmosphere of innocence and naivety; they have shining, clear eyes. They are always smiling. It's no wonder that Angelina Jolie is so in love with this magical country...

Beaches. Which ones are better

One of the beautiful things about the island is that there is no abuse of electricity. Let's be closer to nature! Forget about your laptops until the evening if you forget to charge them! The island is completely powered by solar powered, and electricity is only available from 17:30 to 00:00. So leave your electronic devices alone and head to the beach!

Beach holidays in Koh Rong depend on the location of the beach.

If you're interested in meeting new people, playing beach basketball, enjoying cold drinks and local snacks, choose the noisiest part of the beach, the one closest to the pier, restaurants and bars.

There are no cabanas or other special facilities for tourists on the island's beaches. But you can change clothes or visit the toilet by going to one of the nearby restaurants.

Koh Toch Beach

On the territory of Koh Toch Beach, the main beach of the island, there are cozy hammocks. But if you decide to take a sweet nap in a hammock in the shade of spreading trees, remember: mosquitoes do not sleep! These insects in Cambodia are very small and inconspicuous, but terribly harmful: if you do not use a bite repellent before going outside, you will be literally horrified to discover after a couple of hours that you have been bitten absolutely everywhere!

For the unfortunate victims of mosquito tyranny, you can buy a remedy for mosquito bites at the pharmacy, but it is better to stock up on it in advance, and choose the most thermonuclear one, believe me!

In addition to mosquitoes, the so-called sand fleas(sand flies). These bloodsuckers crawl out of the sand and attack unsuspecting tourists who forgot to use mosquito repellent, which is effective against all insects on the island. The consequences can be very unpleasant!

Tree House Beach

If you want to enjoy beach holiday alone or in a romantic group, you will have to walk along the coast through some part of the island to another beach, Tree House Beach.

The journey from the pier will take half an hour. It passes through the coastal part of the jungle, and you will occasionally encounter local restaurants, as well as tree houses, amazing buildings, the so-called “tree houses”. Renting these houses is more expensive than regular bungalows, but it's worth it!

However, if you are clumsy, and even more so if you like to drink 5-6 glasses of local Angkor beer or something stronger before bed, forget about it! A rather shaky staircase to the top can in this case become fatal for you, and instead active rest you will sit sadly with dislocated limbs and watch from the sidelines the rest of those around you.

After passing through the coastal jungle, you will find yourself on a relatively deserted part of the island.

Along the way, you might meet a hippie or two swimming naked in the sea or even making love on the beach. However, if you yourself are seeking solitude for the same purpose, I think you will understand them.

Nearby Islands

Near Koh Rong are the islands of Koh Rong Samloem and Koh Tang. You can read more about them in my about Cambodia on our website.

Food. What to try

They say that on tropical islands, unlike the continent, there is not the most sophisticated selection of restaurants, because everything is quite simplified and primitive.

However, don't judge a book by its cover! It was in ordinary, unpretentious coastal eateries that I was able to taste the most delicious food! And at an affordable price.

Da Matti?

Da Matti? is a small Italian restaurant and part-time reggae bar. The selection includes simple but very tasty Italian dishes, as well as alcoholic cocktails. And reggae music creates a relaxed, relaxed atmosphere.

Dinner for one person with one drink will cost about 5–6 USD.

White Rose Guesthouse

White Rose Guesthouse is perfect for breakfast. This guesthouse cafe serves huge portions of delicious fruit salad with yoghurt, pancakes and sandwiches. Dinner per person with one drink will cost about 5 USD.

Sigi's Thai Food

If you love authentic Thai food, be sure to visit Sigi's Thai Food. This is a street Thai cafe located on the second line right behind the White Rose Guesthouse. Thai chef Sigi, who arrived on Koh Rong several years ago, prepares perhaps the most delicious and cheapest food on the island.

Huge portions for just 2-3 USD along with local Angkor beer for 1 USD will keep you full and satisfied all day. All local hippies and backpackers who appreciate the simple joys of life like to gather at Siga's.

Bamboo Barbeque

This is street BBQ and trust me, it's absolutely delicious. For the price, however, this is one of the most expensive places to dine. But I recommend visiting it at least a few times to get acquainted.

Dinner per person with one drink will cost about 8–9 USD. When ordering a barbecue, one beer is free.

Buffalo

Rent a Car- also an aggregation of prices from all rental companies, all in one place, let's go!

Anything to add?

Fascinating Cambodia is the oldest kingdom in Southeast Asia, where relaxation is like touching an old book containing a bunch of beautiful parables about the legendary Khmer emperors and celestial dancers. Cambodia has more than a hundred islands, most of which are inhabited. Natural pristineness and untouchedness - this is what attracts travelers to visit them at least once, and, having visited only once, they understand that they madly want to be here forever.

If there is a paradise on the planet, then it is located on the island of Koh Rong, which is located in the warm Gulf of Thailand, 35 kilometers from the Cambodian coast. The journey to the island takes about three hours. This is the most big Island Cambodia. Experienced travelers will confirm that the picturesque delights of Thailand, Bali and Goa modestly pale in comparison to what can be seen on this island, which has preserved its pristine beauty and freshness. Fragrant fruits, juicy colors, starchy sand, clear water, as well as all the shades of the rainbow in the reflection of local sunsets and the endless starry sky - this is all Koh Rong! The island consists of two volcanic mountain ranges, which are connected by a picturesque plain. In terms of rainfall, Koh Rong is one of the wettest Cambodian regions.

The island is covered with fairly large tracts of jungle with unique flora and fauna. The mighty jungle is home to large animals, including leopards, deer and wild elephants. In the center of the island you can see thousands of palm trees with coconuts and beautiful waterfalls. Koh Rong is a valuable seafood and fresh water resource. In the southwest of Koh Rong there are fishing villages, and coral reefs grow around the island. The water here is as clear as it can be - when snorkeling, everything is perfectly visible at a depth of 10 meters from the surface. The island offers excellent diving opportunities. The southwestern part of the island faces the ocean. Scuba diving enthusiasts discovered one beautiful place at the far end of Koh Rong.

The island has become popular among holidaymakers thanks to its endless fantastic beaches, which stretch for five kilometers, turning into each other. The sand on them is like starch - the same dazzling white, it creaks underfoot and is quite pleasant to the touch. The beach is separated from the interior of the island by a dune zone.

Now Koh Rong is sparsely populated, its infrastructure is undeveloped and its nature is pristine. But soon the island will become one of the popular tourist islands in Cambodia. They plan to turn Koh Rong into a luxurious island resort, which will be built within twenty years. The island will be divided into several resort areas and will build beach clubs, villas, lagoons and restaurants. The island will also have an airport, roads, a seaport, and telecommunications.

I couldn’t write this post for a month: I think I’m starting, but from under my fingers is not the standard “Koh Rong island in Cambodia, housing and attractions,” but an ode to iambic hexameter! Because Koh Rong is the most beautiful place in South Asia that I saw. Its nature is almost a paradise, and the atmosphere reigning there is an everyday holiday. But all this may disappear in the cauldron of tourism industrialization in the coming years. So this is some kind of sad beauty. But - incredible.

A logical question - Elya, if you are so worried about this island, why are you writing about it? After all, even more tourists will come and completely ruin everything! No, it's not the tourists who spoil it a good place! At least not those tourists who read blogs and try to be attentive to what they see. The place is blighted by the neglect of those who live there - and those who run the place. The more people appreciate the natural beauty of Koh Ron, the later it will lose this beauty. Here.

Why go to Koh Rong at all...

...If there is, for example? The first reason is that the island of Koh Rong looks like it does in the imagination of a novice traveler. real paradise sky island. This is how I once imagined Bali! But no, Bali ceased to seem like paradise when the oncoming wave threw me against the corals... And the island of Koh Rong is like something out of a vacationer’s dream. Like in the movies.

And it’s not even about the dazzling white beaches near the gentle turquoise sea. Not in fabulous sunsets and dawns. Not in the plankton shining with stars in the black night water... Ode again! Stop. The magic of Koh Ron is created by a very successful combination of many factors: the main thing is that it was “discovered” relatively recently and has not yet been “packed” into concrete. And this is the second reason to visit this island - it is completely different from the rest of Cambodia.

And amazing people live there - the same backpackers about whom the movie “The Beach” is about. Thanks to the fact that Cambodia easily issues long term visas, many young and free-spirited people not only drink in bars and play poi on the beach, but also create their own Koh Rong. They work in hotels and restaurants, create their own cuisine and their own clothes, and live peacefully with the locals - from the Khmers to the Fireflies. That is, this is an almost ideal place, if not...

...And why it’s better to hurry up

Sihanoukville is the possible future of Koh Rong. A city drowning in garbage and construction, overcrowded with casinos and everything you might like Chinese tourist. I’m not against the Chinese, we’re just different :) There are persistent rumors that the Chinese have already bought half of the island for a casino and will build an airport and a highway. On the one hand, these rumors are already 10 years old, on the other hand, we ourselves saw the “preparation” for a huge port and highway. There was nothing eco-friendly about them.

And this “tourism” is developing very quickly in Cambodia. In 2014 there was no electricity, no restaurants, just beaches and sunsets. Now - electricity, Internet (quite decent, by the way), restaurants and hotels, and construction sites on remote beaches. For comparison, in our Dauin one hotel opened in 3 years (and closed, by the way).

How to get to Koh Rong island

It’s very simple: you need to come to the pier in Sihanoukville () and buy a ticket for the boat - that is, for the Fast Ferry. Luckily this is a modern boat and not a traditional wooden one :)

Tickets are sold at the Jasmine cafe (in the next photo), and you need to go to the same table with the purchased ticket to exchange it for a badge.

We bought tickets a couple of days in advance travel agency from one boy on Otres-2 (), but there is no difference in price: 11 dollars per person (one way).

In Otres, the price also includes transfer from the hotel. I would venture to suggest that you don’t have to bother with tickets in advance - with us, tickets for the next boat were bought in batches. Depending on the route, ticket holders are given badges of different colors. Then the joyful backpackers are shoved into different boats, and off they go! It takes about an hour to get to Koh Rong.

Helpful advice: take off your hat (it will blow away) and do not hold the camera in your hands (splashes will fly). Better take lollipops for motion sickness - they came in handy for me, although they are usually not needed. The boat floats very fast and jumps on the waves a lot of fun!

Beach geography of Koh Rong island

Koh Rong is an island in the Gulf of Thailand between Cambodia and Thailand. It is surrounded by smaller islands, the most famous being Koh Rong Samloem. The same boats take tourists to Samloem as to Koh Rong, but we didn’t go. I was delighted that there is internet in Koh Rong :) Just kidding! It was just too much. Koh Rong itself is quite large - 78 sq. km. And most of it is an impenetrable jungle.

Boats from Sihanoukville arrive at the village, which is called Koh Rong Village, that is, Koh Rong Village. Almost all the life of the island is concentrated here! All restaurants, most hotels and guesthouses, travel agents are on a strip of beach a couple of kilometers long. Life in the village is in full swing: there is something interesting here both day and night! And you go a kilometer away - and now there is nature and silence. You have to go further: the beach in the village of Koh Rong may be white, but the water is the color of what is poured into this water from all the hotels and restaurants on the shore. Brr!

In search of a clean sea, tourists leave the village to other beaches:

• 4k beach- to the east from the village (that is, to the left if you are facing the sea). It is relatively close, about 20 minutes walk along the path.

• Long Beach- to the west (to the right), you will have to walk for more than an hour along a dirt “highway” - and at noon, few people will like this walk! You can still climb through the mountains, but we didn’t dare - and those who came through the mountains looked like Suvorov, probably after crossing the Alps. Most of the time in the sun and not a single store with water along the way.

• You don’t have to go all the way to Long Beach; along the way there will be a small and cozy Police Beach— there are parties there at night, and during the day you can swim and sunbathe on sun loungers.

However, on the island you can already rent a bike and drive to Long Beach on your own. You can also go there by boat - hiring one will be quite inexpensive, it’s easier to fall on the tail of some tour. Although it will cost almost the same as a tour :)

On both beaches there is a shop with beer and a simple snack, but restaurants and grilled fish are only in the village!

Accommodation on Koh Rong island: hotels and guesthouses in Koron

I’ll say right away that our research of hotels on Koh Rong island was limited to Koh Rong Village. From the outside the village looks great! But very soon it became clear that the living conditions here were not exactly heavenly:

• There are no hotels in the village with hot water. The hoteliers themselves don’t know a single one! If you find out, write to me, okay?
• There are only about 6 hotels with cement walls. The rest are made of wood.

If everything is clear with hot water, then wooden walls at first may seem like nonsense - but this is not so. In the village of Koh Rong, parties and music die down late, and the rustling of all sorts of tropical insects lasts all night, so if your room has cracks (and the wooden walls all have cracks), then nature and parties will come to you! I have nothing against nature; I am more embarrassed by any sound insulation and conditional hygiene in such buildings. Therefore, we lived in one “cement” hotel and went on excursions to several others:

• Dragon Den (our shelter) - they have two buildings, we slept one night in this one and the next 4 in this one. The difference is small, only in the first there are very small showers, and in the second only the first floor is stone, the windows into the house of a Khmer family are a bit noisy, but it will do.
• Sunflower Guesthouse is a fairly budget hotel compared to other “cement” hotels, but the rooms face directly onto the street.
• Happy Elephant Guesthouse - not to be confused with Bungalow, they are ordinary wooden houses! Not bad, but no better than Dragon Dan.
• Koh Rong Boutique – this hotel had a Khmer reception, it’s so strange in Koh Rong! And the hotel itself looks like it’s from Phuket :) It’s good, but huge.
• Sok Heng Guesthouse - we liked it the most here, it’s quiet, there’s a garden in the lobby, and everything in the rooms is very well thought out.

By the way, not a single “cement” hotel looks directly at the sea - they are all located at a distance (and the last three also have a hill to climb). So be prepared: the streets of the village (not counting the beach) are also something not at all heavenly. It smells bad there, no matter who runs around, and they don’t look at all Instagrammable. Something like this:

Fortunately for tourists, almost all hotels and guesthouses in Koh Rong are listed on Booking! The flow of tourists here is quite large; if you arrive without a reservation, it is quite possible that you will get a room that other tourists have disdained. We changed one building for another, also not of our own free will: we came to our senses a little late to pay for the next night, and all the rooms were dismantled. Although we verbally agreed on an extension, but no money - no room.

And one more thing: there were no houses on Koh Rong: the expats with whom we spoke live either in the hotels where they work, or in simpler hotels :) Apartments with a kitchen are not needed there, of course - there are no grocery stores in the usual sense either, there are a couple of shops with vegetables and fruits, and there are shops with an assortment of “rum and soap”.

Restaurants on Koh Rong

Once a hundred years ago (in 2014), Slava was alone in Ko Rog, and faced a problem: the evening catch was fried only in 4 restaurants, and the whole day before that you could grab either an exquisite doshirak or an extremely nutritious fruit salad (or shake ) for 1 dollar. Nowadays, fruit salads and shakes still cost a dollar, but doshiraki have sunk into oblivion - instead, there are a couple dozen restaurants on the shore :) All the food is European, there is even wood-fired pizza! One dinner for two (with the same Angkor beer, of course) cost us 11-15 dollars, breakfast - a little cheaper. But delicious!

These places stuck in our souls (or, more precisely, in our stomachs) more than others:
— The Khmer () — the most the best place for breakfast! They bring you a real plate on which you can eat, and not a piece of bread with a box of jam. Their grill is great too!
— Bamboo Pizza () — a Turkish restaurant with pizzas and other “diet” items, the most delicious, of course, is Turkish Pide! The owner himself cooks 🙂 There won’t be a photo in the style of “people should know what I eat”; every time the food ended up being eaten faster than I could take a photo of it!

Grilled fish is served almost everywhere, but it is better to choose it where it is displayed in glass cases - once they brought us frozen fillets under the guise of the morning catch! There is a variety of fish, there are also shrimp and squid - it depends on the taste and color, our favorite is barracuda! Although it was prepared better in Otres. The grill is cooked after sunset - and other joys from the oven, such as pizza and burgers, can be found as early as 12 noon! Isn't that cool?

Beaches, snorkeling and other entertainment on Koh Rong island

In short, on Koh Rong you can not only seal on the beach (thanks to Madina for the great term!), but also rent a kayak (from Rising Sun, for example). There is no snorkeling from the shore - you have to swim to distant islands to get it. You can hire a private boat, you can join group tour. I’ve never seen diving; there’s basically no other surfing here - the sea is calm. On the island itself there is a High Point Adventure Park ropes course (for $30 you can climb trees). There was also one zoo (still marked on maps), but it closed. Rope park it’s not mine, so we went on a boat tour :)

We purchased a boat tour from Three brothers for $10 per person. And they were as happy as elephants! In addition to snorkeling, such a tour also includes fishing, dinner (what you caught it from, plus vegetables and drinks), sunset at Long beach, and swimming with glowing plankton. It depends on the organizer how nice and interesting everything will be - and the three brothers were at their best, compared to the experience of our hotel neighbors! Snorkeling, however, was not impressive compared to the same thing: although the corals are beautiful, the water is already cloudy at one o’clock in the afternoon, and besides, we swam near a small island on which there were some shacks and several bags of garbage, and the freed debris floated in the water. I caught a whole bag of fish! After this, I didn’t even dare go fishing, but the Asian tourists were doing well - and they caught a decent amount of fish (at least not coral ones). And then they gave us a great dinner - not only with these fish, but also with a whole mountain of vegetables and fruits! And all this - against the backdrop of the sunset on Long Beach! In general, we still didn’t understand how the tour organizers make money - during that day we only drank drinks worth 10 bucks each 🙂 And it was a great day - so great that I lost all the photos :)))

Then, already in the dark, we swam with plankton: although it was scary to plunge into the pitch-black sea ​​water(out of all 12 people in the boat, only we dared), but it was worth it! No camera will convey, of course, that underwater you seem to be flying through the starry sky, and the stars flash from the movement of the water under your hands... If you don’t dive, the effect is not the same, but it’s still very unusual and beautiful! By the way, we were so captivated by this entertainment that we decided to check the “water fireflies” from the shore - and the next night we moved away from the village beach towards 4k. And they were there! Although you need to go quite deep - up to your shoulders, nothing is noticeable in shallow water. The night swim was fabulous!

And if you have time and are tired of Koh Rong, you can go to other islands and even go to Vietnam! 🙂 I’ll leave a couple of schedules here for the future - maybe one day I’ll be sitting on Koh Rong and thinking about where else I could go…

How to be happy in Koh Rong?

I’m writing here about white beaches, delicious restaurants and shining plankton - but in fact, after 5 days there I was pretty sour. I arrived full of bright hopes that it was finally mine. Ideal Place! And then it started...

First, we tried swimming on the beach of the village - away from the boats and behind the sewer drain pipe (which in itself is horror, horror). There was so much floating in the water that I jumped out as soon as I was knee-deep. Then we went to 4K beach, and along the way we came across uncleaned construction materials, broken trash cans and just piles of garbage. And piles of garbage followed me everywhere! After a couple of days, I didn’t notice anything anymore, and I could only think about one thing - ban plastic! And generally ban everything! And everyone! And introduce fines! And flog! And then suddenly I looked at myself from the outside - I was lying on white sand and there was some kind of blackness in my head.

I decided to take a break from the prohibitive measures and came up with the idea: it would be cool if you could get a can of beer for a bag of garbage! After all, everything would be removed! It turned out that this tradition already existed on Koh Rong: on Thursdays you could get free beer for a bag of garbage. “It was possible”, because since then many bars have given up on this - because everyone is cleaning as best they can anyway. At this point I stopped grumbling and began to carry the trash I found under my feet to the nearest trash can myself. With antibacterial wipes, of course :)

This one would be good wonderful island supported not only individual efforts: after all, Koh Rong is still so far from mainland Cambodia, and - no, not by distance, but by the relaxed atmosphere and the absence of construction noise! Maybe the crowds of eco-tourists will displace the crowds of casino lovers on the seashore? 🙂 And let everyone bring with them a creative spark, and take their trash with them!

Thanks to Pasha Finkelstein for the wonderful galleries in this post - without him this post would not have turned out so colorful :) Pasha has his own blog about traveling around Europe, by the way! Come take a look :)

By traveling on my own, I have the opportunity to see the world and save a significant amount of money.
My destination this time was Cambodia. I was there two years ago. Time flew by quickly. Now everything is changing very quickly. I really wanted to see what was new there, if anything had changed for the better.
The most convenient and economical option to get there, from my experience, is to fly to Bangkok (Thailand), and from there by bus to Sihanoukville (Cambodia). I was tracking airline promotions and sales and came across fairly inexpensive tickets - 15 thousand rubles to Bangkok and back (Etihad airline). In Bangkok, you can purchase a bus ticket to Sihanoukville at any travel agency (complex transfer - $25). The trip takes about 12 hours. At the border crossing I apply for a visa - $30.

The big, clumsy night bus arrived in Sihanoukville at 8:30 this morning. It was almost impossible to get enough sleep on the road. The transport may look cumbersome from the outside, but inside there is no room at all to stretch out and spread your arms. The seats are located so close to each other that I had to hide my long legs under myself. It was terribly cold all the time and I had to wrap myself in a jacket. And in the morning it suddenly became unbearably stuffy. The bus tilted so strongly to the side several times that there was an eerie feeling that it would simply turn over on its side. The roads are bad - not the right word.

Coming out of the gas chamber, stretching and stretching my numb legs a little, I was attacked by taxi drivers and tuk-tukers; the pleasure of riding a tuk-tuk costs $3, and a motorcycle taxi costs $2. She culturally sent everyone to hell, stating her price - $1 and period. The next guy agreed to my conditions, grabbed my backpack and took me to his vehicle.

I was very surprised that it was a quite decent car, and not a motorcycle taxi. To my surprise, the cabin was quite cool, as the air conditioning was on. The driver's name was Mr. Cob. All the way he whispered: “At least a dollar would be better than driving from here empty, but two would be better.” He spoke English fairly well. He said that he works for some Norwegian and earns a little extra money, in a word, he gets around as best he can.

We arrived in the center to the offices. This is where the boats leave for the islands I wanted to visit. Carrying my backpack behind me, he tried to help me find the boat I needed. At parting, he gave me his business card and said that he could easily deliver anywhere in Cambodia, find accommodation, etc.
I leave his contact information: name Chum Kob,
+85517771551 and +85516771551.

Sihanoukville is one of the most wonderful beach resorts Cambodia.

Its main attractions are the islands and pristine, almost untouched beaches located in Kampong Saom Bay. The majority of the islands are uninhabited. The city is flourishing today. Foreigners who have settled here open many hotels, restaurants, cafes, diving centers, various shops, and travel agencies.
There are two comparatively nearby large islands. They have a relatively developed infrastructure. These are the islands of Koh Rong (Koh Rong) and Koh Rong Samloem (Koh Rong Samloem).

My plans were to visit Koh Rong Samloem. However, the boat sailing there left at 9:00. And wait until 15:00 for the next one. I didn't want to spend so much time here. The travel agency next door said that transport to Koh Rong island departs at 9:30. Without hesitation, I jumped into the boat.

I’ll ride to Koh Rong first, spend a little time there, and from there to Koh Rong Samloem.
Moreover, I really wanted to wash off the road dust, plunge into the crystal clear turquoise sea and stretch out on the white sand under huge coconut trees. A boat leaves from one island to another every day at 10:00; a ticket costs about $5.

I already visited this wonderful island several years ago. I was very interested to see how much he had changed.
I have already noticed changes for the better regarding transportation. Two years ago there was only one company involved in transportation. Today there are many boats. Travel time has been significantly reduced. You can get there in 40 minutes, before at least 2 hours. The price is the same - $10. Instead of a round trip ticket, you can buy a one-way ticket. And travel between the islands from where and where you want, and with different companies.

The island has also undergone significant changes. There are a lot of new dilapidated bungalows around, located right on the shore. Housing prices have increased significantly. Wi-Fi everywhere. Soon, apparently, there will be a Cambodian paradise island, somewhat similar to the Thai Koh Lipe. They are even preparing to build an airport.

Acceptable housing can be found. A room with a large double mattress covered with a mosquito net and shared amenities on the floor can be rented for $12 - $15. You can find it for $25 nice apartments. On the pier not far from the village, they charge $10 for a hole with amenities in the hallway and serve free coffee in the morning.
After visiting many places, I found myself a room in a two-story birdhouse for $12. It had one big advantage - a balcony with access to the sea. I fell asleep to the sound of the waves and the roar of music, and woke up from the first ray of sun sliding across my face.

The owners of my refuge were Spaniards. They offered a pretty decent breakfast for $3. But for me it was completely irrelevant.
On previous visits to the island, electricity was provided by the hour. Now the electricity is turned on all day long and turned off only from one in the morning until the morning.

I adapted to my new position very quickly and not badly. In the morning I made myself coffee. The Khmer who lived next door served me fried eggs directly on the balcony for a reasonable fee of $1.50. I also tried to have breakfast on the pier at Grandma's Cafe. They serve a variety of soups and rice. It's filling and inexpensive - $1-2, but it's always full of people. If you compare it with Koh Rang Samloi, there are almost no granny eateries there and breakfast will cost much more - $5-6.

The sea here is clean, transparent turquoise water beckons you to swim. But it’s the local beaches. White sand creaks underfoot like freshly fallen snow.
The length itself beautiful beach Koh Rong is more than 5 km. He is in the top 10 best beaches peace. There is completely untouched nature around: magnificent tropical forests, many waterfalls, fresh sea air. All this attracts and beckons again and again.

Nightlife on the island is quite vibrant. Music rushing from almost every bar, and trying to shout one another, sometimes begins to drive you crazy. And such great joy awakens when the time comes and the power is turned off. Everything suddenly falls silent and all that can be heard is the hooting of the slightly over-excited guests.
You can visit local bars once or twice, but it quickly gets boring.

Very often in the evenings, whole rows of tables are set up right on the shore and they have a barbecue. Its cost is 4-5$, add beer - 1$. Not a bad vacation. But the most beautiful and varied thing I saw and ate was still on the island of Koh Samet in Thailand.

The longest and most magnificent beach on the island can be called Cambodian Long Beach.

To get to it from the village you need to overcome a steep climb and make your way along a winding path through the jungle. It's about an hour's walk.
On this beach there are fishing communities that offer awesome fishing for $10, followed by barbecuing the catch and pretty good beer. Plus to all this an unforgettable sunset.
For a change, on the island you can ride on ropes in the deep jungle, or simply climb trees like monkeys. You can also go diving and get a special certificate from a local dive school. All these pleasures will cost about $25 each.

It's time to get back to my original plans. We move on to Koh Rong Samlun.

On the morning of the third day, for only $5, I sailed on neighboring island. There I was greeted by a real paradise. It was a pity to my core that I didn’t get here right away.

Amazingly beautiful shore with snow-white beach a couple of kilometers long (Sarasen bay), pure water and most importantly, boundless silence, which I so wanted to drink to the fullest, after the constant wild movements on Koh Rong.
I settled for $10 in a two-story dorm on Beach resort. It was a barrack built of wood, on which double mattresses were laid out, fenced around the perimeter with a mosquito net. This roomy hostel was located just 30 meters from the sea. The amenities are shared on the floor; I stopped being embarrassed by this a long time ago. Everything around is clean and tidy.

There is a wonderful restaurant nearby where a lot of young people hang out in the evenings. Food prices, as I already said, are more expensive than in Koh Rong - $5-8 per dish. But what I tried here was simply amazing and the portions were quite large. Beer on tap everywhere at the regular price of $1. In general, you can live.

For those who want to save money, there are other options: you can spend the night on the terraces, around trees, or even on the pier, there is a roof there in case of rain.
I didn’t notice any mosquitoes in the area, although I prepared a mosquito repellent.

An island like Koh Rong Samloem is quite suitable for a short holiday - 2-3 days and a holiday with small children.
The beaches here are long, the seabed is flat, and the dive into the water is long and smooth. Everything around can be seen from a great distance. You definitely won't lose your child.
On the shore, for $20-40 you can rent a pretty decent beach bungalow for the whole family.

One of the inconveniences is the lack of Wi-Fi. But if you look from the other side, this is actually an advantage. There is an opportunity to completely disconnect from the whole world. At that moment, it was very important to me.
Having splashed around in the sea and rested a little, I decided to make a foray to the opposite side of the island. There's a trail straight through the jungle from here. The journey takes 30-40 minutes.
I went on my trip completely unprepared, wearing beach flip-flops. It would have been smarter to put on the krasovki. In some places it was necessary to climb up the hill on rocks and in terms of safety, regarding the local flora and fauna, it is better to wear closed shoes.

On the other side of the place where I settled there is Lazy beach. There are only two places in this area where you can stay: the HubA Huba and Robinson bungalows. Dwellings cost $20-30. Good Khmer and French cuisine.
On the way, I learned from the guys I met that it turns out that you can rent a dorm at the diving center, which is located between the bungalows, for only $3.
Eh, if I had known earlier, I would have stopped here.

The beach turned out to be many times better than the one I settled on. It is very clean, there are practically no people on it, and most importantly, its location allows you to watch both sunrises and sunsets from one place.
This beach can only be reached from Sihanoukville by diving boat. It leaves from there at 9:30 and back to the city at 15:30. Travel time is about 2 hours.
The audience on the island is a mixture of Italian, German, French and Spanish youth. I met several Russian couples.

There are no shops or fruit stands on the island. So, it’s better to stock up on drinks, fruits and food for mainland so that you can have a snack regardless of anyone else. I often save myself using a boiler. I take with me jasmine tea, coffee, single-serve soups in bags, several packs of seeds or nuts. If you suddenly want to have a snack, then everything is at hand.
For some reason, local islanders don’t catch fish and buy it in Sihanoukville. Therefore, it is much more expensive here.
In general, I liked the island and definitely recommend going here.

There is one wonderful place on Koh Rong Samloem, just for which it is worth going there - this is a beautiful heart-shaped bay, with clean deserted shores and water as clear as a tear.
Boats leaving for Sihanoukville depart at 10:30, 13:00 and 15:30. Ticket - about $9.

These places are mainly famous for their beautiful beaches untouched by civilization, so it is also recommended to visit the islands of Koh Russei or Bamboo Island. and Koh Ta Kyiv Island. Also in Sihanoukville you can see local Buddhist temples Wat Krom and Wat Leu will plunge into the atmosphere wildlife V national park Reem.

This is not my first time in Cambodia. This is a wonderful vacation for every taste and is very affordable for me due to its cheapness.