Time for beach and relax by the sea is here! Koh Rong fulfilled all these expectations and we spent there amazing 5 days. We arrived on the island from the city Sihanoukville which unfortunately became a Chinese colony. Generally we do not recommend staying in this city longer than necessary because it is one large construction site full of dust, diggers and chinese restaurants. How was our stay and what are the best places to visit on the island? You will find everything in this post!
Ferry from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong and back
It is not necessary to book a ferry to Koh Rong in advance. There operate several ferry companies and there will be always place for you 🙂 Prices are the same everywhere – 22 USD for return ticket (return is open), so it depends on what size and type of ferry you prefer. We chose Cambodia Island Speed Ferry. Departure and arrival were on time and the ship was large which is ideal for people who has problem with seasick And waves.
The best activities on Koh Rong island
If you are looking for some serious adventure on the island you will not probably find it here. Koh Rong is ideal for relax on the beach and swimming in crystal clear water. But we have for you of course some activities, read below:
1. Discovering and relaxing on the beach
Koh Rong is famous for its sand beaches and amazing blue water. Therefore it would be a pity to stay on only one beach and not explore the others. We stayed close to main pier in Koh Touch village and we did all our adventurous expeditions from there 🙂
Koh Touch beach
Probably the most busy beach, as it is located next to the port and the largest city on the island of Koh Touch. Although it was closest to us, we only stopped there once. It was pretty beach, but sometimes there was a mess in the water from the ships heading to the harbor. Its positive feature is the presence of restaurants, bars and shops and prices are lower than on the rest of the island.
Long Set beach neboli 4K beach
We walked to this 4 km beach by a forest trail that runs along the sea. The trail is approximately 1.5 km long and is not difficult. There are quite a lot of restaurants and hotels on the beach, there are also very popular camping tents. Even though it was not overcrowded! In our opinion it is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. There is also the possibility of renting a kayak and paddling to the small deserted island called Kaoh Toch where is only pagoda and few monks.
Long beach
We reaches this beach again on foot but this time by more difficult forest path called Long beach path (check mapy.cz or maps.me). The first part of the trail is easy climb but the second part is worse. It is necessary to climb over larger stones and the terrain is not quite easy. If you don’t want to walk through this trail you can reach beach by a long boat or walk 5 km along the sea on the normal road. Long beach is 7 km long and it is real paradise, no people, clear water and peace. It is also perfect place for watching a sunset. Only disadvantage is the presence of planktones in the water causing “bites” and rashes.
Coconut beach
One of the most famous beaches on the island which we unfortunately didn’t have time to visit. We tried to reach it on foot again vis Navarro’s path (mapy.cz) but we lost the way close to Romduol beach. But try it! Maybe we are just blind 😀 Another way how to get there is by long boat (price around 10 USD) Or rent a bike that is very expensive on the island (around 30 USD/day).
2. Snorkeling + Watching sunset + Bioluminescent plankton
We booked a half day tour with Pirates of Koh Rong and the price was 30 USD/person. In the price was included snorkeling, luch in Tortuga bar near Long beach, watching the sunset on a deserted beach, night swimming with bioluminescent plankton, 2 cans of beer and whisky with coke. Start of the day was bad because of rain and couldn’t see anything during snorkeling. But the weather got better after lunch and we could see beautiful corals and colorful fishes. Then we played ball games on the deserted beach and were waiting for the night. In the end we were lucky that was cloudy because even though was full moon we were lucky to see the bioluminescent plankton. Plankton lights up every time you move but it was impossible to make a photo or video so we only keep this amazing memory in our heads. Despite the bad weather it was unforgettable experience and we evaluate this trip positively 🙂
3. Trip to Koh Rong Sanloem
Another popular destination in Cambodia is less than an hour’s drive from Koh Rong Island. The price of the ferry is around 8 USD. Koh Rong Sanloem is less developed than Koh Rong (for example, there is no internet data and only few accommodations have wifi). But you will be delighted by the beautiful beaches and cool restaurants and spots. There is also lot of nice places for instagram photos.
Where to find best + cheap food on the island
Koh Rong island is mainly touristic and this is reflected in the prices of hotels, restaurants and bars. But we found our favorite restaurant where we returned every day. Most restaurants can be found at the main port or Long Set beach.
1. Write Rouse Restaurant
This is our favorite restaurant on the island because of lower prices, big portions and quality of food. We got banana pancake with Nutella which was really huge and so good! We also liked mango salad and BBQ served in the evening only for 5 USD. You can choose from chicken, fish or seafood plus you get side dishes. Tom ordered barracuda fish and it was really tasty.
2. YAYA restaurant
Again one of the cheaper restaurants in the village. We loved local breakfast (muesli, fruit aNd yogurt) but we cannot evaluate the rest of food. But generally we liked this place.
3. Bamboo Pizza
Looking for tasty pizza? This place is right for you! And what is more? If you order pizza you will get 1 beer for free!
What to watch out for in Koh Rong!
Koh Rong is a paradise but at the same time we found out some unpleasant negatives. First of them are sand flies (sand fleas) which suck blood and can cause serious troubles. These insects loved Aneta and she had so many bites that she couldn’t even sleep after that. Tom was OK, seems like they didn’t like his blood and hid body didn’t react so badly. So if mosquitos usually like you, you can be sure that these monsters will come after you. Anet has still problems with bites even after one month so we recommend you to use spray again mosquitos/insect, try to spend more time in the water than on the beach or find some beach chair.
Another complication can be sea plankton at the Long beach that stings and leaves behind small bites. Fortunately it is nothing serious and it usually disappearS after one day but still it can be unpleasant experience for someone.
