Koh Rong travel blog — The fullest Koh Rong travel guide for first-timers

Koh Rong is still a paradise island, one of Cambodia’s most famous tourist destinations. For those who are truly looking for a peaceful, leisurely vacation, leaving behind all stress and away from dust and smoke, Koh Rong is an extremely ideal suggestion. Although tourism here is quite developed, you can still feel the wildness, wonder and clarity of Koh Rong. So, is Koh Rong worth visiting, how to visit Koh Rong, what to do in Koh Rong? Let’s check out our Koh Rong blog (Koh Rong travel blog) with the fullest Koh Rong travel guide (Koh Rong guide, guide to Koh Rong) from how to get to Koh Rong, best places to visit as well as top things to do in Koh Rong to help you maximize your trip as follows!

Koh Rong Island is a large island in Sihanoukville Province of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Koh Rong is the second largest island in Cambodia with an area of 78 km². If you are planning to travel to this beautiful land, don’t miss the useful article below.

Overview of Koh Rong (# koh rong blog)

Koh Rong is located in the south of Cambodia and is also the country’s largest island in Sihanoukville province. The island is about 40 minutes from the mainland by boat. Because it has long been famous with tourists around the world, Koh Rong has many tourist services and amenities to serve tourists. However, human exploitation activities have no negative impact on the natural landscape. Surely this will be an extremely interesting destination for anyone.

According to administrative division, the island belongs to Sihanoukville Municipality (formerly Mittapheap District) with four villages including Koh Tuich, Doeum D’keuw, Prek Svay and Sok San.

Koh Rong Island Cambodia is a paradise island for travelers looking for a place to relax and enjoy life in your own way. It is not for nothing that Koh Rong is known as the jade island, because this place converges both forests and blue seas. Not only that, this island is also a famous tourist destination with countless vibrant and bustling restaurants and bars.

Koh Rong is the second largest island in Cambodia with an area of more than 78 km2, 43 km of coastline and more than 23 extremely beautiful beaches. This place is famous for its pristine beauty of fine white sand, clear, warm sea water and pleasant tropical climate. Koh Rong is a name that is both familiar and famous when referring to Cambodian tourism.

When to visit? (# koh rong travel blog)

Cambodia has two seasons: dry season and rainy season. The dry season here starts from December to May and is the most suitable time to travel. Because the weather is cool at this time, it is not too hot, and there is not much rain.

On the contrary, the rainy season will have a lot of rain with heavy rainfall, accounting for 80% of Cambodia’s yearly rainfall. There are even times when flooding can occur. Thus, you should not travel to Koh Rong Cambodia island during the rainy season.

The best time to travel to Koh Rong is from early May to mid-November, the average temperature is from 25 to 40 degrees Celsius, the sky is less cloudy, and the humidity is low. You should update the weather situation before starting your travel journey. Some information about the weather in a year on Koh Rong island.

• Mid-November to February: Warm and dry, temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius during the day.
• March to May: Hot and dry, temperatures are about 35 degrees Celsius during the day.
• June to August: Hot and humid, temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius during the day.
• September to early November: Warm and humid, temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius during the day.

If you don’t want to be crowded and want to enjoy a peaceful space, you can go in early summer or fall. Remember to check the weather forecast updates before you go to ensure you enjoy your trip in the most ideal way.

How to get to Koh Rong island? (# koh rong travel guide)

In recent years, traveling to Koh Rong and neighboring island of Koh Rong Samloem has become much more convenient due to the appearance of modern means of sea transportation such as direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Sihanoukville/from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville/ from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, train and ferry. Swimming in Cambodia has never been so easy and enjoyable.

As of 2023, from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong island there are 5 modern, comfortable, high-speed ferries with life jackets, soft seats and buffet food counters including: Speed Ferry Cambodia (SFC), Island Speed Boat Cambodia (ISBC), Buva Sea (BS), Angkor Speed Ferry (ASF), and GTVC. Of the five lines, TBC and Buva Sea are fastest.

These five cruise lines all depart from Ochheuteal (AKA ‘Serendipity’) wharf in Sihanoukville and the round trip price is $25, the price may change depending on the peak tourist seasons of the year.

On Koh Rong island, the ship will dock at Koh Touch tourist area and on Koh Rong Samloem island, the ship will dock at Saracen Bay, these two places are the centers of the islands, where the most hotels and resorts are concentrated.

Besides, you can also find normal boats from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong island with longer durations of about 1.5 to 2.5 hours and prices from $5 to $10. These are not professional transportation services, are quite time consuming and are hardly recommended by tourists.

• TBC only goes to Koh Touch and Sok San. If you are only stay near these two beaches, you should choose TBC because this boat usually departs on time, large, and has air conditioning.
• Buva Sea has access to Koh Touch, Coconut beach, Nature Beach and Sok San (in peak season), there are large and small boats, beautiful, with little delay.
• Speed Ferry goes to Koh Touch, Sok San (only in peak season), Long Set (4K), Coconut beach, Pagoda beach and Palm Beach. Other beaches besides Koh Touch have afternoon trips at about 3pm. Boats often crowded, often late.
• GTVC only goes to Koh Touch, the boat is very small.

Ferry schedules from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong island:

Time	Ferry
7:30 am	SFC
8:00 am	BS & GTVC
9:00 am	ISBC, ASF & SFC
9:30 am	BS
11:00 am	BS & GTVC
11:30 am	SFC
12:00 pm	ASF & ISBC
12:30 pm	BS
1:30 pm	SFC
2:00 pm	BS & GTVC
2:30 pm	ISBC
3:00 pm	SFC & ASF
3:30 pm	BS
4:00 pm	GTVC
5:00	SFC&BS

Ferry schedules from Koh Rong island to Sihanoukville:

Time	Ferry
7:15 am	BS
8:30 am	SFC
8:45 am	GTVC & BS
9:55 am	ASF
10:00 am	SFC
10:15 am	ISBC
11:45 am	BS & GTVC
12:30 pm	SFC
12:55 pm	ASF
1:15 pm	ISBC
2:45 pm	GTVC
3:00 pm	BS
3:45 pm	ASF
4:00 pm	SFC
4:15 pm	ISBC
4:45 pm	GTVC

What to do and where to go in Koh Rong?

Lonely Beach (# koh rong blog)

Lonely Beach is located at the northern tip of Koh Rong island. It can be said that this place is “lonely” because there is only one hotel for tourists here. On the contrary, because it is wild and rustic because it has not been completely developed, Lonely Beach is truly a wonderful resort close to nature. The special thing is that Lonely beach has beautiful palm trees right on the beach, and a giant swing that is very suitable for those who like to take pictures. This is the beach according to us as the most beautiful beach in Koh Rong.

Lonely Beach located in the north of Koh Rong island was once voted the most beautiful beach in 2021 although the geographical location is not the most favorable. This beach stands out with small cliffs, soft white sand, lush green palm trees and clear sea water, reflecting the sky.

Lonely beach is a very simple travel itinerary, for those who really want to separate from the outside world, simply immersing themselves in the natural flow. If you are looking for classy, comfortable travel services, this place is probably not suitable. From Koh Rong island to Loney beach you will have to rent small boats from local people or traveling from Sihanoukville can take 2 to 3 hours. The price of a night stay at this beach ranges from $40 to $50.

Lazy Beach (# koh rong travel blog)

Lazy beach ranked second in the list of “21 most beautiful beaches in the world” voted by National Geographic magazine. This beach is located on the west side of Koh Rong Samloem island, one of the bright gems that attracts tourists to the island. The beach always sparkles under the sun during the day, and in the distance are surrounding mountains creating an amazing landscape. The best thing that tourists look for at Lazy beach is a truly quiet, comfortable and completely natural relaxing space.

Like Lonely beach, Lazy beach has only one resort, Lazy Beach Resort, priced at about $30 per night. The services here are also relatively simple to create conditions for visitors to have a purely natural vacation, with no convenience stores, no wifi, and no Internet. Getting to Lazy beach is not simple, so it will be suitable for active young people who like to explore rather than vacation with family. You will be picked up by the boat from Saracen Bay and have to trek another 40 minutes in the forest to truly reach this sea paradise. Note that this road is quite bad, so limit carrying a lot of things and a pair of sturdy, comfortable sneakers is extremely necessary!

Long Set Beach (4k) (# koh rong travel guide)

Ranked 3rd is Long Set beach, also known as 4K beach (because the coastline is about 4 km long). Here, tourism services are quite developed with motels and resorts along the coast. You will stride on the long white sand beaches, admire the cool blue sea and enjoy the climate regulated by the surrounding tropical forest.

The plus point of Long Set is the beautiful scenery of a pristine sea, affordable service prices that you only need to walk a short distance from Koh Touch (center of Koh Rong island). The road leading to Long Set passes through beautiful resorts such as Paradise Bungalows, White Beach Bungalows, Tree House and Star Fish. After that, you will go through a small forest, taking about 15 minutes to reach Long Set beach. At the end of this beach there is also Pura Vita (about $65 for one night), a beautiful and extremely famous resort in the area that you cannot miss during your trip to Koh Rong.

Saracen Bay (# koh rong travel guide)

Saracen Bay is one of the main Koh Rong tourist destinations for tourists. Furthermore, most of the main boats stop at this bay, so it can be said that traveling is very convenient.

Saracen Bay brings you a very peaceful and quiet resort space with impeccably beautiful scenery. In the past two years, Saracen Bay has received significant investment and development with completely new resorts, shops, and tourist service centers running along the coastline. Sol Beach Resort and The One Resort are two recommended resorts in this bay full of super beautiful villas, swimming pools, restaurants, bars with typical Khmer style. Whether for couples or families, Saracen Bay is a perfect suggestion.

White Beach

Ranked 5th is White Beach, a beach only 10 minutes walk from Koh Touch. White beach is not the most beautiful beach but it is the most convenient tourist destination with high quality shops, restaurants and resorts. Just step out of the room and you will set foot on the sand carpet and can swim immediately, what could be more interesting?

Koh Touch Beach

Koh Touch Beach is a beautiful beach with a very long white sand beach just a few minutes walk from Koh Touch village and the pier. Koh Touch is not the most beautiful beach on Koh Rong island, but near Koh Touch village there are many options for dining and entertainment.

Vietnam beach

Local people often call this place Vietnam beach or Ow Kasang. This is a long beach with vast white sand banks that is in the process of being developed, and is expected to become a paradise destination that attracts many tourists.

Nature Beach

Nature Beach, also known as Romdoul, is a favorite sandy beach for active young people with scuba diving activities. You can only reach this place by boat from Koh Touch or by taking a Buva Sea boat.

Coconut Beach

Coconut Beach is a beautiful bay in the southwest of Koh Rong island with white sand and crystal blue sea water. The beach is small but very beautiful and peaceful, the atmosphere at night is gentle, suitable for anyone who likes quiet. There is a Buva Sea boat that goes straight to Coconut beach. There is also a place to snorkel and see beautiful coral within just 5 minutes of swimming from Coconut beach.

Police Beach

This beach was given such a unique name after a police station was established here. Police Beach is especially famous for attracting active young people with bustling parties on the beach at night.

Sok San Beach

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