Cambodian islands: Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem

Off the coast of Sihanoukville, two islands make up the main "beach scene" in Cambodia.

Koh Rong is the larger of the two, with the most developed tourist infrastructure. It's the one with the "tourist town" on Koh Touch Beach, spreading onto nearby Long Set Beach, filled with cheap guesthouses, bars, and backpackers.

Head away from the town (by water taxi or, if you're brave of heart, by motorbike taxi), and you'll discover some of the most beautiful white sand beaches.

Soksan Beach Resort

The sand was so white, combined with the bleached wood and the bright sunlight, my camera was struggling with the exposure, and created this high-key effect...

The above pictures were taken on Soksan Beach, a massive, little-developed beach on the south-western side of the island. There are a handful of midrange and high end resorts, and a small fishing village at the north end that is home to a few basic homestays and low-rent guesthouses, and a few restaurants. But most of the beach was, at time of my visit, undeveloped.

Sunset on Soksan Beach

The village at the top end of Soksan Beach

The other island, Koh Rong Samloem, is quite a bit smaller. There's no real town, and no roads. Instead most accommodation is spread along the main bay (Saracen Bay), and consists of mostly small midrange and flashpacker bungalows, with a few expensive bungalows and "glamping" setups thrown in for good measure. The nature of the short-term leases on the island mean that, at the time I visited at least, there were no large resort operations.

There was a big storm one night while I was there; this was taken in the aftermath, while the sea was still rough. It understandably left the beach looking a little scruffy.

The main bay is fairly well developed, although not hugely crowded because the bungalow joints are all quite small. But if you want something even quieter, you can hike across the island to Secret Beach, which has only a couple of bungalows. 

If you do decide to base yourself at Secret Beach, or just visit for a day from the main bay, please be advised the path is quite rough in places (deep ruts and some steepish hills) so is probably best not attempted in flip flops, even though it's only about a mile. Take a powerful torch if going at night.

I also found quite a few sand-flies on Secret Beach when I visited, so make sure you have repellent.