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ថ្ងៃលិចGolden hour · The islands

Where the Kingdom Meets the Sea

The sun goes down slowly over the Gulf of Thailand.

  • South coast
  • 4 days
  • Beach & wellness
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Palm trees on an island beach off Cambodia’s south coast at sunset

The experience

Koh Russey. Koh Krabey. Koh Rong Samloem. Islands still blissfully under the radar, with private-island villas, jungle waterfalls, turquoise boat days and sand that squeaks underfoot. The perfect final chapter to any Cambodian journey, four days of it.

Highlights

  • Koh Russey, Koh Krabey and Koh Rong Samloem
  • Private-island villas
  • Jungle waterfalls
  • Turquoise boat days
  • Sand that squeaks underfoot

In pictures

Four days in pictures

Turquoise water and forested headlands on Koh Rong Samloem’s west coast
01The west coastKoh Rong Samloem, inside Cambodia’s first marine national park.
Small boats pulled up on a sandy beach off Sihanoukville
02Boat dayBoats waiting on the sand for a day between the islands.
A wide white-sand beach and shallow turquoise water on Koh Rong Samloem
03White sandShallow, clear water on Koh Rong Samloem.
A wooden tree house in a tree on a Koh Rong Samloem beach
04A tree houseShade on the sand, Koh Rong Samloem.
A waterfall falling over dark rock in the Koh Rong jungle
05Jungle waterfallOn Koh Rong, at its fullest in and after the rains.
A creek winding out of the forest towards the beach on Koh Rong Samloem
06Where the forest meets the seaA quiet estuary on Koh Rong Samloem.
Waves rolling onto Sunset Beach on Koh Rong Samloem
07Sunset BeachOn the island’s west side, facing the evening sun.

Photos: 1 Wikirictor, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2 Anthony Spratt, CC BY 2.0 · 3 Avec un sac sur le dos, CC BY 2.0 · 4 Wikirictor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 5 Wikirictor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 6 Wikirictor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 7 Treehill, CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

Islands most travellers never reach

Most journeys through Cambodia end at Angkor. Keep going south to the Gulf of Thailand and you reach islands that are still blissfully under the radar. Koh Russey, whose name means Bamboo Island, was for years little more than a small navy outpost. Koh Krabey takes its name from the Khmer word for water buffalo. Both lie off the coast near Ream National Park, protected since 1993 for its mangroves, seagrass and coral reefs.

Further out, about 25 km from the mainland, Koh Rong Samloem curves around Saracen Bay, a three-kilometre crescent of white sand on its sheltered east coast. Sunset Beach and Lazy Beach face the other way. In 2018 the waters around Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem became Koh Rong Marine National Park, Cambodia’s first: 524 square kilometres of coral, seagrass and mangroves, where seahorses, sea turtles and dugongs live.

The squeak is real. Travellers have reported it on Saracen Bay and on Koh Rong’s beaches for years, and physicists put it down to clean, dry, rounded grains of a similar size rubbing against one another. Wet sand stays silent, so walk the dry stretch above the tideline and listen.

Itinerary

Four days on the islands

  1. Day 1

    To the islands

    Drive down to the coast, about two hours from Phnom Penh on the expressway, or fly into Sihanouk International Airport on the edge of Ream National Park. A short boat ride takes you to your villa on a private island, in time for your first sunset over the Gulf of Thailand.

  2. Day 2

    A day on the water

    A turquoise boat day out to Koh Rong Samloem, inside Cambodia’s first marine national park. Swim off the white crescent of Saracen Bay, snorkel over small reefs where seahorses and nudibranchs live, and stop wherever the water looks best.

  3. Day 2, after dark

    Glowing water

    On dark, moonless nights, plankton in the water around Koh Rong Samloem light up at every movement. We plan an evening around it when the moon allows.

  4. Day 3

    Waterfalls and white sand

    Into the island jungle to a seasonal waterfall, then down to a beach where the sand squeaks underfoot.

  5. Day 4

    A slow last morning

    One more swim and a long breakfast, or a boat through the mangrove channels of Ream National Park on your way back to the mainland.

A sample plan. We shape every stay around you.

Plan your trip

The details

Duration
4 days
When
Any dates that suit you
Best time of year
November to April, when the seas are calmest. July to September is the wettest stretch.
Format
Private
Where
Koh Russey, Koh Krabey and Koh Rong Samloem, off Cambodia’s south coast
Getting there
About two hours from Phnom Penh by expressway, or fly into Sihanouk International Airport. Boats to the islands take anything from five minutes to two hours.
What to pack
Light luggage for the boats, swimwear, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and shoes for jungle trails
Good to know
Best saved for the end of your journey.

Before you go

Questions, answered

When is the best time to go?

November to April, when the seas are calmest. The dry season runs from about November or December to March. From May to October the sea is rougher and July to September is wettest, though Saracen Bay, on Koh Rong Samloem’s east side, is more sheltered from the monsoon.

Will we see the glowing plankton?

It shows best on dark, moonless nights away from lights, so it depends partly on the moon. If your dates allow, we plan an evening around it.

Are the waterfalls always running?

No. They are seasonal and run fullest in and after the rains. Late in the dry season they can be little more than a trickle.

Will we see wildlife?

Perhaps. The reefs shelter seahorses and nudibranchs, hornbills and ospreys fly over Koh Rong Samloem, and dolphins and dugongs have been recorded off Ream. Wildlife keeps its own schedule, so we never promise a sighting.

How do we get there?

From Phnom Penh, the expressway reaches the coast in about two hours. Sihanouk International Airport has flights from Siem Reap and around the region, but routes change often, so we check them for your dates.

Can we change the islands or the number of days?

Yes. This is a sample plan, and we shape every stay around you.

Arranged around you

No fixed times. You choose when.

Every One Journey experience in Cambodia is private. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will arrange it around you.

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