Many people don't know about Cambodia's beaches, so they visit the beaches of better known resort areas instead. What they are missing is a number of fabulous beaches on Cambodia's mainland coast, and even better beaches on Cambodia's offshore islands. Cambodia's beaches are like those of more well known resort areas in that they too have powdery white sand fronting crystal clear, turquoise blue waters. The beaches of Cambodia are different in that they have not yet been taken over by crowds and development. You won't find many five star resorts at Cambodian beaches (yet), but you will find plentiful peaceful stretches of beach, open air restaurants and bars right on the sand, serving the world's freshest and finest seafood, and a laid-back ambiance unlike anywhere else.
Cambodia has three beach communities, Sihanoukville, Kep, and Koh Kong, and several islands off the coast with pristine beaches. Sihanoukville is the largest of the three communities, and has the best beaches. While the mainland beaches of Kep and Koh Kong are not as nice as those of Sihanoukville, these beach communities have their own charms, and are well worth a visit.
The beaches of Cambodia truly have something to offer everyone. If you insist on spending a lot of money, there are a few luxury hotels, if you are on a budget, Cambodia offers some of the lowest prices anywhere. If you want to be around people, then Ochheuteal beach at Sihanoukville offers plenty of hustle and bustle on the weekends, and there is always night life to be found in Sihanoukville. If you seek solitude, this can be found also. The Cambodia coast and its islands is one of the few places left in the world where you can find beautiful stretches of white sand beach all to yourself, or nearly so.
One of the first things you will notice about Cambodia is the sense of humor of the people. They smile and joke a lot, and don't take anything too seriously. You won't either after a couple of days of bliss on Cambodia's beaches. Despite what you might think, Cambodia is quite safe. There is a relatively low rate of crime against person and property, even compared to more developed countries.
The people are warm, and so is the weather. The climate along Cambodia's coast is nearly perfect. With a cooling ocean breeze, air conditioning is rarely needed, and heaters are never needed. The Cambodian coast is also a bit drier than other tropical destinations. Even if you come in the off-season ("rainy season") which is from May to November, you are likely to experience some sunny days.
Cambodia does not yet have any Walmart stores, or Carrefours, or even a Mcdonalds or Burger King, but it does have adequate shopping, and western products are about as available as anywhere else in Asia. Services such as phone and internet, and ATM machines (that work internationally) are available in all Cambodia beach towns.
Cambodia does require a visa for tourists, available online or at points of entry, and is readily accessible by air to Phnom Penh, or overland from Thailand or Vietnam. There is no great risk of disease, since malaria and dengue fever are now rare.
Learn more about the beaches of Cambodia on the other pages of this website, and come to this special bit of paradise that is Cambodia's beaches while you have the chance!
Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville, Cambodian name Kampong Som, is the largest community on the Cambodian coast, and has the most tourist infrastructure. It has a series of beaches that are the longest, widest, and some would say the best, on the mainland. There are six beaches in the Sihanoukville chain, called Victory, Hawaii, Independence, Sokha, Ochheuteal, and Otres, running from northwest to southeast.
The largest and most popular of the Sihanoukville beaches is Ochheuteal. It is an expanse of five kilometers of powdery white sand, fronted by shallow, pretty blue ocean, that is perfect for swimming. At the north end of Ochheuteal beach, there is a strip of lively, open air bars and restaurants, right on the sand with lounge chairs out front where you can relax. Around dinner hour, they light up the BBQ grills, and cook freshly caught seafood, including shrimp, crab, tuna, lobster, and squid, right over the coals. After dinner, you can sip drinks made from tropical fruits, and partake of the local Angkor beer brewed right in Sihanoukville, while you enjoy cool music. For the late night crowd, there are a couple of all night bars on the beach where you can dance until the sun comes up.
The far northern end of Ochheuteal beach is an area known as Serendipity. It is a bit quieter there, with bungalows extending up a hillside that rises from the sand. At the southern end of Ochheuteal beach, the thatched roof bars and restaurants that were formerly there have been replaced by a moderate sized tourist hotel under construction. In between the development at the ends of Ochheuteal beach, there is a two or three kilometer stretch that is undeveloped, where you can have the beach to yourself, except for the occasional jogger or beachcomber.
To the south of Ochheuteal, is called Otres beach, the last in the series. This beach is practically a duplicate of Ochheuteal beach except that there is no development at all except for a few thatched roof restaurants at one end. Otres beach is a great place to retreat from the weekend and holiday crowds at Ochheuteal.
The next beach to the north of Ochheuteal is Sokha beach. This is a smaller beach occupied entirely by the upscale Sokha resort. Continuing to the north from Sokha beach, the next beach is Independence beach. This beach is a bit narrower and rockier than the more poular beaches, and is inhabited by just a few thatched roof shacks sell snacks and drinks. At the far end of the beach, the hotel from which the beach gets its name, the Independence Hotel, sits atop a point.
In between Independence and Victory beaches, lies Hawaii beach. It is narrow and a bit muddy. Its claim to fame is a massive tourist project under construction at the north end, with a half finshed bridge connecting the mainland portion of the project to the island portion of the project, that is on an island about a kilometer from the shore. Other mega resorts, and a raft of new luxury hotels and condominiums, are rumored to be in the works for Sihanoukville, and once completed, this will forever change Sihanoukville into another overdeveloped beach resort, so enjoy the current unique character of Sihanoukville while it lasts!
The northernmost beach of the Sihanoukville chain is Victory beach. It is a fairly short beach, but it has nice sand, and it is great view of the ships passing by from Sihanoukville port at one of the bars on the beach. Up from the beach is Victory hill, an area of foreign run bars and restaurants catering to tourists.
Sihanoukville's most beautiful beaches aren't on the mainland, they are on the islands near the Sihanoukville coast. A real jewel of Sihanoukville, is Bamboo island (Koh Russei), one of closest and best of the islands. It is a small island with breathtakingly beautiful beaches on two sides, connected by a kilometer and a half long path cutting through the jungle covered interior of the island. There are small bar/bungalow establishments on both of the beaches for those wanting to stay the night on the island. Getting to the island is an easy 45 minute boat trip. There is daily ferry service provided by Coasters.
Currently there are only two larger hotels, the Independence and the Sokha, and one ultra exclusive resort, the Mirax, on private Koh Dek Koul island just offshore, in Sihanoukville. Though Sihanoukville lacks the sort of large resort hotels that some other beach destinations have, this does not mean that there aren't nice accomodations available in Sihanoukville. Something Sihanoukville has, that the beach destinations with the large resorts don't, is bungalows right on the beach. For example, Coasters, the sponsor of this website and its sister business, the Aquarium, offer bungalows with private balconies looking right out over the ocean, only steps from the beach, with all the comfort you would expect from a luxury hotel, and at more comfortable rates.
Getting to Sihanoukville is easy. From Phnom Phen, there is excellent bus service provided by several companies, with departures throughout the day, from the Sisowath Quay and central market areas. It is an easy four and a half hour trip over good highway. From Bangkok, there is good bus service to Trat, close to the Cambodia border. It is recommended that you stay the night in Trat on this route. From the Trat bus station, you can catch a minivan on to the border. Then after crossing the border, you can take a bus on to Sihanoukville, about a five hour ride, or alternatively, catch a taxi for a short ride to Koh Kong, a beach town close to the border on the Cambodia side, and then take the high speed ferry boat service on to Sihanoukville, about a four and a half hour ride. Either way, you will be on the beach at Sihanoukville in time for dinner.
Getting around Sihanoukville is easy also. As soon as you arrive, you will quickly discover that there is absolutely no shortage of tuk tuks and moto taxis happy to take you where you want to go. Motorbikes are also readily available for rent. Sihanoukville has a downtown area a couple of kilometers from the beaches where there are more bars and guest houses, but not a great deal of shopping. A moto taxi ride between downtown and the beach should cost one dollar or less at 2008 prices.
Koh Kong
Koh Kong, on the Cambodia coast near the border with Thailand, was at one time, only a way stop on the road between Thailand and Cambodia. Its tourist development began with casinos catering to Thais who would cross the border to gamble, since gambling is illegal in Thailand. It is still a popular gambling destination, with a new casino/hotel and more on the way. Recently, the beaches of Koh Kong and nearby islands, and the pristine Cardamom mountains nearby, have become popular with beachgoers, divers, and eco-tourists.
Koh Kong has beaches on the river estuary where the Koh Kong river meets the ocean, and it has ocean beaches. The closest beach to the center of town is on the river. It has the un-Cambodian name of Resort 2000. The quality of this beach varies from muddy in the rainy season to clean with good swimming in the dry season. There are some small, but nice beaches past the muslim fishing village on the edge of town, where the Koh Kong river, and a smaller river come together at the ocean.
Along the Koh Kong ocean front, some distance from the town center there is Bak Khlang (Koh Yor) beach on the ocean side where the rivers meet the sea, and further north (toward Thailand) there is Cham Yeam beach, probably the best ocean beach. Cham Yeam beach is a narrow beach that practically disappears at high tide, but is nice and sandy at low tide. it is quite picturesque, fronted by palm trees, with beach side restaurants. The Cham Yeam beach area has become the focal point of Koh Kong development, with a new five star casino/hotel, guest houses, and the Safari World zoo.
Koh Kong's best beaches are to be found on the nearby offshore islands, including the largest Cambodian island, Koh Kong Khoa which is a practically uninhabited jungle paradise with seven magnificent white sand beaches. It is about a forty five minute water taxi ride from Koh Kong.
In addition to hanging out at the beach, there is plenty else to do in Koh Kong, ranging from island hopping and diving with the local PADI dive center, to trekking in the pristine wilderness jungle of the Cardamom mountains to see the many waterfalls in the area. The majority of foreign visitors to Koh Kong are either coming from Sihanoukville, or are planning to go to Sihanoukville. There is convenient high speed ferry boat service daily between Koh Kong and Sihanoukville. It is a fun, four hour ride. Alternatively, there is bus service between Koh Kong and Sihanoukville. In the past, this was somewhat of an ordeal, requiring the crossing of four rivers on makeshift rafts. This situation has improved with the opening of new bridges, so currently there is only one river that needs to be crossed by raft.
Regardless of which direction you are coming from or going, Koh Kong is a unique experience that you shouldn't miss on your Cambodian vacation.
The beach town of Kep
The beach town of Kep does not have as much tourism and development as Sihanoukville, further up the coast, but it was actually Cambodia's first beach resort destination. As early as the turn of the century, Kep was the beach destination of choice, for Cambodia's wealthy, who built luxurious seaside villas there, and for weekend throngs from Phnom Phen. The French also appreciated the natural beauty of Kep, and in the 1920's built the Bokor Hill station which was a montaintop resort, in a dramatically scenic location overlooking the entire Cambodian coast. The area near Kep was the scene of heavy fighting during the Khmer Rouge period, and all the villas were destroyed. The gutted out Bokor hill hotel structure still stands with ghostly elegance (it was featured in the movie "City of Ghosts"), shrouded in fog, and is a popular tourist attraction.
As with Sihanoukville, further to the north, the bulldozers of the developers haven't yet struck in a big way, and it is still a quiet little seaside community, but development is rumored to be coming soon, beginning with the renovation, and reopening of the historic Bokor Hill site. Kep has no large hotels whatsoever, but it does have several very nice seaside bungalow and guest house establishments.
The principal beach at Kep, while scenic, is not as long or as wide as the beaches at Sihanoukville, turning into a narrow rocky strip at high tide. One thing that Kep beach has that is without equal, is the fresh seafood served by the beachside restaurants. The crab seasoned with pepper from the nearby Kampot region is a delicacy that is becoming world famous as word is spread by travelers lucky enough to have visited Kep.
As with the other Cambodian beach towns, the best beaches of Kep are to be found offshore. Rabbit island is a small island close to shore with couple of beautiful beaches, and rustic accommodations for those who want to stay the night.
To get to Kep, you must first get to the town of Kampot, from there you can get a taxi for the thirty minute trip on to Kep, or a recommended option is to rent a bicycle in Kampot and take a memorable two hour ride to Kep. Along the route to Kep, a recommended side trip if you are on a bicycle, or have a taxi driver who speaks English, is the Phnom Chhnork caves, one of which contains a ruin made of brick, with Sanscrit carvings, that dates from the time of the Roman empire. There is regular bus service to Kampot from Phnom Phen, and private or shared taxi and minibus service from Sihanoukville.
