Koh Rong travel guide
Seven kilometres of Long Beach, glowing plankton and jungle trails
Koh Rong is a large, forested island off Sihanoukville with 43 km of beaches, a party village at Koh Touch and the quiet sweep of Long Beach. Come between December and April for dry weather and calm crossings. Stay three or four nights. Prices are low, and Cambodia issues e-Visas and visas on arrival.
Koh Rong lies about 25 km off Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand and is Cambodia's second-largest island. Of its 61 km of coastline, some 43 km is sand, and the interior is mostly forested hills within the Koh Rong Marine National Park.
Boats land at Koh Touch, the village on the south-east corner where bars, guesthouses and dive shops are crammed along the shore. It is loud after dark. Police Beach, a short walk west, hosts all-night dance parties on set nights each week.
Long Beach runs for about 7 km on the west coast below the village of Sok San. In 2026 it was named in the top ten of The World's 50 Best Beaches. Sleep over on that side and you swap nightlife for empty sand and sunsets over open water.
Swim after dark on a moonless night and the sea sparkles with bioluminescent plankton. It shows best in chest-deep water on an unlit stretch of beach. Snorkelling is good straight off the shore, and marked trails cut through the jungle between beaches, though some need a guide.
Fishing life carries on at Doeum D'keuw on the east coast, a village partly built on stilts over the water. For dinner, walk a lane back from the sand in Koh Touch to the Khmer canteens. The fish there is as fresh as at any resort and the bill is a fraction of theirs.
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Top things to do in Koh Rong
Beach-hopping, snorkelling, jungle walks and night swims among glowing plankton.
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Best time to visit Koh Rong
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Sunny, calm and clear water, the easiest time for boats and snorkelling.
Storms and rougher seas; some crossings are cancelled and smaller places close.
Christmas, New Year and Khmer New Year in mid-April are the busiest times, so book both the boat and your room ahead.
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Getting there
Boats from Sihanoukville
Every visitor arrives by sea from Sihanoukville, since Koh Rong has no airport or bridge. Fly into Sihanouk International, 17 km from the piers, or bus down the expressway from Phnom Penh in about three hours. Fast boats cross several times a day, slow wooden ferries take about two hours, and most land at Koh Touch.
- Fast boat
- Several daily departures from Sihanoukville, far quicker than the old ferries
- Slow ferry
- About 2 hours, with wooden benches, an open roof deck and a basic toilet
- Sihanouk International (KOS)
- Taxi for the 17 km to the Sihanoukville piers
- From Phnom Penh
- Bus to Sihanoukville in about 2.5 to 3 hours on the expressway
- Boarding is often across a single plank, so pack light and keep one hand free.
- Carry water, a hat and sunscreen, because not every boat sells drinks and the roof deck has no shade.
- Check that your boat company will drop you at your own beach; rival operators do not always carry each other's guests.
- Some boats continue to Coconut Beach or Sok San; confirm your stop when booking.
Where to stay
Koh Touch pier or the Sok San end of Long Beach
The real decision is social village or empty sand. Koh Touch has the boats, the food and the noise; the west coast has the sunsets and very little else, so pick by how much you want to be left alone.
- Koh Touch
- Most rooms, canteens and dive shops, steps from the pier; music carries until late
- Police Beach
- A short walk west of the village, calm by day but loud on the weekly party nights
- Long Beach and Sok San
- Seven kilometres of quiet sand and sunsets over open sea; few kitchens and limited power
- Coconut Beach
- Bungalows on a calmer bay, reached directly by some boats, with little to do but swim
- Pack a torch for the far beaches, where paths between bungalows go dark once the evening generator is switched off.
Getting around
Paths, motorbikes and boat taxis
Koh Touch takes minutes to cross on foot; beyond it the island is forested hill. Concrete roads, shown on Google Maps, link the main villages and some beaches, so a rented motorbike reaches Long Beach and Sok San. Fishing boats double as taxis between bays, and jungle trails behind Koh Touch need water, an early start and sometimes a guide.
- Walking
- Koh Touch and the beaches either side of the pier, including Police Beach
- Motorbike
- Rented from some hotels; the concrete roads are steep in places
- Boat taxi
- Fishing boats by arrangement to Long Beach, Sok San and the east-coast villages
- Jungle trails
- Partly marked on OpenStreetMap; carry water and start early
- Agree a pickup time before a boatman leaves you on a remote beach.
Know before you go
What makes Koh Rong worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Long Beach at sunset, seven kilometres of pale sand with the sun dropping straight into the sea.
- Night swimming on a dark beach, where every kick lights up the plankton.
- Snorkelling off the shore and on boat trips to the reefs around the island.
- A jungle walk between beaches on the trails behind Koh Touch.
- A cheap Khmer dinner in Koh Touch village before the bars start up.
Good to know
- Bring cash from the mainland, as card payments and ATMs are limited away from Koh Touch.
- Simple bungalows may run on generators for part of the day and use stream water that can look brown.
- Crossings get cancelled in rough weather, so leave a spare day before any flight.
- Carry water and snacks on the boat, since not all of them sell any.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Koh Rong, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Koh Rong are being researched.
Pier night in Koh Touch, sunset below Sok San
Two nights on Koh Rong work well. Take a morning boat from Sihanoukville to Koh Touch, swim by the pier and eat at a Khmer canteen a lane back from the sand, then look for glowing plankton on a dark beach. On day two, cross by road or boat taxi to Long Beach and walk to Sok San village.
On day two, cross to Long Beach on the west coast, by road or by boat taxi, and walk as much of its seven kilometres as you like. Sok San village sits at the northern end, with a small lagoon behind it and, in the wet season, a waterfall about five minutes into the forest. Stay for sunset, which drops straight into the sea on this side of the island.
Give the last morning to the water: a snorkelling trip to the nearby reefs, or a guided walk on the jungle trails between beaches. Leave the afternoon free before the boat back, and keep a spare day before any flight in case a crossing is cancelled.
Koh Touch canteens, evening seafood grills and resort meals
The best-value food on Koh Rong comes from the Khmer canteens in Koh Touch village, a lane or two back from the beach, where rice dishes, noodle soups and fresh-fish stir-fries cost a fraction of resort prices. In the evening, shore places grill fish, squid and prawns. On the far beaches, ask whether your resort includes meals.
Every bungalow resort runs its own restaurant, pricier but calmer. On the far beaches it may be the only kitchen for kilometres, so ask before booking whether meals are included and what hours the kitchen keeps. Simpler places often run on a generator mainly in the evening, which limits cold drinks during the day.
Drinking happens in Koh Touch. Most restaurants serve local beer and cocktails, a few sell buckets, and nearly everything shuts around midnight, leaving one or two bars open late. The all-night parties on Police Beach take place on set nights each week and only get going after midnight, with boats or a short walk back to the village at sunrise.
Choosing between Koh Touch, Long Beach, Sok San and Coconut Beach
Most visitors see three or four of Koh Rong's 23 white-sand beaches. Koh Touch, by the pier, is busy and handy; Police Beach, a short walk west, is loud on party nights; and Long Beach, seven kilometres of pale sand on the west coast, made a 2026 list of the world's top ten beaches.
For real quiet, sleep at the Sok San end of Long Beach or on a bay served directly by boat, such as Coconut Beach. Confirm before booking that your boat stops there, and expect basic power and showers fed by mountain streams, sometimes with a brownish tint.
The east coast is different again. Doeum D'keuw is a fishing village partly built over the water, and Prek Svay further north is the last settlement on that shore. Neither is set up for tourists, which is the appeal: arrive by boat taxi, walk through politely and buy a drink or a meal while you are there.
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How we research our Koh Rong travel guide
Boat schedules and island transport for Koh Rong were checked with the official island website and Cambodia's e-Visa portal.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of Koh RongCambodia official e-VisaAngkor Enterprise
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Koh Rong.
Getting there
Boats leave Sihanoukville daily. Slow ferries take about two hours and fast boats much less; check that yours stops at the beach where you are staying.
Timing & weather
December to April brings dry weather and calm seas. From May to October storms are common and some crossings are cancelled.
The best time to visit Koh Rong is Dec to Apr. Dry weather and flat seas for the crossing and snorkelling.
- Best overall: December - April (Sunny, calm and clear water, the easiest time for boats and snorkelling)
- Wet season: May - October (Storms and rougher seas; some crossings are cancelled and smaller places close)
General
Three or four nights gives time for Long Beach, a snorkelling trip and a night swim with the plankton.
Any dark beach away from lights works, best on a moonless night in chest-deep water.
There are few, and only around Koh Touch, so bring enough cash from Sihanoukville.
Long Beach on the west coast, about 7 km of sand ranked among the world's top ten beaches in 2026. It is quiet, with sunsets over the open sea.
Koh Touch has a steady supply, but simpler bungalows on remote beaches often run generators mainly in the evening. Bring a power bank.
On Police Beach, a short walk west of Koh Touch, on set nights each week. They start late, usually after midnight, and run until sunrise.
Yes. Trails link several beaches behind Koh Touch and some are on OpenStreetMap, but others are faint, so take a local guide for longer routes.
Koh Rong is bigger, with more places to stay and the nightlife of Koh Touch. Koh Rong Samloem, a short boat ride south, is the quieter choice.
Koh Touch takes minutes to cross on foot; beyond it the island is forested hill. Concrete roads, shown on Google Maps, link the main villages and some beaches, so a rented motorbike reaches Long Beach and Sok San. Fishing boats double as taxis between bays, and jungle trails behind Koh Touch need water, an early start and sometimes a guide.
Koh Rong is best known for:
- Long Beach at sunset, seven kilometres of pale sand with the sun dropping straight into the sea
- Night swimming on a dark beach, where every kick lights up the plankton
- Snorkelling off the shore and on boat trips to the reefs around the island
- A jungle walk between beaches on the trails behind Koh Touch
- A cheap Khmer dinner in Koh Touch village before the bars start up
Visa & documents
Cambodia requires a visa for most visitors. A 30-day tourist e-Visa can be applied for online on the official government portal, or obtained on arrival at international airports and main land borders. Citizens of most ASEAN countries are exempt.
Health & safety
Bag and phone snatching from motorbikes is common in Phnom Penh, so hold bags away from the street side in tuk-tuks. Landmines remain in some rural areas, especially near the Thai border, so stay on marked paths. Call 117 for police, 119 for an ambulance or 118 for fire.
