Koh Rong Samloem

In the southern region of Sihanoukville, there is a tiny island called Koh Rong Samloem. It is reachable by boat in a couple of hours from the port of Sihanoukville. The word "Samloem" in khmer means "far out and hard to discern".

There are only three inhabited parts of the island, separated by a few kilometers of jungle. People here live of tourism (several bungalows structures are present) and fishing. The territory is mainly hilly, with two mountains, and its whole surface is covered entirely by jungle.

Once you dock you will find wonderful white beaches or sandstone rock formations, a crystalline warm water and the sharp sound of cicadas. The two main bays (with tourist resorts) are one East (Chhak Saracen) and one West (Lazy Beach side). You should definitely try to see the sunrise on one bay and the sunset on the other.

The passage between the two coasts has to be done through the jungle. It takes around 40 minutes to get from one side to the other. There is a path that you can follow, made by the french but it isn't in great conditions. You'd better have trekking shoes (and a bit sense of direction!).

On both sides you can do snorkeling and diving, all the equipment can be founded at the scuba diving centers. There are some wonderful fishes to see, but as long as you stay close to the human settlement you will probably be able to see only some huge sea urchins, some wonderful nudibranch and a few scared little fishes (but still colorful). You could also rent a kayak and get farther: in one hour or so you can reach some little, quiet beaches

There's one funny thing that you can do. Have a swim at night, when the sun has gone and the sky is dark. Shake your arms into the water and you will see billions of glowing planktons lighting up, making a wonderful picture with the stars above.

One last thing: during the days that I've been there, it rained. Even if you might think that being on an island like this when it rains it's not what you've been waiting for, the show is amazing.