Koh Rong: A Little Slice of Paradise

- October 28, 2013

ជំរាបសួរមានមនុស្សដ៏អស្ចារ្យ

Picture a secluded desert island surrounded by crystal clear water lapping on the white sand, with a beach dotted with small huts. The sun is beating down and there isn't a cloud in the sky. There are only small pockets of shade created by the palm trees that line the beach and separate it from the jungle beyond. Welcome to Koh Rong; a little slice of paradise tucked away off the shore of Cambodia.

If you want to 'get away from it all', then I couldn't recommend Koh Rong enough! The island has no road network and you won't find any cars or bikes on the island. The only way to get there is via a 3 hour ferry which visits the island once a day, so when you arrive you'll have to stay for at least one night! The beach is littered with small huts and beachside bungalows for tourists to sleep in and is essentially split into two sides. To the left is a small fishing village where the local islanders live and to this right is the touristy side of the beach. I say touristy in the loosest way possible; there are hostels (which are basically small huts) for people to stay in and a few places to eat. There's also one shop (if by shop I mean tiny hut that doesn't sell much) and that's about it! The island was only recently hooked up to electricity and it only has a supply for a few hours a day, so don't expect any luxury or home comforts! But this is what makes this island so amazing, you really feel like you're staying on a secluded desert island away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Koh Rong is the perfect place to go and relax, as there isn't a huge amount to do here. You can go on a trek through the jungle to the other side of the island in the aim of seeing an amazing beech. Sadly, we didn't get the chance to do this as the guide who leads the tours wasn't on the island while we were there! I also wouldn't recommend going into the jungle without the guide, as apparently it's easy to get lost and there are poisonous snakes on the island. GROSS. You don't want to be bitten by a snakey. Another great thing to do while on Koh Rong is to rent a kayak and go to the teeny tiny island just off shore. Bare in mind, it looks A LOT closer than it is! We thought it would take us 10/15 mins to get there, sadly nearly an hour later we were still paddling away. This could be because we aren't exactly natural kayakers and kept bashing oars/ going in the wrong direction. But when we finally got to the diddy island it was so worth it! You could go snorkelling as there was a small coral reef with loads of fish (which I avoided because fish FREAK me right out, ew). You could rent the kayak for a whole, or half, day as well as borrow snorkelling gear for cheap as chips. I can't actually remember the price, but it was probs in the region of £1-2 ish! Barg!

The rest of my time on the island was spend chilling on the beach or swimming in the sea. I must warn anyone going to visit Koh Rong: watch out for the sand flies! They made a big deal about it at our hostel when we first checked in and encouraged us to buy some oil for our skin. Sadly, we thought we were oh so much wiser than the people who actually lived on the island and didn't take their advice. More fool us. I got bitten to death by the little beggers and had a horrific allergic reaction, breaking out in hives. Attractive. So yeah, buy the oil and save yourself a lot of hassle and pain!