KOH KONG
Koh Kong
Koh Kong City is the capital of Koh Kong province, a comparatively small town sitting on the east side of the Koh Pao River about 10km from the Cham Yeam border crossing with Thailand. Many travelers see Koh Kong only briefly as they pass through on the way to/from the border, but that is changing as the province becomes something of an eco-destination. Northeast of the city the jungled Cardamom Mountains cover much of the province, offering trekking, biking and river excursion possibilities. To the south secluded beaches line the coastline and nearby island of the same name as the city and province, Koh Kong. Base your adventures out of the city where you can arrange tours and trips. The selection of accommodations and dining in town is a bit limited but there is still a fair choice of budget and mid range hotels as well as a few good dining opportunities, including a couple of riverside places specializing in fresh seafood.
Koh Kong has a fair choice of accommodations including several very reasonably priced guesthouses, a few popular mid-range places along the riverfront and one upmarket hotel/casino near the border.
Offering a very unique Koh Kong eco-experience a few ‘eco-accommodations’ have located on and along the Tai Tai River in the Cardamom Mountains 20-30 kilometers outside of town, including the 4 Rivers Floating Lodge and the Rainbow Lodge. The area is thickly jungled, largely unspoiled and very tranquil, still undiscovered by the crowds.
Accomodations
Soho Villa & Resort
Range: $51 to $75
Comfortable facilities, and amenities you can expect. Good swimming pool and nice rooms. But room service is not recommended.
National Road 48, Phum 1, Sangkat Smachmeanchey, Krong Khemarak Phoumin, KohKong Province , Phum Ti Bei, Koh Kong, Cambodia, 9040105
Koh Kong Bay Hotel
Range: $30 - $70
Superior hotel on the riverside. Well-appointed a/c rooms with all modern amenities and the best sunset balcony view in town. Flat screen TV with cable, DVD, stocked mini-bar, in-room free wifi. Swimming pool and poolside bar. Spa, massage and sauna. Riverside dining. Visa/MC/TC
Tel: 077-555590
www.kohkongbay.com
Riverfront road, 200m south of the bridge
Range: $139
Amazing floating lodge on Koh Andet Island, downstream the Tatai River in the Cardamom Mountains. Unique tented floating villas with all amenities on the Tatai River in the midst of lush, spectacular jungle mountain scenery. Large Tents with DVD, hot water and Wi-Fi. Gourmet restaurant/bar is serving western and Asian food. About 30 minutes from Koh Kong town by car and boat.
Tel: 097-6434032
Tatai River, Koh Andet Island
Recommendations
The city is small with a couple of dozen restaurants in all, most quite local and with the emphasis on seafood. Being so close to the border, the Thai food is also particularly good in Koh Kong. The ideal place for a Koh Kong lunch or dinner is at a riverfront eatery like Cafe Laurent or Thmorda Crab House for local seafood and drinks. Both places are popular with locals as well as tourists and business travelers from both East and West. For western food, Fat Sam’s in the center of town has some of the best, and Cafe Laurent offers the nicest setting. And for an affordable Thai meal, the Baan Peakmei in the Asian Hotel has been a favorite with visitors for years, and has an English language menu.
Nightlife options, like dining in Koh Kong, is a bit limited, but there are still a few choices. For sundowners, Bay Cafe and Cafe Laurent on the river road, and Thmorda across the river have the best bars in town as well as great riverside views. Fat Sam’s also has a complete bar, reasonable prices and is popular with expats and visitors. If you are looking to stay out late, Cafe Laurent is open until 11PM, which is later than most. Tiny cafes and tables catering to the locals dot the riverfront road and serve beer until last customer. There is also a little bar outside the Apex Guesthouse where westerners sometimes hang out late night.
Dining & Drinking In Koh Kong
Hostel By The Sea Cafe & Restaurant
Known for its relaxed, beachfront atmosphere and a diverse menu that includes Mediterranean, Turkish, and international cuisine, such as pizza, falafel wraps, and fresh seafood.
Tel: +855 97 787 3454
Saracen bay. Koh Rong Samloem, Sihanoukville 09000 Cambodia
Baan Peakmei
Long-running, popular, well-reviewed local restaurant know for its very good, reasonably priced Thai food. Also serving Cambodian dishes. Located for years on the main road in town, now located in the Asian Hotel on the river road. The steamed fish in lemon is recommended.
Riverfront road, in the Asian Hotel
Koh Kong Resort
Casino-hotel complex. Full casino. Several dining venues, with the focus on seafood, Thai, Chinese and international. Serving some of the best Thai food in Koh Kong. Visa/MC
Tel: 016-700970 , 012-779033
www.kohkongresort.com
Located 200 meters Thai/Cambodian border
Koh Kong province is ripe for eco-tourism but is still, in many ways, a comparatively new, unspoiled and very lightly touristed destination. The area offers primarily natural wonders - the coastal mangrove forests, the heavily jungled Cardamom Mountain range and rugged rivers, and secluded coastal and island beaches to the south.
Some of the more popular activities include excursions to the nearby waterfalls and mangrove forests, boat trips to Koh Kong Island, and jungle treks and camping as well as kayaking picturesque rivers in the in the Cardamoms. If you are feeling like something more relaxed, perhaps a day lounging at the rustic crab shacks on nearby Koh Yor Beach or for something more sophisticated, maybe try your hand at the tables at the Koh Kong Casino Resort near the Thai border.
Arranging tours, excursions, local transportation and motorcycle rental through one of the local tour operators is by far the easiest way to explore Koh Kong, and the prices are about the same as DIY.
Trekking, boating, waterfall trips and the like are most easily arranged through a local tour operator such as those listed below.
Things To Do
Beaches
Nearby Koh Yor Beach (Bak Klong Beach) is a long, narrow, secluded, white sand beach with a just few little oceanside seafood shacks lining the shore, about 25 minutes from town. It’s a nice place to relax beachside for the afternoon nibbling fresh barbequed seafood at one of the shacks. And if you are interested in something of a cultural experience, check at the fishing Village of Bak Klong at the end of the beach. There are a couple of small pagodas, an interesting local market and nothing in the way of tourist facilities. To get to Koh Yor from town, cross the toll bridge west, turn left at the Buddha monument and continue south on the recently paved road about 6km to the ocean.
Mangrove Forests
Mangrove swamp lines much of the Cambodian coastline - a delicate ecosystem in which mangrove vegetation grows amongst the brackish, slow moving intertidal waters near shore. The Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary 7km from town has a 1km long raised walkway through the mangroves allowing a close look at the complex root system and local wildlife. Admission: 5000R.
Trekking
Koh Kong sits at the edge of the Cardamom Mountain range, most of it blanketed in dense tropical jungle, providing some excellent, relatively nearby jungle trekking opportunities. See unspoiled jungle, local wildlife, rugged rivers and waterfalls. Local tour operators offer half-day, full day and multi-day jungle treks, some combing kayaking or village visits with the trekking tour.
Waterfalls
Koh Kong is rich with waterfalls and rapids. The rugged rivers that run down from the Cardamom Mountains harbor spectacular jungled falls, some near to town, others farther upstream. Many of the falls are but a trickle in the dry season and best visited in the wet season. The Ta Tai Waterfalls are the nearest big falls to town, requiring a 30 minute ride to the Tai Tai River 18km east of town and another 30 minute boat ride up river. The falls are wide and two-leveled with a drop of about 6m, set in a jungle gorge. Other falls such as the Koh Por Falls, Tuo Kokir Rapids and impressive jungle gorge Kbal Chhay Falls sit father upriver within daytrip distance.
Koh Kong Island
Nearby Koh Kong Island sits in the Gulf of Thailand about a 2-hour boat ride from Koh Kong City. Koh Koh Island is the largest Cambodian island, over 22km long, with classic tropical jungled interior, secluded sandy beaches and lagoons, and very few inhabitants. Tour operators run regular day trips to the island for $20-$25, including the boat trip, snorkeling, swimming and lunch at the island, and often a stop at the mangrove forest on the way back. If you would like to stay a bit longer Koh Kong Island Resort and Koh Kong White Sand Beach both offer beach bungalows on the island.
Tour and Dive Operators
Koh Kong Island Boat Trip
Full day boat trip through the mangrove forests and to the tropical Koh Kong Island. for beach, BBQ lunch, kayaking and snorkeling. Overnight stay on the island also available.
Tel: 088-8340048
Neptune Adventures
Established 2006. Located on Tai-Tai River, offering boating, kayaking and trekking and tours to the islands, waterfalls, and mangrove forest. Rainy season kayaking. Call for pick-up from Tai-Tai Bridge.
Tel: 088-7770576
neptune.tatai.kohkong@gmail.com
www.neptuneadventure-cambodia.com
Paddy’s Bamboo Tour Koh Kong
Jungle trekking and Koh Kong Island trips, day trips and overnight camping. Bus tickets, taxi and boat services, motorcycle and bicycle rental. Cardamom Mountain homestay.
Tel: 015-533223, 097-6483841
www.paddybamboo.fr
Ritthy Koh Kong Eco Adventure Tours
Full service tour provider. Jungle trek, camping, island mangrove tour, waterfalls, kayaking, much more. All transportation and tourist info. Motor rental.
On the riverfront
Mr. Ritthy: 012-707719, 097-5552789
Public and tourist services are much more limited than Phnom Penh, but you can usually get most of what you need. Koh Kong is a border town, so the market is fairly well stocked. There are a few convenience stores in town, including a couple on the riverfront near the Koh Kong Hotel and Cafe Laurent. There are a few ATMs now, a provincial hospital and a couple of clinics, a few internet shops and widely available wifi.
Money and Banking
Thai baht is as commonly used in Koh Kong City as US dollars and Cambodian riel. US dollars and Cambodian riel are accepted, but generally speaking the tough exchange rate brings a poorer value for your dollar or riel. Moneychangers are clustered around the main market. Be careful to get the best exchange rate.
Shopping
There is not much in the way of shopping in Koh Kong except for the main market and a couple of convenience stores, including the Pun Pun Mart on Street 3 and another in the Asian Hotel on the riverfront.
Internet
Many of the hotels and guesthouses catering to tourists offer free wifi these days. A couple of restaurants do as well, including Cafe Laurent.
Koh Kong Essentials
Kep Cambodia Spas & Massage
The better hotels and resorts either have a spa or can arrange massage. And offering very affordable massage, there are a couple of places at the Kep Beach intersection.
Kep Spas & Massage Parlors:
The Spa at Knai Bang Chatt
Located within the resort, this upscale spa offers a full range of massage, facial and body treatments by skilled and experienced therapists. After a relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatment, guests can enjoy the pool and garden for the whole day.
Tel: 078-888556
The Veranda Spa
Located at the Veranda Natural Resort, full spa and a refined atmosphere, offering massage, body scrubs, wrap and facials and other spa services.
Open daily from 10:00am - 10:00pm
Tel: 036-6388588
Massage
Public and tourist services are more basic and limited in Kep than in most provincial tourist destinations. Services are much more complete in nearby Kampot, 40 minutes away by tuk-tuk or taxi. Shopping is very limited, the hospital very basic, internet is available but there aren't any internet shops to speak of.
Shopping
There are now several little convenience stores around Kep, including a few next to the bus station at Kep Beach, one at the Rabbit Island boat dock and another at the Vishnu Statue intersection.
Hanuman
Offering a surprisingly extensive selection of high quality Cambodian art, antiques, statues, carvings and much more.
Located at Veranda Natural Resort.
The Shop at Veranda Natural Resort
Wide range of souvenir items, clothes, handbags, silk scarves, bathing suits, accessories, silver jewelry and ornaments, pharmaceutical products, antique sculpture and furniture, groceries, frozen goods, and wine and liquor.
Located at Veranda Natural Resort.
Tel: 012-888619 036-210115
Internet, Laundry, Motorcycles...
The Kep Beach intersection is the place to find all of the traveler’s essentials - tour/travel agents, laundry, motorcycle and bicycle rental, a pharmacy, an ATM and the bus station, as well as a few inexpensive guesthouses, plenty of places to eat. Most of the hotels and a few restaurants offer free WiFi, and if you don’t have a device most of the travel/tour agents offer internet access.
Hospital
The main hospital in Kep in located on Road 33A (the main road) at the corner of Street 2320. Facilities are rudimentary. There are better facilities in nearby Kampot (see page 96) and in Phnom Penh.
Police
Tel: 012-872122, 015-991106