Did you know that Cambodia has more than 60 islands? These islands are slowly coming to life with tourists – backpackers and luxury travelers both – finding these islands a great alternative to Angkor Wat, and a chance to see more of Cambodia. CamboTicket has selected its top three islands for the tourists who want to look beyond Thailand and Vietnam for a trip to white sand islands.
Koh Russei (Bamboo Island)
Bamboo Island is the best island to visit if the traveler has a time constraint. It takes about an hour of boat ride from Sihanoukville. The island is really beautiful with fine pink sand and dense forests. It looks like the perfect place to shoot an adventure movie. The island has two long beaches and has a very laid back life. Travelers can do snorkeling or just take a walk in the jungle or go to some of the unexplored beaches on other side of the Island.
How to reach the island: The island is one hour boat ride from Sihanoukville. Sihanouk Ville can easily be accessed by bus. There are many daily buses leaving from Phnom Penh to Sihanouk Ville. Mini-Vans generally take 4 hours on the route whereas big buses take about 5 hours. If you are coming from Siem Reap, then there are some daily flights available as well from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville.
Rabbit Island
The island is mostly inhabited by the Khmer families, who run bamboo bungalows on the one kilometer long beach on the island. It is a perfect island to soak the afternoon sun and enjoy the sunset with a chilled beer. This can be followed by a nice barbeque in the night using fresh fish caught by the locals (or by you if you want to give fishing a try).
How to reach the island: The island is located close to Kep. It is about 4.5 kms from Kep and can be reached by boat in about half an hour. In order to reach Kep, the most convenient option is to take a bus to Kampot from Phnom Penh and then take a tuk-tuk or moto from Kampot to Kep. The trip is only 25 kms and doesn’t take more than 30-40 minutes.
Saracen Bay, Source: Wikipedia
Koh Rong Sanloem
If you have to visit one Island in Cambodia, it has to be this one. The beach is extremely beautiful. White sand with snake pattern and extremely clear and blue water just takes the breath away. Only the gentle sound of the waves break silence on the beach and sometimes you might just have the whole beach for yourself.
How to reach the island: The island is one hour boat ride from Sihanoukville.
Bus tickets for Kep from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville from Phnom Penh can be booked from CamboTicket.com. Tourists can also book return ticket of Kep to Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh from the website even before reaching these cities. This enables tourists to plan their trip in advance.