Koh Rong (Cambodia)

Koh Rong:

Koh Rong is located just a quick, one-hour fast boat ride from the gritty docks of Sihanoukville.

Only a few years ago, Cambodia’s second-largest island was a virtual secret.  But as we all know, the word gets out on the internet at lightning speed.  Magical, untouched spaces tend to get discovered, mapped, and rapidly developed.

There are actually two distinct islands out here: Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem.  The impending development on both is guaranteed to eventually strip away their unique raw charm. For decades, the main island was almost completely untouched, save for a few scattered, basic wooden bungalows.

               [THE TWO KOH RONG ENCLAVES]
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Koh Rong         ──> The chaotic, freewheeling party hub │
│ Koh Rong Sanloem ──> Mellow, no-frills, back-to-nature   │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Both islands pack more than enough to keep even the most restless traveler busy with world-class diving, snorkeling, jungle trekking, and kayaking.  And if your primary goal is just to sit on your ass, the baby-powder white sand beaches are nice..

Inside Koh Toch

Koh Toch, the island’s main hub and primary arrival point, is a sandy, budget-guesthouse-packed stretch of beach that has firmly cemented Koh Rong’s reputation as a chaotic party island.

The clientele thickest around the main village consists almost entirely of young backpackers and divers who have come for nightlife and openly smoke weed in the beachfront restaurants and bars. There is zero police presence on this island.  It is always fascinating to observe how traditional backpackers instinctively gravitate like magnets toward these types of completely lawless, freewheeling islands.

Expats and couples who prefer actual seclusion, quiet beaches, and spaced-out accommodations need to head much further down the coastline.  Which is precisely what Barbie and I did.

Koh Rong is a visually stunning island that, in my professional opinion, desperately needs major development—but only in terms of accommodation standards.  The current guesthouses are completely inadequate and way too basic.  They strictly cater to budget backpackers who are entirely content sleeping in a pile of shit in their drunken stupor, just as long as there are no mosquitoes buzzing around nearby.  Actually, judging by the horror-show of mosquito bites covering their legs, they don’t seem to give a damn about the mozzies either.

Night of the Living Dead: The Island Edition

For some strange reason, tropical island backpackers seem to be a slightly different breed of animal than mainland backpackers.  To keep these unique island creatures completely satisfied, the formula is remarkably simple: just feed them some basic noodles, white rice, cheap beer, and a little weed.  Toss them a raw foam mattress to crash on for $15 bucks a night, and they are good to go.

I got an absolute kick out of watching them party like savages until sunrise, only to spot them the following morning completely passed out, bodies sprawled across the burning sand in the blazing, midday equatorial sun.  They looked completely dead.

No towel, no sunscreen, no shade… just curled up in a tight fetal position with sand caked into their hair and the sun actively baking their skin.  How these young guns managed to rally enough brain cells to procure a massive bottle of water to aid their hangover recovery is one of the greatest accomplishments known to man.  It’s almost as if the island gods felt sorry for them and personally placed a chilled water bottle next to every single passed-out body on the beach.

Then, like clockwork, they would all stagger to their feet in unison at about 4:00 PM—looking exactly like a scene straight out of Night of the Living Dead—and immediately proceed to rinse and repeat the entire routine for another night of debauchery.

The singular exception to the island’s low-end accommodation scene is the ultra-high-end Song Saa Private Island Resort located off the northern coast.  I’ve heard that place is obscenely, offensively expensive, even for us high-end Flashpackers.

The reality is you can save your hard-earned cash and capture the exact same stunning paradise views at a fraction of the cost elsewhere on Koh Rong.  You just have to be willing to sacrifice a massive level of physical comfort to get it.

The Cambodian government has officially sold the development rights of Koh Rong to a massive domestic investment group, and the multi-million dollar question is: how will they develop it?

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the interior jungle will inevitably be flattened, paved over, and replaced with high-end resorts and a commercial airport.  I saw Koh Samui in Thailand decades ago before the heavy developers moved in, so I know exactly how much soul is permanently lost when paradise is officially discovered by corporate suits.

Personally, I’m never a fan of paving over pristine islands.  But in this case, if they could plan properly (which they won’t) and somehow upgrade the accommodations to clean, high-end boutique villas while keeping the raw nature intact (which they absolutely won’t), you would have the blueprint for a true paradise island.

Because there were zero proper Flashpacker lodging options on the grid, we had to rough it a bit. But honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed being right in the thick of the absolute wackiness surrounding us.  Fun fact: on another remote corner of the island, the actual TV show Survivor was busy filming, which gives you an exact idea of how rugged and isolated parts of this jungle interior still are.

How long Koh Rong remains in this raw, transitional state is anyone’s guess.  If you want to experience it before the corporate guys takes over, you better get your ass out here sooner rather than later.  My prediction?  In time, the poor old backpackers will be completely priced out and flushed off the island, following the exact same trajectory of every other pristine beach destination in Southeast Asia.

🍽️ The Koh Rong Food

• Paradise Bungalows: We ate here for quite literally every single meal.  No low-end, mystery-meat backpacker fare for us Flashpackers.  We found the one spot with decent standards and anchored ourselves to it.

LOOSE STOOLS INDEX

• Rating: 7 / 10

Thankfully, the plumbing held steady at a respectable 6.  I am incredibly grateful for this because I am not entirely sure my sanity could handle juggling raw, basic island guesthouse living and a volatile case of loose stools simultaneously.

Thru the Binocs

Living amongst the wildlife and the unhinged backpacker crowds on Koh Rong brought back a flood of great memories from my younger, budget-backpacking days 30 years ago.  Being a part of this raw action and roughing it a bit was genuinely good for our heads.  After all, you’ve got to keep your mind sharp and your feet dirty, despite your older years, just to stay on top of the travel game.

Barbie definitely bitched a bit about the lack of high-end amenities, but deep down, I know she thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the entire bizarre spectacle.  In my experience from a lifetime on the road, the most uncomfortable places almost always end up becoming your most memorable adventures.

But the absolute best part of this entire island experience?  Both the internet and the cell coverage were completely down for our entire stay.

We were forced to live entirely off the grid.  Let me tell you, it was an incredibly liberating, therapeutic feeling for the mind.  Try turning off your phone and disconnecting at home for just three full days.  See how liberating it is for your sanity.