Top 10 Beaches in Cambodia
Cambodia's beach coast is a short section of the Gulf of Thailand between the Vietnamese border and Thailand — a compact geography that nonetheless contains significant variety. The main coastal city of Sihanoukville underwent rapid and largely unmanaged development in the 2010s that transformed its character substantially. The islands offshore — Koh Rong, Koh Rong Sanloem, and smaller outliers — retain more of their pre-development character, and Kampot to the south offers a river-coast alternative.
The Gulf of Thailand season runs from October through May; the southwest monsoon from June through September brings heavy rain and rough sea conditions.
1. Otres Beach, Sihanoukville
Otres, south of central Sihanoukville, maintains a more relaxed character than the overbuilt downtown beaches. Otres 1 is the busier section with beach bars and accommodation; Otres 2 further south retains a quieter atmosphere with fewer permanent structures. The beach is long and the water is warm Gulf of Thailand sea. Otres survived the Sihanoukville casino construction boom better than the other city beaches and functions as a genuine beach destination. Koh Kong Beach, in the map database, is near this area.
2. Long Beach, Koh Rong
Long Beach on the northeast coast of Koh Rong island is a 4-kilometre beach of fine white sand accessible by a walking track from the village of Koh Touch, the island's main hub. The beach has no development except a small restaurant. Koh Touch on the northwest tip is the ferry landing and party beach; Long Beach is for people who walked there specifically to be somewhere quieter.
3. Koh Rong Sanloem, Saracen Bay
Koh Rong Sanloem is the smaller of Cambodia's two major tourist islands and has a more peaceful character than Koh Rong. Saracen Bay on the east coast is a sheltered horseshoe bay with white sand and calm water — one of the most beautiful beaches in Cambodia. The bioluminescent plankton in Saracen Bay is particularly intense on moonless nights, making for excellent after-dark swimming. Several small resorts and beach bungalow operations line the bay.
4. Lonely Beach, Koh Rong
Lonely Beach, accessible by boat from Koh Touch or by a longer hike, is a west-facing beach on Koh Rong that gets better sunset light than the east coast beaches. The name is aspirational now — it receives more visitors than it did when backpackers first discovered it — but the jungle backing and the relative effort of access keep it less crowded than Koh Touch.
5. Koh Ta Kiev, Sihanoukville
Koh Ta Kiev is a small island 15 kilometres from Sihanoukville with limited accommodation and several beaches. The relative difficulty of access (small boat from Ream port or arrangement through guesthouses) keeps visitor numbers low. The snorkelling around the island is better than at the more developed islands. Basic eco-resort accommodation is available.
6. Kep Beach, Kep
Kep is a former French colonial beach town 170 kilometres from Phnom Penh with a different character from Sihanoukville. The beaches are small and not particularly pristine — the main attraction is the crab market and the seafood, which is outstanding. Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay) offshore from Kep has better sand and clearer water than the main town beach and is worth the short ferry.
7. Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay), Kep
Rabbit Island has basic bungalow accommodation, clear water, and a simple beach character that the mainland coastal towns have largely lost. The island has one small beach on the north side (the ferry landing) and several additional beaches accessible by walking. No cars, generator power in the evenings only, good fresh seafood at the beach restaurants.
8. Ream National Park Beaches
Ream National Park, 15 kilometres east of Sihanoukville, has protected beaches accessible by boat tour from the park headquarters. The Kbal Chhay waterfall beach (a river beach) and the coastal stretches within the park boundary retain good condition. The park is also a dolphin watching area and has mangrove river tours. The park's beaches are not serviced for independent visitors; booking a park tour is the standard approach.
9. Koh Sdach, Koh Kong Province
The Koh Sdach archipelago in Koh Kong province, far northwest of Sihanoukville near the Thai border, is remote enough that it receives almost no international tourists. The fishing island of Koh Sdach has basic guesthouses and the surrounding small islands have beaches accessible by fishing boat. The sea here is shallower and the marine life less impacted than around the Sihanoukville islands.
10. Kampot River Beach
Kampot on the Kampot River is not a sea beach but a river town 20 kilometres from the coast with a relaxed traveller culture that has retained its character better than Sihanoukville. Several guesthouses have river swimming areas. The town is better known for its pepper, its French colonial architecture, and its proximity to the Bokor Hill Station (accessible by road) than for beaches, but Kampot functions as a base for day trips to Kep and Rabbit Island.
Planning Cambodia's coast
The Cambodian coast has undergone significant change in the past decade. Sihanoukville, which had developed a functional backpacker and budget traveller infrastructure through the 2000s and early 2010s, was substantially transformed by Chinese investment in casino developments from 2016 to 2019. The city's character shifted dramatically and many of the guesthouses and beach bars that defined the earlier scene closed or moved. The current Sihanoukville is a different kind of destination — more commercially developed in some ways, but lacking the cohesion of the earlier traveller scene.
The islands — Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem — absorbed some of the traveller migration from Sihanoukville and have developed their own distinct character. Koh Rong is the larger island with more accommodation, more nightlife options on the Koh Touch section, and the walking access to Long Beach. Koh Rong Sanloem is the quieter choice, with Saracen Bay as the acknowledged jewel. Ferries run daily from the Port of Sihanoukville.
The Gulf of Thailand crossing is calm in the dry season and rough during the southwest monsoon (June through September). All ferries are suspended or run reduced schedules in rough weather, and plans built around a specific ferry departure should have a weather contingency. During peak season (November through March), advance booking of island accommodation is advisable as the best bungalows and small resorts fill several weeks ahead.
Kampot and Kep provide an alternative coastal base south of Sihanoukville, with a gentler pace and the Pepper Route food and drink culture. From Kampot, Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay) is 30 minutes by boat — a viable day trip that adds a genuine beach component to what is otherwise a river-town destination. Kampot also has easy access to Phnom Penh (approximately 3 hours by bus or shared taxi), making it a natural end-of-trip stop before the capital.
Cambodia's beach experience rewards patience with logistics. The islands do not run to tight schedules and the best beaches require effort to reach — a walking trail through jungle, a boat transfer from a village dock, or accepting that the ferry may leave two hours late. The physical quality of the best beaches — Saracen Bay, Long Beach, the beaches of Koh Ta Kiev — is genuinely good, and the Southeast Asian beach economics remain substantially cheaper than equivalent beach quality in Thailand or Indonesia.
Explore on the map
Open the map to find Cambodia's Sihanoukville beaches and explore ferry routes to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem.