Field note · Cambodia · Preah Sihanouk Province

Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem

Everything reaches the two islands by sea from one place – the tourist pier at Gate 1 of Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, where five or six speedboat operators run a combined 300-odd sailings a week to a dozen named beach piers – and once ashore there are no taxis or public roads for visitors, so you move by scheduled longtail taxi boat, by private charter off the beach, or on the jungle paths that cross each island.

Researched: 21 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 8, 30 sources
Not confirmed: 8
Fares seen: 2026

The place

Koh Rong is an island in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia. It is the second largest island of Cambodia and one of the islands within the Koh Rong Marine National Park. Koh Rong was established as a commune in 2000, and became a city in 2019. Several seasons of the reality television series Survivor have been filmed on Koh Rong. In 2026, Long Beach on Koh Rong received international recognition after being ranked among the Top 10 beaches in the world by The World’s 50 Best Beaches.

Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The place page has what to see, do and eat, and every way there from the planner.

How transport works here

8 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed eight ways of moving to, from or around Koh Rong: six by water, one under your own steam and one hired or on demand, from 30 sources. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be.

The fares were seen in 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. We rate 2 of the 8 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 21 September 2026, and ends with eight things we could not confirm.

6 ways

By water

speedboat

Speed ferry, Sihanoukville to Koh Rong

Sihanoukville tourist pier to Koh Touch Port, Long Set (Longset) Beach, Sok San Long Beach and Coconut Beach

The port address is Sihanoukville Autonomous Port – Gate 1 (Tourist Pier), Street 529, Preah Sihanouk. GTVC's own address is 'Tourism Pier, Preah Sihanoukville', and Wikipedia records that the licensed operators all depart from the GTVC pier next to the Autonomous Port. Some older guides and some operators still say Serendipity / Ochheuteal pier, so check the pier printed on your ticket and show the taxi or tuk-tuk driver that name, not just the word 'port'. Arrive 30 minutes before departure. Tell the counter the exact beach you are staying at – the boat that says Koh Rong may only call at Koh Touch.

When: GTVC 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00; Island Speed Ferry 08:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00; Koh Rong Star Express 07:30, 10:30, 13:30, 16:30; Romny Tour Express 09:30, 13:00, 16:15; Vireak Buntham Speed Ferry 09:45, 11:30, 14:30, 17:00. Direct Ferries lists 28 sailings a week each for Island Speed Ferry and GTVC and 21 a week for Speed Ferry Cambodia. Nothing runs after dark – the last boats are around 17:00.
Takes: 42 to 45 minutes to Long Set and Koh Touch, 55 minutes to Sok San; about an hour if your pier is not the first stop
Fare 2026: US$17–18 one way; about US$25 for a return. The provincial government fixed the island fare at US$22 return and US$12 one way, plus a US$2 coastline conservation tax, and operators price above that.

SeasonYear-round, but the dry north-east season December to March is the reliable one. June to September brings stronger winds and rain; ferries keep running between squalls but a bad-weather day can stop them, and the operators decide on the morning. BookingOnline through the operators, BookMeBus (which runs GTVC's ticketing), 12Go or any guesthouse. In high season buy at least the day before – boats fill on long weekends and holidays. Run byGTVC Speedboat, Island Speed Ferry Cambodia, Speed Ferry Cambodia, Buva Sea, Koh Rong Star Express, Romny Tour Express, Vireak Buntham.

speedboat

Speed ferry, Sihanoukville to Koh Rong Sanloem

Sihanoukville tourist pier to Saracen Bay (Orchid, Soon Noeng and Freedom piers), M'Pai Bay (23 Village Beach) and Sandy Beach

Same pier as the Koh Rong boats. Saracen Bay has several piers – Soon Noeng, Orchid and Freedom – and Freedom is used only when the waves are heavy, so tell your resort which company you are on so they meet the right one. M'Pai Bay has a single pier but only some companies call there, and only on some runs. Boats often serve both islands on one loop and pick the order by where the passengers are going, which is why the same crossing can take 40 minutes or two hours.

When: GTVC 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00, 28 sailings a week; Buva Sea 3 sailings daily, 21 a week; Island Speed Ferry 28 a week; Speed Ferry Cambodia 21 a week to Soon Noeng
Takes: 45 minutes to Saracen Bay, M'Pai Bay, Orchid and Sandy Beach; 55 minutes to Soon Noeng; up to an hour or more on a multi-stop loop
Fare 2026: US$17 one way and US$30 return on GTVC as of August 2026; the government-fixed reference is US$22 return and US$12 one way. Saracen Bay tickets are commonly sold as open returns, so you fix the outbound day and come back when you like.

SeasonYear-round. The island's dry, still season is December to March; June to September is the windy, wet half and Freedom pier exists precisely because Saracen Bay gets rough. BookingAt the pier on the day, or online through the operators, BookMeBus or 12Go; book ahead December to February. Run byGTVC Speedboat, Buva Sea, Island Speed Ferry Cambodia, Speed Ferry Cambodia.

cargo boat

Slow supply boat from Pier 52 (Bora Pier)

Pier 52, Sihanoukville, to Saracen Beach, M'Pai Bay and Koh Rong, carrying the islands' cargo

A traditional wooden supply boat, not a tourist service, leaving from Pier 52, also called Bora Pier – a different place from the tourist pier, so name it to your driver. It takes passengers at roughly half the speedboat fare and leaves once a day in the early afternoon. There is no schedule board: it goes when the cargo is loaded, and the crossing stretches with the load and the weather. Wooden benches, a plastic rain cover, a roof you can sit on and a basic toilet; bring water, a hat and sunscreen because not every boat sells anything.

When: Once daily, departing 14:00
Takes: 2 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes depending on cargo and weather
Fare 2026: US$5 one way

SeasonYear-round in principle, but it is the first thing to stop in rough seas and it is not professionally run to tourist-ferry standards – one island guide explicitly does not recommend the cheap slow boats. BookingNone, pay at the pier. Run byLocal supply boat operators.

water taxi

Scheduled taxi boats from M'Pai Bay, Koh Rong Sanloem

M'Pai Bay to Saracen Bay, M'Pai Bay to Koh Rong, and the afternoon west-coast loop to Lazy Beach and Sunset Beach

There are no cars or public roads on Koh Rong Sanloem, so this is the island's bus network. The scheduled boats leave from the main arrival pier area at M'Pai Bay: 10:30 daily for Saracen Bay, 12:00 daily for Koh Rong. The west-coast sunset loop leaves from Bong's Guesthouse at 13:00, calls at Lazy Beach and Sunset Beach and comes back to M'Pai Bay after sunset around 18:00. Outside those times, look for the beachfront signs reading 'Boat Taxi' next to the piers and hire on the spot.

When: Saracen Bay 10:30, Koh Rong 12:00, west-coast sunset loop 13:00 returning about 18:00 – all daily
Takes: Roughly 20 to 40 minutes between bays depending on sea state
Fare 2026: US$5 per person in high season on the scheduled boats, rising to US$7–10 in low season when there are fewer passengers. A private charter to Saracen Bay or Koh Rong averages US$25, varying with distance and the weather on the day.

SeasonYear-round but weather-dependent; in rough seas the charter price rises and the crossing may not run at all. BookingNone – turn up at the pier, or negotiate on the beach for a charter. Run byLocal boat owners at M'Pai Bay.

water taxi

Longtail beach-to-beach boats on Koh Rong

Koh Touch pier to Long Set Beach, Sok San, Coconut Beach, Daem Thkov and Prek Svay

Hire a local fishing or longtail boat at the Koh Touch pier – there is no counter, you ask at the pier or through your guesthouse. Resorts on the far beaches run their own pick-ups: Coconut Beach Bungalows meet guests off the Koh Touch boats for US$5 a head, and Pura Vita on Long Set runs a water taxi for arrivals. Daem Thkov village on the east coast is reached only by longtail from Koh Touch. Be aware that some resort owners have refused to let guests take boats round to the other side of the island – confirm with your own accommodation rather than the boat owner.

When: On demand through daylight hours; nothing runs after dark
Takes: 10 to 20 minutes to Long Set, about 40 minutes round to Sok San
Fare 2026: Resort transfers from the pier around US$5 per person. Wikivoyage's older figures are US$5–10 for a private boat from Koh Touch to Long Set and US$25 per boat to Sok San (Bai Tau); treat these as a starting point, not a tariff.

SeasonYear-round in daylight, weather permitting; the exposed southern and western coasts are rough in the June–September monsoon. BookingArrange through your accommodation before you arrive if your beach has no pier service. Run byLocal fishing-boat owners and individual resorts.

boat

Sunset and night plankton boats

Short evening runs off Koh Touch, Long Set and Saracen Bay to dark water away from the village lights

Booked at guesthouse receptions and beach bars rather than any office. On Koh Rong Sanloem, the west-coast taxi boat from Bong's Guesthouse at 13:00 doubles as the sunset trip, returning about 18:00. The bioluminescence is visible on a dark night in roughly a metre of water, so the trips run late and on moonless nights; some places also run a pre-dawn plankton outing – Coconut Beach Bungalows take guests out around 02:00. You can also see it wading off an unlit stretch of beach for nothing.

When: Nightly in season, weather and moon permitting
Takes: 1 to 2 hours for a plankton trip; the Sanloem west-coast sunset loop runs 13:00 to about 18:00
Fare 2026: Sold per person at guesthouses; no consistent published price found. The Sanloem sunset loop is the scheduled taxi boat, so US$5 per person in high season.

SeasonBest on dark, calm nights; Koh Rong's minimal light pollution means it can be seen most nights, but boats do not go out in rough weather. BookingAt your guesthouse the same day. Run byGuesthouses, beach bars and independent boat owners.

One way

On foot, by bike, or otherwise

walking trail

Jungle and beach paths that replace the boat

Koh Touch to Long Set on Koh Rong; Saracen Bay to Lazy Beach, Sunset Beach and the old lighthouse on Koh Rong Sanloem

On Koh Rong, turn right out of the Koh Touch pier and follow the shore – about 15 minutes brings you onto the open beach, and the resorts at the Long Set end are roughly 4 km and an hour away. The path is easy to follow but leaves the sand for forest in places and crosses a stretch of water near the lagoon. On Koh Rong Sanloem, signposted paths cross the narrow middle of the island from Saracen Bay to Lazy Beach in about 30 to 40 minutes, with branches to Sunset Beach, Military Beach and the lighthouse. Do not try Saracen Bay to M'Pai Bay on foot: it is a minimum three-hour strenuous trek on unfinished, hazardous ground, and the interior is big enough to get lost in.

When: Any daylight hour; start back before dark, there is no lighting
Takes: Koh Touch to Long Set resorts about 1 hour over 4 km; Saracen Bay to Lazy Beach 30–40 minutes; Saracen Bay to M'Pai Bay 3 hours or more
Fare 2026: Free. A guided two-hour trek from Saracen Bay is about US$5 and a five-hour lighthouse jungle tour about US$25.

SeasonYear-round; the paths are muddy and the streams high in the wet season May to October, when the Freedom Waterfall at the north end of Saracen Bay actually runs. BookingNone for walking; guided treks at resort receptions. Run byNone for the walk; guided treks through Saracen Bay resorts.

One way

Hired, booked and on demand

tour package

Day boat trips and chartered longtails

Island-hopping loops round Koh Rong, Koh Tas and the outer reefs; Sihanoukville day returns to Saracen Bay and Sunset Beach

A private longtail for the day is arranged by asking at Koh Touch when you arrive – roughly US$100 for the whole boat, up to ten people, best started early, calling at Sok San fishing village, Lonely Beach, Palm Beach, Song Saa and Daem Thkov. From Sihanoukville, the Dive Shop boat to Sunset Beach on Koh Rong Sanloem meets at their Serendipity Beach Road office beside Monkey Republic at 07:00, tuk-tuks you to the Royal Pier and reaches Sunset Beach about 10:15, leaving again at 15:30. The Motor Yacht Sun runs a day return from Victory Beach Pier, boarding 09:30 and leaving at 10:00, snorkelling at Koh Tas, mooring in Saracen Bay and back at 17:00. On Saracen Bay itself, kayak tours leave at 08:00 and 13:00.

When: Daily in season, subject to numbers and weather
Takes: Full day, roughly 08:00 to 17:00; the Dive Shop boat is 07:00 to about 19:00
Fare 2026: Private longtail about US$100 for the boat for the day, up to 10 people. Dive Shop open-return transfer to Sunset Beach US$20 per person including breakfast. Motor Yacht Sun day trip US$25 including buffet lunch. Four-hour kayak tour US$25; kayak rental from about US$10 for the first hour.

SeasonReliable November to early May; in the May–November wet season the trips run between squalls and cancel outright in rough seas. BookingLongtails on the spot at Koh Touch; the Sihanoukville day boats need at least a day's notice and a signed liability form. Run byLocal longtail owners, The Dive Shop Cambodia, Motor Yacht Sun, Saracen Bay resorts.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

8 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
Correction to the brief and to Wikivoyage: the English Wikivoyage Koh Rong article is stuck in 2012 and its ferry times (08:00 and 13:30 from 'the port', 2-hour crossings, Monkey Republic pick-ups) are wrong. Use the Koh Rung Sanloem article, which was rewritten in August 2026, plus the operator and Direct Ferries listings – https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Koh_Rong
02
The pier question is genuinely unsettled in the sources. Direct Ferries and Wikipedia put every licensed operator at the tourist pier by Gate 1 of Sihanoukville Autonomous Port; rongsamloem.com and cambodiatrains.info say Serendipity / Ochheuteal pier; visitkohrong says either. Likely both names refer to overlapping facilities and pier use shifts with construction and season. Always go by the pier name on the ticket.
03
No operator publishes a per-sailing fare table that could be read without going through a booking flow. speedferrycambodia.com returns a Wix domain error and buvasea.com renders nothing without JavaScript, so their fares here come from aggregators, Wikipedia and island guides rather than from the operators themselves.
04
There is no published rule about boats stopping in bad weather, only consistent practice: ferries do not sail after dark (last departures around 17:00), and visitkohrong notes that in the rainy season some companies keep running when the rain pauses, so the call is made by each operator on the morning. No source gave a wind speed or wave height threshold, and no government suspension notice was found.
05
The GTVC and Buva Sea beach-pier fares to individual piers (Orchid, Soon Noeng, Sandy Beach, Coconut) were not obtainable; the US$17–18 one way figure is the general Koh Rong rate.
06
Koh Touch to Sok San and Koh Touch to Long Set boat prices rest on Wikivoyage figures that predate the current guide and are not corroborated by any 2023-or-later source. Ask two or three boat owners at the pier.
07
Plankton and sunset boat prices could not be confirmed anywhere; they are sold informally at guesthouses. Ask on the beach the same day.
08
A 70 km road network across Koh Rong began construction in 2020 and Koh Rong Sanloem has an unfinished path being built between Saracen Bay and M'Pai Bay; neither has a current completion status in any source found, so overland options on Koh Rong may have changed since. There is also still no ATM on either island – bring small-denomination US dollars from the mainland.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Koh Rong is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsTa Noun (DSY), 24 km
N: Trains and coachesno timetable feed known for this country
Y: Ferriesferry terminal, 1 km; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Sihanoukville, 34 km.