Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s most popular beach resort, catering to domestic tourists, backpackers, and retirees alike. The town was founded by former monarch Norodom Sihanouk as a coastal getaway and deep water port in the 1950’s. Most of the Kingdom’s imports and exports pass through the port which provides valuable employment to local people.

Abandoned for decades, Sihanoukville is only just beginning to recover. A few upscale hotels have opened but most establishments are thatched shacks on the sand or concrete shop fronts further back. The town itself has a frontier feel, with backstreets petering out into rice paddies and a constant background hum of construction.

Sihanoukville is crowded on holidays and weekends as Khmer urbanites flee Phnom Penh to bathe fully clothed and gorge on crab.

 

O’Cheuteal Beach is located in Sankat No 3. large and long with white sand and shallow water, it is the most popular beach in Sihanoukville, attracting many foreigners. There are a number of food stalls along the beach, in addition to fruit and seafood vendors.

 

Sokha Beach adjoins O’Cheuteal Beach. It is also long, though the water is deeper here.

The beach was once more crowded than O’Cheuteal beach, because Cambodians prefer it to the other beaches. However, Oknha Sok Kung’s Sokha Hotel Company recently took over operations at the beach. The company is building up the area in hope of attracting more tourists to Sihanoukville.

 

The beach is short and narrow, and the waves are bigger than at other beaches, making it popular with locals, who favor it most after Sokha Beach.

 

The beach is located in front of Koh Pors1. it offers a number of services, including comfortable restrooms, resh water and good transportation service to Koh Pors. Thus, many local and international visitors go to this beach. There are many well-organized kiosks along the beach: the waves are not big, and the environment is clean.

 

Deum Chhrey Beach is located in front of City Hall. Few tourists swim here because there is a big restaurant nearby. It is popular with tourists who like to walk along the beach, however, because there is a picturesque park filled with statues, making site popular with photographers.

 

Koh Pors is an island 1 kilometers from Loum Hekay beach, off the coast of Sihanoukville. The beach is flat and very quiet. It attract few visitors, because it is undeveloped. Those tourists who do visit the island travel in groups and bring their own food.

 

Phnom Leu is a natural and cultural site. There is a pagoda on the mountaintop, which offers visitors a panoramic view of the beaches and Sihanoukville international port. Most visitors are local people who visit the site during national festivals.

 

Kbal Chhay waterall is located in Khan Prey Nup, about 16 kilometers north of downtown Sihanoukville. To reach the site from Sihanoukville, take National Road 4 toward Phnom Penh. About 7 kilometers outside of town, there is a sign announcing the site. Turn left and go 9 kilometers along a trail. The water at Kbal Chhay comes from many Sources along the mountain range, although only three of these sources are visible. The waterfall, which is 14 meters high, is at the point where those three sources join.

Knal Chhay was discovered in 1960. three years later, it was developed into a reservoir to supply clean water to the city of Sihanoukville. The reservoir construction, however, was interrupted due to civil war, and the site became a hide-out for the Khmer Rouge. In 1997, Kbal Chhay was marked for development, and a year later Kok An Company was awarded a contract to construct a road and develop the site for tourism.

 

Preah Sihanouk Ream National Park is located between Koh Thmei and Sihanoukville, about 18 kilometers from downtown Sihanoukville. The park, which has been open since 1993, covers 21,000 hectares including 15,000 hectares of terrestrial and 6000 hectares of marine habitats.