Tours in Sihanoukville

Start at the roundabout with the Golden Lions. Every town has a spot where people agree to meet, and in Sihanoukville this is it. Motorbikes loop around it, vendors drift past, and you get a quick sense of a port town that is always in motion. From here the city fans out toward the water in several directions.

The coast is the reason most people come. Beaches run along the shoreline, each with its own mood. Some are lined with beach shacks where grilled fish and cold drinks arrive without ceremony. Others are quieter, with a bit of shade and a long stretch of sand to yourself. Hawaii Beach sits tucked beside a rocky point, a calm place to swim and sit with the sea in front of you. A seafood picnic here, crab, prawns and whatever came in that morning, is the right way to spend the middle of the day.

Inland, the pace changes. Pagodas sit among trees, with monks in saffron robes crossing the grounds and the noise of the main roads fading behind you. Kbal Chhay Waterfall is a short drive out, a cool green break from the coastal heat where local families come to splash about and eat by the water. A guide can tell you what to say, how to behave around the temples, and where the good food is.

Sihanoukville also serves as the gateway to the islands offshore, which you reach by boat from the port. If you want to head out to one, or to see something else on the mainland that is not on our list, ask. A local guide can build the day around it.