Koh Kong Travel Guide (22)

Overview of Koh Kong, Cambodia

Koh Kong is a province in southwest Cambodia with a vast undeveloped coastline and a rugged interior encompassing part of the Cardamom Mountains' rainforest. The forested, hilly Koh Kong Island is lined with tropical beaches. South of the provincial capital, also called Koh Kong, the mangroves and waterways of Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary are home to animals, birds and fishing communities.

Koh Kong is the most southwestern province of Cambodia. It is one of the biggest provinces in the whole country with a long undeveloped coastline and a mountainous, forested and largely inaccessible interior, which embraces part of the Cardamom Mountains, the biggest coherent rainforest of Southeast Asia. Its tourist attractions include abundant wildlife; big waterfalls and casinos on the border to Thailand, while an Export Processing Zone and new port facilities are being developed for international trade. 

The province is an increasingly popular gateway to Cambodia from Hat Lek in southern Thailand, in part of the reasonably direct access to the port and beach resort town of Sihanoukville. While this was previously a gruelling journey by boat and pickup on rough bumpy roads using small ferries at river crossings, the donation by the Thai government of new road infrastructure is improving access greatly. 

The name means " Krong Island Province". Its capital is Krong Koh Kong, which is located in the West of the province right next to the Thai border. The city is surrounded with a large forested area connected to the mainland by bridges and ferries. It's generally a quiet town, but there are many reasons to stay in Koh Kong for more than one night such as the nearby islands, rivers, tours into the nature and the buzzing nightlife. 

The people of Koh Kong speak mainly Khmer, and most speak some Thai as well. You can also find many Chinese and Vietnamese speakers as well as a lot of broken English. Your stay here will be economical as lodging, food and transportation is relatively cheap here. Please make this place a stop on your travels through S.E. Asia and you won't be disappointed.

GEOGRAPHY

Koh Kong province is 11,160 square kilometres big. It's located in the West of the country and is bordering to the North with Pursat, to the East and South with the Gulf of Thailand and to the West with Kampot and Sihanoukville. The province consists mainly of a huge coherent mountain range, the Cardamom Mountains. Covered with lush deep rainforest it?s the biggest successional forested region in whole Southeast Asia, which is almost not populated but by some small tribes.

There are quite a lot of creeks and rivers running to the see, Stoeng Kaoh Pa and Stoeng Me Toek are the biggest ones. You won't find the typical Cambodian plain wet areas, covering rice fields and other agricultural plantations, except from some river benches near the see. The highest point in the province is 1210m.

POPULATION

The current population in this province is about 207,474 people or 1,45% of the country's total population (14,363,519 person in Cambodia, 2007, provincial government data), with 107,499 male and 99,975 female. The population density is therefore 18,6 people per square kilometre.

CLIMATE

The country has a tropical climate - warm and humid. In the monsoon season, abundant rain allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops. This year-round tropical climate makes Cambodia ideal for developing tourism. Travellers need not to fear natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes or earthquakes, and the country is not directly affected by tropical storms. 

Climate: Cambodia can be visited throughout the year. However, those plans to travel extensively by road should be avoided the last two months of the rainy season when some countryside roads may be impassable. The average temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius; the minimum temperature is about 16 degrees. December and January are the coolest months, whereas the hottest is April. 

General information about the provincial climate:

- Cool season: November- March (17-27c) 
- Hot season: March- May (29c -38c) 
- Rainy season: May - October (27-35c, with humidity up to 90%.)

ECONOMY

The economy of Koh Kong, in spite of recent progress of border development, although rapidly increasing, is low compared with most neighbouring countries. The main domestic activity on which most rural households depend is agriculture and its related sub-sectors. Manufacturing output is varied but is not very extensive and is mostly conducted on a small-scale and informal basis. The service sector is heavily concentrated in trading activities and catering-related services.

  • Districts: 8
  • Population: 139,722 (2008)
  • Communes: 33
  • Provincial status: 1959
Botum Sakor National Park

Botum Sakor National Park

Botum Sakor National Park is the largest national park of Cambodia. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, Botum Sakor is a peninsula projecting southwest from the Cardamom ...

 
Koh Tang Island

Koh Tang Island

Koh Tang is the biggest of a group of Cambodian islands off the coast of Sihanoukville Province in the Gulf of Thailand. The island is situated approximately 52 km off the southwest coast of ...

 
Kirirom National Park

Kirirom National Park

Kirirom National Park and officially recognized as Preah Suramarit-Kossamak Kirirom National Park is a national park in Cambodia. The cooler temperatures and inviting odor of pine means that Kirirom ...

 
Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary

Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary

Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary is located in southwestern Cambodia. The area is known for its mangroves and numerous islands separated by a maze of bays and channels. Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary ...

 
Tatai Waterfall

Tatai Waterfall

Ta Tai waterfall is a semi-natural site located in Ta Tai village, Ta Tai commune, Smach Meanchey district, about 20 kilometers east of Koh Kong provincial town along National Road 48. There are 84 ...

 
Koh Pring

Koh Pring

Koh Pring, is a Cambodian island in the gulf of Thailand, 64 km off the coastal city of Sihanoukville. Official sources provide no data of civilian communities on the "Outer ...

 
Octopuses Garden, Diving Center

Octopuses Garden, Diving Center

Experience some of the best diving in Cambodia with Octopuses Garden. You’ll find our little haven situated on the Island of Koh Sdach, far away from the main tourist tracks and close to some of ...

 
Koh Poulo Wai

Koh Poulo Wai

Koh Wai, also known as Poulo Wai or the Wai Islands, is a group of two small wooded and uninhabited islands in the Gulf of Siam. The islands are located far away from the shore, 95 kilometres (59 ...

 
Phnom Sankos Wildlife Sanctuary

Phnom Sankos Wildlife Sanctuary

Sandwiched between the Central Cardamoms Protected Forest and the Thai frontier, the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary (3338 sq km) is well and truly out in the sticks. It is threatened by timber ...

 
Koh Rong Sanloem Island

Koh Rong Sanloem Island

Koh Rong Sanloem is an island off the coast of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 4 km south of Koh Rong island. It is around 9 km long, 4 km wide and 1 km wide at its narrowest point. Koh Rong Samloem Island ...

 
Cardamom Mountains and trekking

Cardamom Mountains and trekking

The Cardamom Mountains are a huge range that extend from Koh Kong province where it borders Thailand up to Pursat in central Cambodia and across to the Damrei Mountains, near the border with ...

 
Koh Yor Beach

Koh Yor Beach

The riverside is all very well, but if you’re craving sun, sand and sea, then you could either take a trip out to Koh Kong Island or, much more easily, hop on a moto over to Koh Yor beach on the ...

 

Koh Kong Video Travel

 

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