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Sihanoukville Cambodia Cruise Port Guide
Location:
You will be docked (sometimes tendered) close to the Victory Beach area.
Plenty of Tuk Tuks around to transport you to downtown.
Most ships arrive early morning at the port, complimentary busses take the passengers downtown, to the beach or to one of the Wats, and the ship leaves in the evening.
Printable map to take along.
Cruise calendar for this port.
Watch a destination video.
Live Nautical Chart with Wikipedia Markers
Monthly Climate Averages for Sihanoukville Cambodia
Sightseeing:
Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Seihanu), formerly Kompong Som and familiarly just Snookyville or even Snooky is a seaside town featuring Cambodia's best-known beaches.
Cambodia is best known as the occasional side trip to Angkor Wat, the famous temple in northern Cambodia, on your way to or from Thailand. But all that is changing with the revitalization of Sihanoukville, Cambodia's one and only beach resort. Located in the south, it's part resort, part backpacker hangout, part working port and all big city.
As Cambodia's only beach resort community, sporting life in Sihanoukville is squarely focused on the sea. There's snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, swimming, sea kayaking and sailing. The most common problem is theft on the beaches while visitors are out swimming, often by drug addicts or children. The guest-houses that front the beaches can arrange most activities. Or you could rent a moto (motorcycle taxi) for a tour. This is perhaps the most dangerous activity.
Tours Excursions Transportation:
Time is usually short during your stop in SihanoukVille, so as is typical, from early morning through evening, most passengers tour around, eat, swim, and tour some more before returning to the ship in the evening. Many also chose to go back to the ship for lunch around noon or 1pm, as this is the hottest part of the day.
There's a host of ways of getting around. The main form of transportation around town in Tuk Tuks. These are carts with a roof and cushioned seating holding up to 4 people and pulled by a motorcycle. Trips around town are usually one or two dollars per person. You'll also see tourists on bicycles and electric bicycles, motorcycles, in Jeeps and cars, and walking everywhere.
The town itself doesn't offer much to see. Spectacular views of almost the entire city – and gorgeous sunset panoramas – await at Wat Leu (Wat Chhnothean), situated on a peaceful, forested hilltop 1.5km northwest of the city center (next to three red-and-white radio telecom towers).
A private taxi costs US$30 to US$40 for the day.
Angkor Wat is at least 7 hours driving. Some ships offer overnight trips, and you will rejoin the ship at another port. Very pricey!.
It pays to compare your cruise line shore excursions here.
Nearby Places:
About 18 km from downtown Sihanoukville is Ream National Park, which offers both boat and safari tours of its 21,000 hectares of land and marine habitat, with some 155 species represented including the rare mouse deer and pangolin and the very rare freshwater white dolphin, which only comes around from December through February.
Shopping and Food
As a developing resort, Sihanoukville has yet to experience a full-on retail invasion. Think of this as a good thing. It's still authentic, which means that with a bit of energy and curiosity finding something unique is still possible. By the way, in Cambodia - everything's a bargain.
The markets are not within walking distance (quite far actually), but it should not cost more than a few dollars into town on a tuk tuk if you bargain.
Khmer cuisine is often thought of as Thai without the spice. Ingredients tend toward seafood locally caught and you should be able to find a good meal simply by walking the many food stalls set up near the beaches and sampling some of the dishes. The best part is that Cambodia is very inexpensive. So feel free to try a lot.
Currency:
The U.S. dollar is one of two official currencies in Cambodia. The other is the Cambodian riel. Moneychangers are plentiful, shop around for good rates but inspect the bills, as even a small tear in a U.S. dollar renders it useless. Use U.S. dollars for big purchases and riels for small. Many ATM's around.
4000 Riel is about 1 USD
Communication:
Official language: Khmer
In market situations, most Khmers will know enough English to complete a basic transaction, though many vendors carry calculators into which they punch numbers and show you the screen to demonstrate the price.
There are many cafes which offer free WiFi for customers and some guesthouses and many hotels offer internet access. Many now have wi-fi - some for free.
Opening Hours and Holidays:
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