Ream National Park: mangroves and a quiet coast

A slow boat through mangrove channels, a walk on an empty beach and, if you are lucky, a glimpse of dolphins, a short drive from Sihanoukville.

Area

Islands & Ream

Start from

Sihanoukville

Distance

about 20–30 km from Sihanoukville; roughly 80 km from Kampot

Time needed

1 day

Best season

November – April

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Car with driver or tuk-tuk, then a boat

Tickets & rules

Park fees and boat hire; check current rates

Why go

Ream National Park protects a long stretch of coast east of Sihanoukville: mangrove estuaries, evergreen forest, sandy beaches and a scattering of islands. The classic visit is a boat trip down the Prek Toeuk Sap estuary, where the boat threads through tunnels of mangrove roots, egrets lift off the mudflats and monkeys watch from the branches.

At the end of the channel you reach the sea and a quiet beach, often with nobody on it but a few fishermen. It is a good place to swim, eat a picnic and remember that, not far from the building sites of Sihanoukville, there is still a wild coast.

Ream also works well as a stop on the road between Kampot and the islands, breaking up the journey with a few hours of nature.

The story

Ream was declared a national park in 1993, one of the first protected areas created when Cambodia established its modern park system after the war years. It covers roughly 200 square kilometres of land and sea, including mangroves, forest and coastal waters.

Mangroves are the park’s heart. Their tangled roots hold the coast together against storms and erosion, filter sediment from the rivers, and serve as nurseries for fish, crabs and prawns that local fishermen depend on. Several villages lie inside or on the edge of the park, and their people have fished and gathered here for generations.

Over the years the park has faced heavy pressure from land clearing, development and the nearby airport and naval base, and parts of its forest have been lost. Even so, its estuary and outer beaches remain beautiful, and birdwatchers come for kingfishers, herons, ospreys and other waterbirds.

Irrawaddy dolphins and humpback dolphins have been recorded in the waters off Ream and the nearby islands. Sightings are never guaranteed, but boatmen know the places they were last seen.

Getting there

Ream’s headquarters are about half an hour by road from Sihanoukville, near the airport. Boat trips can be arranged at the ranger station or by local boat owners at the estuary, and some guesthouses in Sihanoukville and Kampot organise day trips. Bring water and food, as facilities are limited.

From Kampot, the park is roughly an hour and a half by car, so a driver can drop you at Ream on the way to the Sihanoukville ferry.

A suggested plan

1. 8:00 amDrive from Sihanoukville or leave Kampot early with a driver.
2. 9:00 amArrange a boat at the park headquarters or estuary landing.
3. 9:30 amSlow boat through the mangrove channels; look for kingfishers and monkeys.
4. 11:30 amSwim and picnic on the beach at the river mouth.
5. 1:30 pmReturn by boat; continue to Sihanoukville for the ferry or back to Kampot.

Where to stay

Sihanoukville is closest and convenient for ferries to the islands; Kampot works as a base if you hire a driver for the day.

Good to know

• Bring binoculars for the birds.
• Wear a hat and sunscreen; there is little shade on the boat.
• Carry cash for park fees and boat hire.
• Ask the boatman about recent dolphin sightings before you set off.