Beach on Kep's Rabbit Island
Koh Tonsai or Rabbit Island lies just off the coast from Kep in the province of the same name – a 3hr drive or so from Phnom Penh. Formerly known as Kep-sur-mer, the popular and fashionable pre-Khmer Rouge seaside resort is currently experiencing something of a renaissance. (Firstly, there aren’t really any rabbits whatsoever on the island but supposedly the island itself is actually rabbit shaped, if seen from a certain angle, though we reckon that depends on how many Angkor Beers you drink beforehand!)
The island is at present, pretty much unspoilt – i.e. there’s nothing much there – except a couple of beach shacks doing drinks, fried rice and the ubiquitous, (for Kep), crabs, plus a few basic bamboo huts for back packers wanting to get seriously off the beaten track. (No full moon parties around here). How long it’ll stay that way remains to be seen and there are frequent rumours of Khmer/Taiwanese/Korean businessmen/generals/developers constructing resorts on the island’s main beach. (A nice sandy strip with clear water and flat land behind.) Local myth has it that the land’s already been sold to developers for a large sum of money, on at least one occasion, only to find that a crafty local fishing family’s claims were actually non-existent and no legitimate deeds or paperwork ever appeared.
Anyway for now it’s frequented by day-trippers, half a dozen at a time aforementioned backpackers, and the occasional All Points East tour group getting some beach time in before heading back to Phnom Penh and the reality of flights home!
Not much to do on Koh Tonsai except sit around on the clean, sandy beach, have a dip in the clear, sheltered water or drink a cold one and crack open a crab, though for the energetic a trail does lead around the island if you want to explore further.
Koh Tonsai is a short, 30 minute, boat ride from the pier in Kep. A day trip to Koh Tonsai is included on our Beyond Angkor tour; all our off-the-beaten-track Cambodia trips can be found here and for more detailed info on the island try our friends at Travelfish. Cheers!
Slow boat to Rabbit Island.
