Is there development planned for Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay)? On the mainland, a large new pier is under construction opposite the island, reports this local facebook page:






All photos from Kep on the coast, Cambodia

Anchor Moy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 7:07 pm Has anyone done the Kep National Park walk ? Seems to be all uphill. There's a place called Sunset Rock which sounds like a good plan if you took beers and other essentials. I'm lazy, but maybe I could do it next time I'm in Kep, if someone wants to motivate me. (ie. Tell me that it's an easy climb. But, don't BS me or I will get you later.)

The trail is actually a road around the base of the mountain: if you stick to that, it is an easy rolling stroll through green trees much of the way past the starting point above the Veranda resort... there are also very steep trails up and down to the peak off the main track, but entirely optional. Best time of year to walk it is now, during the rainy season, when the park is cool, shady, verdant and smells like heaven... Go for it. Move to Kep for this walk alone, it beats the unshady fake beach, anyway...

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 5:18 pm Is there development planned for Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay)? On the mainland, a large new pier is under construction opposite the island, reports this local facebook page:






All photos from Kep on the coast, Cambodia

Cambodia’s Kep province set to become regional tourism hub
By VNA - May 7, 2020

The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism is working to transform its southern province of Kep into a tourism hub that meets regional and international standards.

Ny Phally, the ministry’s undersecretary of state, said a masterplan on the transformation is progressing and the ministry is confident that it will turn the province into a high-end eco-tourism and relaxation place in the region and the world, the Khmer Times reported.

The Cambodian Government has established an inter-ministry committee to study the development scheme since the start of 2020.

The draft plan is set to be finalised at the end of July and adopted in August so that it will be materialised from 2021 to 2035, Phally said.

Ken Satha, Governor of Kep province, said during a press conference on May 5 that the locality has 13 islands which have yet to be fully tapped.

“Most of the islands in Kep are still only developed by local communities and not by investors because the government does not allow any manufacturing investment in the province yet, so we have much more potential and room to grow in the tourism sector,” Satha was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
In full: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/cambodias-kep ... 172862.vnp

We went to Kep many times in 2017..18...I would rent a boat for the day and go snorkel and fish and enjoy the sea....Koh Tonsay was ok...spent a few nights there..I preferred a nice hotel in Kep and the private boat ride....as opposed to the hut life.
The crab market was a tourist trap..the beach half assed...it had the finest roads in the Kingdom..
I wanted to live there and fade away..
Alas, I could not find a place to rent and after getting run out of Sihanoukville and a year of Kampot I was ready to flee the coast.
It does not surprise me that they will ruin it.
My wife told me how her girlfriends got the money to come visit Kep about ten years ago but they did not have enough money to buy crab..
I did have a crab amok in a restaurant next to the crab market that was outstanding.
Do Not go there during holidays!

Kep is changing, were as 2-3 years ago very hard to find rentals, there now a more than a few to choose from
land prices are going up fast.
Was moving over in june, but now have set it back another year.
great place if ur around family and enjoy the quiet life

yep, holidays are terrible with all the khmers driving down from PP...

BIG plans

Kep authorities said a plan to construct a 7km road along the provincial coast will be completed by the end of the year and help attract more tourists to the area.

Provincial governor Ken Satha said at a press conference at the Council of Ministers on Tuesday that the province is constructing the road along the beach which links to other provinces and will eventually stretch from Thailand to Vietnam.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... nd-vietnam

there goes the neighborhood ;-(

The renovation of the international tourist port in Kep province is about 30 per cent complete, with construction scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, provincial governor Ken Satha told The Post on Thursday.

He said the $1 million renovation is going smoothly. “The port will play a vital role in enhancing the lives of the locals and bring tourists from neighbouring countries and Cambodians who want to visit Kep province, and possibly further boost seafood sales.

“We are currently constructing a standard tourism port that will allow modern ships with 200-300 passengers from neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand to dock,” said Satha.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/ ... z7aOyycjUA

Kep tourism to receive facelift as two islands are pegged for development
Thou Vireak | Publication date 04 June 2020 | 21:38 ICT
Kep provincial officials are planning to improve 1,800m of shoreline and develop two islands which are less than 10km from the coast.
The government is studying the development of the beach in Kep province, in southwestern Cambodia, to assess its tourism potential.

Kep province is a coastal area located more than 175km from Phnom Penh and the government believes it has tourism potential thanks to its beaches, national parks, mangrove forests, corals and seagrass.

Kep provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction director Vao Sokha told The Post on Thursday that his team is studying improvements to the nearly 3,000m Kep Beach to turn it into a public beach to attract more tourists.

Upgrades will be developed from the Crab Market to the mangrove community area in Prey Thom commune, in Kep town.

“We have already designed the beach and are studying the socio-environmental impacts on the communities living along the coast,” he said.

In addition to the coastal area, Kep province has 13 archipelagos that are attractive natural tourist sites. Two of the islands have been granted by the government to a private development company – Koh Tonsay Island (also known as Rabbit Island) and Por Island.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... 3ANLv6lGrw

Tourism Seaport Project to be Developed in Koh Tonsay
AKP Phnom Penh, November 18, 2020 --

A tourism seaport project is unveiled to be constructed in Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island), Kep province as the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) has started.

H.E. Ms. Ol Phirun, Deputy Governor of Kep province, said on Nov. 18 that the tourism seaport is the ADB-backed project and a local firm has applied for the project and for the feasibility study.

The pre-feasibility study has been wrapped up and the firm made a presentation on the study’s result to relevant authorities, she said, adding that the study mainly focused on the possible location of port construction, road connection, and impact on people.

“Because it is the ADB-backed project, requiring the ESIA study …and it is the first step the firm concluded the study and presented to authorities for comments and feedback,” H.E. Ms. Ol Phirun said, underlining that more studies will be made afterwards.

The seaport project is part of Kep Tourism Master Plan and the maritime transportation connectivity project between seaport in Koh Tonsay and a tourism seaport in Kampot province which is under construction.

Currently, tourists travel to Koh Tonsay via a wooden port, which is difficult when with crowded tourists heading to the island.
By Chea Vannak
- AKP

The beach is shit, no shade and the shallow water far too warm. I do like the bush and the whooping of the gibbons though.

willyhilly wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:53 pm The beach is shit, no shade and the shallow water far too warm. I do like the bush and the whooping of the gibbons though.

we always walk over to the other side of the island from where the old wooden pier is/was
stayed out there one night in the small bungalows way back,, its was very peaceful but best to avoid during any weekend or Khmer holiday