Top Ten Southeast Asia Off-the-Beaten-Path Adventures

Cambodia's Temples Photo Gallery

advertisement

Up for some snorkeling or scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand, followed by some deep-sea fishing? Well, you could head for the well-trodden areas of Pattaya or Ko Samui, but if you prefer to indulge your taste for water sports away from the package tours, check out Kompong Saom (once known as Sihanoukville) on the "Cambodian Riviera." This area, decimated by war and Khmer Rouge atrocities, has only recently reopened to overseas visitors. Well off the tourist map—at least for the present—Saom offers four fine beaches, as well as specialist diving and fishing tours to various offshore islands. Two island groups—Kompong Saom Group and the Ream Group—are ideal day trips from Kompong Saom, while the more distant Royal Group, lying halfway along the coast to Thailand, is better visited for two to three days at a time. The finest scuba waters lay about four to eight hours to the southwest, especially around Wai Island.