Koh Kong tide times

Koh Kong is a Cambodian border town at the head of the Gulf of Thailand, separated from the Thai province of Trat by the Klong Yai River. The Thai-Cambodian border crossing here was one of the main land entry points for travel between the two countries before the main crossing at Poipet became more heavily used. The town sits where the Cardamom Mountains reach the coast — the mountains are visible to the east and northeast, rising to over 1,000 metres, and they form the backdrop to a coastline that transitions rapidly from mangrove and estuary to rocky headland and island reef.

The tidal regime at Koh Kong is mixed semidiurnal with a spring range of approximately 2 to 3 metres. The Gulf of Thailand is a semi-enclosed sea with its own tidal dynamics, and the northern coast of the Gulf — where Koh Kong sits — has a more pronounced tidal range than the central Gulf. The Koh Kong Estuary, where the Klong Yai drains into the Gulf, has a characteristic tidal bore on the largest spring tides — a low wave front moving upstream as the flood tide pushes into the river mouth. The mangrove ecosystem at the river mouth is extensive, and the tidal flooding cycle drives the productivity of the mangrove fishery.

The Koh Kong Archipelago lies offshore from the town — a scatter of approximately 20 islands across 30 kilometres of Gulf water. Several islands have coral reef in 5 to 15 metres depth on their outer faces, accessible by boat from Koh Kong in 30 to 90 minutes depending on destination. The reef has been subject to blast fishing in the past; recovery is ongoing in the years since enforcement improved. Koh Sdach (King Island), the largest island in the archipelago, has a permanent fishing community and basic accommodation.

The Cardamom Mountains backing the coast form one of Southeast Asia's largest intact lowland rainforest blocks. The Southern Cardamom Protected Area borders the coast near Koh Kong, and boat tours up the tidal rivers into the forested interior are one of the area's primary ecotourism activities. The Tatai River tour, a 2-hour boat journey upstream through mangrove and forest, passes waterfalls accessible in the dry season. The river is tidal for the lower 15 kilometres; the turn-back point for tours is where the tidal influence ends and the freshwater character begins.

For anglers, the estuary and inner Gulf waters around Koh Kong are productive for barramundi (giant sea bass, Lates calcarifer) on the flood tide in the mangrove channels, and for mangrove jack, snapper, and threadfin bream on the outer reef. The giant mudskipper, capable of crawling on the mangrove root systems out of water, is a characteristic species of the lower estuary mudflats.

Access from Sihanoukville (the main Cambodian beach tourism hub) is by road — approximately 2.5 hours. From Bangkok, the bus-and-border crossing route via Hat Yai and the Klong Yai crossing takes 8 to 10 hours.

Predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height — model-derived, not from a local gauge. The local tide authority is the Department of Hydrology and River Works, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Cambodia.