Sihanoukville Highlights Day Tour from Cruise Port

Very disappointed in this city. It’s filthy with trash and rotting food all over the walkways and streets if you can call them that. No roads are paved so the dust is horrible. Our tour guide was telling us the Cambodian government gave 4000 hectares to the Chinese for free while the Cambodian citizens have to go without as they can’t afford. The Chinese are quickly taking over. Every street you go on has a hi rise for the Chinese. The majority of the signs are also in Chinese. They’ve already opened 76 casinos. He told us gambling in Macau is now illegal so they’re calling this Little Macau. The Cambodian people very kind and of course upset about the Chinese takeover but there’s nothing they can do. Very sad.

Our guide was proficient in English, gave good commentary and could answer questions. Also, it was possible to customise our tour.

This port is dirty, the dirtiest place any of us have ever seen. Trash was everywhere. The “scenic” fisherman visit was a filthy dock, fish parts and dog feces all over; and so crowded we feared being knocked off. The waterfall was almost dry, not worth the visit (and long bumpy ride) during dry season. The bus was old, cramped and uncomfortable. Our group skipped the beach after the disappointment of previous stops. Tour guide was affable and offered plenty of drinks.

Our day began at a small fishing pier. We saw boats and nets, but no one in the process of fishing or returning with their catch. As the day progressed, we saw many extremes...temples, a busy marketplace, a pretty waterfall (a long way down a very bumpy road), and finally lunch ( our own expense) on a lovely beach with water that was warmer than any we've felt anywhere else in the world. Our guide, chum, was very informative and pleasant to be around. He wove history, current events and culture in his narration throughout the day

Very good tour ! Good guide ; good transportation ; mini van excellent for a small group . We have enjoyed this exc. formula . Just enough free time . Professionnal excursion !

What can I say. Despite the very best efforts of our guide, this was a dreadful excursion. The whole place looks and smells like a war zone which has been covered in plastic waste. Best tip, stay on ship.

The best tour on my entire trip thru Southeast Asia! The tour guide spoke excellent english. Everything I expected and even better! The fishing village, going thru the countryside, seeing the beautiful waterfalls, the water buffalos, the amazing stop at this beautiful beach with a lunch break. And the last stop the local market. Great to see how the locals sell their fish and goods. It is really for the locals, nothing really to buy anything for tourists but interesting to see! Would do it again!

The best part by far was an unplanned visit to a middle school where we got to talk to the teachers and kids. The guide was good and responsive to our questions. As far as the town goes, it's probably one of the dirtiest in the world I've ever visited. Nobody seems to pick up trash and garbage. Problem: leaving the ship, we and others were not informed that there were two shuttles, a smaller one to the port gate where we needed to meet our van and one further into town to the mud hole full of touts and beggars and tuk tuk drivers who are banging on the windows and yelling. Fortunately, a Holland America employee pointed the two of us to the right shuttle, others were not so lucky and the guide had to look for them in the chaos further on. Even at the port gate, we were besieged and pulled in different directions by tuk tuk drivers before our guide extricated us from the mess and got us into the right van. Holland America says some travelers who take the longer shuttle just stay on it and go back to the ship rather than step out into the chaos. The rest of the excursion was fine, but as I said, the unplanned school visit was the highlight.