Koh Dach, also known as Silk Island, is only a stone throw away from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital and most populous city. Yet, it is a completely different world from the capital’s hustle and bustle.
If you visit Cambodia’s capital, Koh Dach is the literally the perfect destination for a one-day getaway, especially if you would like to see what life in rural Cambodia is like. Rural Cambodia is different from the scenic cambodia that you normally see. Rural Cambodia gives you the chance to see the country in a way that you normal would not have, with a more realistic idea of what day to day life is like.
After Phnom Penh’s wet, sticky heat, the cooling calm of the island is a great relief. It also offers its visitors a unique opportunity to have a glimpse at Cambodia’s long silk-weaving history, stretching back to pre-Angkorian times. The main silk weaving hub is about one thousand meters away from the ferry port.
It is comprised of a row of charming stilted wooden houses, where weavers sit with their handmade wooden looms and create richly patterned silk scarves and traditional Khmer skirts.
It is highly recommended that you buy one of these, as every dollar you spend helps keep this ancient craft alive.
Bikes can be rented at two US dollars a day at the ferry drop-off point. If you do not feel like cycling, you can hire a tuk-tuk and let the driver do all the pedal work, while you enjoy the marvelous scenery.