Located on the southern side of the city of Kampong Cham, Koh Paen Island (or Koh Pen) sits in the middle of the Mekong River and was once very famous for its 1km long bamboo bridge linking the island to the mainland.
The famed Bamboo Bridge of Kampong Cham is a seasonal construction, from December to June, to allow traffic to and from the island when the water levels of the river drop too low for the ferry to operate. The epic piece of ingenuity and engineering, stretching some 90m across the Mekong, was a novelty for foreigners and became one of the area’s popular attractions.
For daily traffic, the Bamboo Bridge was replaced some time ago by a modern bridge while ferries still service the island mostly from the eastern side connecting to Kaoh Sotin District on the eastern bank of the Mekong.
The Kampong Cham Bamboo Bridge
The Bamboo Bridge was reconstructed and once again opened for visitors, here are some photos of our most recent visit in February of 2024 (See The Tonle Sap Loop). The bridge stretches just over 800m from the west bank in front of Wat Dei Doh to the northwest bank of Koh Pen including a raised section allowing fishing boats to pass underneath.
Koh Paen Island
As for Koh Paen Island, it’s quite nice to explore, the island isn’t overly developed and features concreted roads connecting to the highlights which include several interesting pagodas listed below. One of them, Wat Kaoh Pen, features stunning murals inside the pagoda making it well worth the easy ride from the city.
People like to hire bicycles on the island and enjoy the rural scenery, and traditional ways of life, or even go swimming on one of the sandbars. As mentioned you can also catch a ferry from here on the eastern side and take that across and explore the eastern side of the Mekong River and visit the popular Wat Moha Leap.
Pagodas on Koh Pen
Map
A video remembering the original bamboo bridge
Map
Koh Pen, Cambodia
Site Info
- Site Name: Koh Pen Island Khmer Name: កោះប៉ែន
- Reference ID: HA7793 | Posted: June 30, 2019 | Last Update: April 2nd, 2024
- Location: Kampong Cham Province > Kampong Siem District > Kaoh Mitt Commune
