- 19 hours ago
We traveled hours down the roughest roads in Cambodia to reach a fully off-grid island — with no shops, no hot showers, and warning signs about snakes everywhere.
This is Koh Ta Kiev — one of the most remote places we’ve ever stayed.
To reach this island, we drove for hours on unpaved roads in our tuk tuk, lost a shoe, covered everything we own in dust, and finally took a small speedboat to what feels like the edge of the world.
Koh Ta Kiev is a private, off-grid island in Cambodia where life slows down completely. There’s no Wi-Fi, no shops, no hot showers — and warning signs on nearly every tree reminding you to check for snakes before going to bed.
It’s rustic, quiet, and not for everyone… but after months of constant movement, this island forced us to slow down in a way we didn’t know we needed.
In this video, we share the full journey to the island, what it’s like staying completely off-grid, and whether we think the experience was worth the effort to get here.
If you enjoy real, unfiltered travel experiences — especially places that feel untouched and remote — this one’s for you.
Koh Ta Kiev Island Resort - https://kohtakievresort.info/
Want to hire your own Tuk Tuk i
This is Koh Ta Kiev — one of the most remote places we’ve ever stayed.
To reach this island, we drove for hours on unpaved roads in our tuk tuk, lost a shoe, covered everything we own in dust, and finally took a small speedboat to what feels like the edge of the world.
Koh Ta Kiev is a private, off-grid island in Cambodia where life slows down completely. There’s no Wi-Fi, no shops, no hot showers — and warning signs on nearly every tree reminding you to check for snakes before going to bed.
It’s rustic, quiet, and not for everyone… but after months of constant movement, this island forced us to slow down in a way we didn’t know we needed.
In this video, we share the full journey to the island, what it’s like staying completely off-grid, and whether we think the experience was worth the effort to get here.
If you enjoy real, unfiltered travel experiences — especially places that feel untouched and remote — this one’s for you.
Koh Ta Kiev Island Resort - https://kohtakievresort.info/
Want to hire your own Tuk Tuk i
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TravelTranscript
00:00Okay, this is the bumpiest, least developed road we've had to drive down so far.
00:06There's some rocks.
00:12Hotholes everywhere.
00:14Well, one of Lloyd's shoes fell out while we were
00:19driving and we're
00:22still stuck on this incredibly bumpy road.
00:25All right, here's a ride
00:28to the island.
00:30Well, this is fully off-grid, hey?
00:37Oh, my goodness.
00:41You just have no idea how good this swim feels.
00:45Okay, I'm sure it's fine, but pretty much every tree in this resort has a sign warning about snakes.
00:55Now, this one's kind of the most concerning
00:58because it says to check under your bed.
01:05Just going to check the snakes, honey.
01:08Okay, this is definitely the most rustic place I think we've stayed at in a very long time.
01:14But I think we really needed this.
01:15Being a nomad is not a vacation.
01:18It's freedom, but it's also discipline.
01:20It's an exchange of security for enhanced experiences.
01:23It's a way of life.
01:49It's a way of life.
01:52Run away, run away, run away.
01:56Run away, run away, run away.
01:58Run away, run away, run away, run away, run away.
02:12Alright, we are on our way to Kautakiev, I believe is how you pronounce it, from Kampot.
02:20It says it's around two hours-ish in a car, so it's probably going to take us around three
02:26or three and a half to get to where the ferry will take us over to the island, but I'm
02:31really
02:31excited to get to the islands.
02:33It's been actually pretty, a little bit chilly here to be honest, in Kampot, which was really
02:39strange, really windy, but it was just a nice break from the heat, but now we're excited
02:45to get back to the beach.
02:46Guy at the resort I was just walking to said he used to work out at Kautakiev, so it's probably
02:52going to be colder there at night and in the morning.
02:55Really?
02:55Oh my goodness.
02:57Okay, well we are not prepared for any sort of cold weather whatsoever, so we're doing
03:03our best with our one pair of trackies that we own, but yeah, we'll see how we go.
03:08I think it's going to be so beautiful.
03:10So it's a private island and you just have to book the speedboat for whatever time you
03:16want to go.
03:17So it's nine o'clock now, I told him 2pm just to be safe, so we've got five hours to
03:24get there.
03:24But we've got to get some supplies because I have no idea what's going to be out there.
03:28And it's pretty much just like one private island with a hotel on it.
03:59So, let's go.
04:41Pretty empty on oil.
04:53Good thing we checked before we left.
04:55We're pretty low on oil.
04:57Yeah.
05:04That's why they tell you to check it every day.
05:07We've driven it about maybe 450 kilometres and the oil is pretty much empty.
05:15Yeah.
05:31Yeah.
05:33Yeah.
05:34Yeah.
05:44Yeah.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Yeah.
06:04Okay.
06:05This is the bumpiest least developed road we've had to drive down so far.
06:10the speaker just bounced out of the Tok Tok and some little kid had to run and
06:15grab it for us it was nice to actually return it um yeah it's pretty rough at
06:20the moment it says we're 57 kilometers away but an hour and a half I don't know
06:27how long it's gonna be like this for but it's not good it sucks it's really
06:35bouncy back here Lila's been sleeping up until now though so not bad but yeah
06:40we've got a bit to go
06:44this is rough
06:50just a dirt road
06:54potholes everywhere
06:57I have to drive 20 kilometers an hour
07:11well unemployed shoes fell out while we were driving and we're still stuck on
07:20this incredibly bumpy road now we're going back trying to find a shoe
07:26otherwise he's gonna have to go shoeless for a few days because he's not gonna be
07:30anywhere for us to buy him any
07:41all right now a lot we just tried driving back for like another
07:46510 but we don't want to spend more time on this road so
07:50we've got a boat to catch we've got a boat to catch as well so um he's gonna have to
07:55go barefoot for a little while
08:01oh man that is rough that is by far the worst road we've driven on on this trip
08:08just potholes everywhere it's not paved at all fastest you can go is like 20 kilometers an hour
08:15it's so bumpy so dusty so loud but there's a lot of traffic on it which is crazy so I
08:21don't understand why it's not paved
08:22it looks like we might be past the worst of it
08:25um it's still unpaved but it looks pretty flat at least
08:29uh and then I think we're turning onto another road in like five kilometers so
08:34I'm really hoping the next road is gonna be paved because we've still got 42 kilometers
08:41until we get to the boat pier it's saying we're gonna get there with plenty of time
08:47I was hoping we'd be able to grab some lunch or something before we jump on the boat
08:53but we'll just have to see how we go
08:59we made it
09:01oh my goodness that was so rough
09:04this is intense
09:07in a tuk tuk
09:13oh my goodness I've never been happier to see a paved road in my entire life
09:20I don't want to sound too dramatic
09:22but like it's so bumpy in the back of this tuk tuk
09:24and I was so worried about Lila during that
09:26but she was laughing and smiling the entire time
09:30oh it's just so dusty
09:32like I'm so covered in dust right now
09:34we lost a shoe
09:35almost lost the speaker
09:37it was that bumpy
09:39and like there was just nothing you could do about it
09:41like we were going as slow as we possibly could without stalling the tuk tuk
09:46so
09:46wow
09:47yeah we made it
09:49good job honey
09:51I just was saying to Lloyd
09:52that whenever we have to go through like a rough journey
09:55or like something goes wrong on the way to somewhere
09:58it's usually because it's a really cool place
10:01or something awesome is going to happen there
10:03so I have a really good feeling about this island now
10:05and that's also a way that um
10:07I cope with going through
10:11tough moments of being like this is just temporary
10:14and the payoff is going to be worth it
10:17so
10:18yeah
10:19let's hope it's worth it
10:51wow look how dusty this is
10:56everything's so dusty
11:02yeah yeah
11:03how good does that taste after that trip
11:06oh man
11:07yeah
11:09I'm probably not going to um
11:12have any drinks
11:14for a while
11:14especially on this island
11:15but
11:17yeah that was stressful
11:20that's the only time on this trip where I've
11:22felt like
11:24I wish we weren't in and talked to them
11:26yeah same
11:27yeah
11:28it only lasted about an hour
11:30yeah
11:31yeah
11:32gotta get through the sheets
11:33just
11:33like my mouth full of dogs
11:40yeah there's a thin coating
11:42or I should actually say
11:43a thick coating of dust on everything we have now
11:46like
11:47all the cameras and everything
11:49everything needs to clean
11:50all our clothes were already quite dirty
11:52of course I wear all white today too
11:55steep
11:56hey
11:57the day I chose to wear all white
12:00the ocean looks incredible though
12:02I think this is totally going to be worth it
12:04okay so we got to this restaurant
12:06which is literally like at the pier where we get the speed boat to the island
12:11and like everything on the menu seemed just kind of expensive
12:16um
12:16so I just ordered like a basic beef fried rice
12:20which was ten dollars
12:21which
12:22I mean it's not that much
12:23but
12:24for Cambodia it's pretty expensive
12:26and it's a very local restaurant
12:27but now
12:28I understand
12:29why
12:30everything's expensive
12:31look at the size of it
12:38so you're eating now huh?
12:39I guess I'll have some
12:41Mandy wasn't even hungry
12:43so
12:43I guess we'll all share this
12:46I'm starving
12:46so I'm stoked
12:48alright we just got to the boat pier
12:50and
12:50just waiting for the boat
12:52we're a little bit early
12:53we made it here in pretty good time in the end
12:55even after all that
12:56and
12:57it's about a 20 minute boat ride
13:00to the island
13:01it's really really nice to be back
13:04on the ocean
13:05it's been like
13:06over two months since we've been on the ocean
13:08I'm really looking forward to seeing what this island is like
13:11and what this resort's like
13:12alright here's our ride
13:14to the island
13:19just basically like a six to eight person dinghy
13:24hopefully we don't get wet
13:25I think we should be alright
13:30yeah yeah
13:30let me go
13:42where are we going?
13:45I have no idea
13:50I'm excited though
13:53We're not alone
13:55we're going there
13:56we're rich
13:56that we're all new
13:56we will the beach
13:57and I will love
13:57to look at?
13:59we let's wait
13:59after we recognize
14:20it looks like
14:20we'll be left
14:20we're gonna have to swing
14:21the dancing
14:21for a brighter
14:21p
14:31That's elephant rock, you can kind of see it looks like an elephant.
14:35At the big one viewpoint, it can go from the resort maybe 20 minutes.
14:41Okay.
15:10We made it.
15:20Hello, how are you?
15:39Wow, this is fully off-grid hey?
15:42Just walking through the jungle here to our cabin.
15:47It's a private beach and it's really really quiet.
15:51I don't know what.
16:26There she is.
16:28Haha.
16:57Haha.
17:05Yeah.
17:10Yeah.
17:13Yeah.
17:16Yeah.
17:18Yeah.
17:36Oh my goodness.
17:40You guys have no idea how good this swim feels.
17:44Oh, the water's incredible and we've got a full private beach here at the resort.
17:50We're staying in a really rustic cabin.
17:52It's pretty much like camping.
17:53It wouldn't be for everyone but I think we needed this.
18:05We're staying in a really good place.
18:11Hey guys.
18:11We're staying in a really good place.
18:32This day has changed over time.
18:34I'm here.
18:36I'm going to enjoy the restaurant.
19:01It is so quiet here, it's almost like hard to deal with.
19:08A little bit from, especially from going from like Bali and then Phnom Penh, like where
19:16everything's kind of overwhelming to just this, like it's pretty much just us on this
19:25deserted beach, island.
19:28Yeah, everything really slows down and you gotta, it sounds weird but it's, for me, it's
19:35kind of hard to get used to.
19:36Do you agree, Andy?
19:38Yeah.
19:39Lloyd and I have a bit of an escapism problem, if you haven't caught on to that yet.
19:47So like when we do slow down and then you have to sort of like process your emotions and your
19:52thoughts and stuff when you're staying still, it's good.
19:56We definitely needed it, I can tell, but yeah, it's been a bit overwhelming and really hard
20:01to sit still.
20:03But that's why I know it's a sign that we needed to do this for sure and it's a perfect
20:06place to do it.
20:08Yeah, usually wherever we are, like for me personally, like early afternoon, like four
20:13or five, I feel like I need to get out and do something.
20:15Go to the gym or yeah, go train, go for like a motorbike ride or just do something just to
20:22get sort of that anxious energy out.
20:25And I feel like here, you kind of just have to sit with it, which like Mandy said, it's
20:33probably a good thing.
20:51So our cabin is down that beach there and then you've got the restaurant here.
21:01There's like the games room up here, hammocks, seats, lounge chairs, and then just past here
21:11is what's called Long Beach, which is where we were yesterday morning and it's a really
21:16long stretch of beautiful beach.
21:18I ran up and back yesterday and it's just amazing.
21:24So everything's kind of just within like walking distance here, you do not need to go anywhere
21:32else.
22:00How do you do?
22:22I'm sure it's fine, but pretty much every tree in this resort has a lot of
22:31signs warning about snakes.
22:34This one's kind of the most concerning because it says to check under your bed before going
22:41to bed because there may be snakes.
22:49As I said, I'm sure it's nothing, but also I feel like there's a reason for those signs.
22:55Like someone had to have had a snake in their bed in order for them to put those signs.
23:00So literally on like every second tree.
23:10There's a sign about the snakes.
23:20There's a sign about the snakes.
23:35And then when you walk back to our cabin, it's just like every tree's got a sign on it.
23:40So obviously we're freaking out a little bit, expecting to see a snake in our room or at least
23:50around.
23:51But so far we haven't seen any and I'm hoping it stays that way because I'm not a big fan
23:58of snakes.
24:01But the room does have a bit of a snakey vibe.
24:06It's kind of, it's rustic.
24:09There's gaps under the doors.
24:11It was like, I can see how snakes would definitely get in and it was playing on my mind last
24:16night.
24:17In the middle of the night, I'm not going to lie.
24:20So yeah, last night when we went to bed, we were definitely checking under the cupboards,
24:26checking under the bed, making sure there was no snakes.
24:28And luckily there wasn't.
24:32Sunsets here are pretty magical, I have to say.
24:37Hey Leila.
24:41Like so dreamy, beautiful, beautiful colors.
24:45I'm going to miss it here.
24:46I'm so happy that we made the track out here.
24:59Just learned a new game.
25:02We don't know if it's abalone or abalone.
25:05It's the most popular game in France and Germany and Spain.
25:11Yeah.
25:11Or won an award.
25:13In Cairns apparently.
25:16Cons.
25:17Cons?
25:18Is it cons?
25:19We don't know if we're playing it right.
25:21We're playing it right.
25:22It's pretty fun.
25:23We had to watch a YouTube video.
25:25And we just found someone's channel.
25:27A niche where he just describes how to play board games.
25:32Smartest YouTube channel ever.
25:34He even had merch and t-shirts.
25:36Good on him.
25:37The abalone.
25:38Abalone.
25:40Abalone.
25:41Abalone.
25:41Video has 90,000 views.
25:44In five years.
25:46Killing it.
25:46All right.
25:47I guess I better check the snakes.
25:50Just going to check the snakes on here.
25:53Okay.
25:55I can see one.
25:57Can you pretend he didn't?
25:57Can you pretend he didn't?
25:59I can see one.
26:10Can you pretend he didn't?
26:13Oh, that actually kind of looked like one.
26:15It's not, though.
26:17I think we're all good.
26:21No snakes.
26:22But as you can see here, the door, even when it's shut, there's like a bit of a crack.
26:40So a snake will get in.
26:43But it won't.
27:15All right.
27:15Someone who's watching who knows more about snakes than me.
27:19Is this a snake trail?
27:20Are these snake trails?
27:23I don't know if you can see on camera.
27:27Leading up to the tree.
27:30And then it goes back here.
27:37All the way here.
27:40Under there.
27:46The staff here do a really good job of breaking the beach so it looks nice every day.
27:50But I've noticed first thing in the morning you can see these trails which is kind of creeping me out.
27:55Look at this.
27:56Here's another one.
28:17Let us know down below.
28:19There's got to be some kind of a snake tracking expert watching.
28:23Is that a snake trail?
29:01Okay, this is definitely the most rustic place I think we've stayed at in a very
29:06long time.
29:08No hot showers, sand kind of gets everywhere, but I think we really needed this.
29:15We both were just like go, go, go, kind of went back to survival mode a little bit and
29:20being forced to just like slow down and stay here has been really good for us.
29:25Like I feel like it's been a really good reset and it really just makes you appreciate little
29:29things like a hot shower.
29:31But we really enjoyed our time here.
29:33We'll leave a link in the description to this place if you want to come have like an authentic,
29:37off-grid, more like a camping experience, but you're still like protected and staying in
29:44like a proper bed.
29:46And wow, the food has been incredible here.
29:49Like yeah, you get cooked for properly, you're not just eating hot dogs over the fire.
29:53It's pretty, pretty awesome food.
29:56And cool games room and the view and the beach, like just having the whole private beach to
30:01ourselves.
30:01We enjoyed this so much, but now we're heading off to, how do I say, Koh Rong Sam Luem.
30:11Now we're heading off to Koh Rong Sam Luem, we're super excited.
30:15There's actually meant to be a mini-mart there, which we actually need.
30:18There's been no shops or anything on this island.
30:20It's very, very remote.
30:23So it's about a 15 minute boat ride back to the mainland and then we've got about an hour
30:29drive in the Tuk Tuk to where the ferry takes off to Koh Rong Sam Luem.
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