Asia > Cambodia > Rabi Island (RBE)
The Car or no Car advice for Rabi Island can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Rabi Island ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Rabi Island ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Rabi Island?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.
Rabi Island is one of the clearest examples anywhere where the car-or-no-car decision resolves almost instantly. This is a remote, rural island with no conventional road network and very limited motorised transport. So, should you rent a car on Rabi Island? No — it’s neither necessary nor realistic.
📍 Getting Around Rabi Island — the Reality
Rabi Island is small, quiet, and village-based.
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No formal car rental industry
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Very limited sealed roads
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Settlements are dispersed but lightly populated
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Movement is slow and local by design
The island simply isn’t built around private vehicles.
🚶♂️ Walking and Local Transport
Most movement happens at a human pace.
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Walking is common between villages
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Community vehicles may exist for shared use
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Boats are often more important than roads
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Travel depends on local arrangements
Visitors usually move with the help of hosts or community contacts.
🚤 Boats Matter More Than Cars
On Rabi Island, the sea is the main transport corridor.
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Small boats connect coastal points
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Inter-island travel is by boat rather than road
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Supplies and people arrive by sea
This reinforces how secondary road travel is here.
🚗 Why Cars Don’t Make Sense
Even if a car were available, it would add little value.
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Distances are short
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Roads are minimal
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Maintenance and fuel are impractical
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Travel is shaped by terrain and community, not speed
Rabi is about presence, not mobility.
🌿 Visiting Rabi Island Is About Place, Not Movement
Time on Rabi Island focuses on:
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Community life
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Culture and history
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Landscape and coastline
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Slow, respectful travel
Transport fades into the background.
Conclusion: should you rent a car on Rabi Island?
No — completely unnecessary.
Rabi Island is not a destination where cars play any meaningful role. Walking, boats, and local arrangements are how the island functions.
💡 Rule of thumb:
On Rabi Island, slow travel isn’t a choice — it’s the point. 🌊🚶♂️
