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City in Cambodia
Photo: JVan - User: (WT-shared) Campaka at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kampot is a relaxed riverside town in southeast Cambodia. It is the durian capital of Cambodia, a gateway to Bokor National Park, and is near popular farms growing well-known Kampot pepper. It is also a popular sex-tourism destination.
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Bokor National Park is being destroyed by a large hotel development. The eerie charm of the abandoned French hill station that included a shell of a church and the isolated upland nature reserve are rapidly becoming a tacky resort. The road up the mountain is now paved and provides easy access. The cooler climate and sublime views from the mountain remain and may provide some reason for a visit.
Animals have become much harder to spot. The waterfall, which only flows in the wet season, may still provide some sanctuary.
Tours still run up the mountain and cost approximately US$10, depending on bargaining skills. Lunch is included. The excursion can still be worthwhile provided it is viewed as an insight into Cambodia's Great Leap Forward rather than as an atmospheric expedition into a remote and haunting environment.
Several tracks enter the forest, one from behind the old tea plantation, the second from near the waterfalls. It is possible to stay at the ranger station which is basic but comfortable and, contrary to some reports, offers food and French wine.
A traditional Khmer longtail boat floats you to beautiful places where the flora, fauna and people dwell harmoniously. Voyage up the Kampot River and towards the heart of Bokor National Park.
Inquire in town about how to see pepper being grown and processed. Guided tours are easy to arrange. One option is to visit The Vine Retreat in Chamcar Bei village.
There are lots of durian farms on the way to Teuk Chhou Rapids. It may be hard to communicate to a tuk-tuk driver that this is what you want to see, but a tourist office / travel agent can help you arrange it. There don't seem to be organized guided tours like for the pepper farms, but you can go to a plantation and ask for permission to look around – before you leave, buy some fruit as a thank-you. Even when durian is out of season it's mildly interesting; in January you can see the unripe fruit starting to grow.
A pleasant ride through paddy fields and village life to these caves with pre-Angkorian (Funan) shrines and "lost worlds". Just after the rhino statue turn left (there is a sign to Phnom Chhnork Resort), cross the railway into a village. Straight ahead is Phnom Sera with some interesting caves and a quarry which feeds the local gravel industry. Follow the road 90 degrees left and 2 km or so to Wat Ang Sdok, pay the monks and walk across to the mountain. Take a torch.
An area of rapids with eateries and an island. It is a nice place for swimming, tubing and relaxing, and vendors sell fruit, coffee and water.
Standard Boat Tours (morning and evening cruise) available (US$5), kayak tours (US$9) or daily rent (US$7) (e.g., at Captain Chim's Guesthouse at the Old Market). Look around and compare different operators, as the boat tours range from spring break backpacker partying to calm, romantic, and family friendly. You can buy moderately priced food and drinks on board, and if you do a sunset tour you might see fireflies.
Play a few fun rounds of 9-hole mini golf for free. Have a cold beer before, during, and after.
Speciality coffee, roasted and ground on site. Australian-style café fare and fresh baked goods. Free Wi-Fi.
Modern cafe cuisine, fruit juices and Italian coffee. NGO-run to help local disabled people. Second-hand books for sale.
Khmer bakery with good cheap fare. Great brownies, no croissants.
Great cheeseburger and fries for US$4.50.
Run by Turks, serves good kebabs.
Western and Asian food with tender BBQ ribs, relaxing river side location. Beer provided in 568 ml glasses for those who love a pint.
Formerly The Lazy Farmer
Serves a wide range of Khmer delicacies in a romantic garden on the river.
A small brick-stall at the roadside, owned by an Italian guy who makes excellent pasta and pizza.
Vegan and vegetarian cafe with a hippie vibe and good food.
All-day breakfast and bakery, great carrot cake (3,000 riel). Air-conditioned. Free Wi-Fi.
Western and Indian food.
Chinese-style noodles and dumplings.
Khmer fusion cuisine.
OM House Kampot
Restaurant and organic shop. Wide range of fresh juices and smoothies, crepes, Khmer and Western delicacies. Healthy food, herbal teas, coffee and cakes. A meeting place for green thinking people. Free Wi-Fi.
Stylish bar with garden area and great tunes. Serves Western and Khmer food. Kitchen open till 23:00. Big selection of beers, cocktails, fruit juices. Darts, chess and new pool table with competition on Sunday at 20:00, admission US$2. Good meeting point at night. Friendly Swiss-German run.
Four-bed dorm and air-con single/double rooms. free Wi-Fi.
Has laundry and bicycle hire.
Another straightforward guesthouse with fan and air-con rooms and food, next to Orchid. This one has clean rooms, no fridge, great Wi-Fi and it's quiet because it's at the end of the street.
Nice garden restaurant, clean rooms, fan, and air-con.
Funky converted villa run by Westerners with free Wi-Fi, 9-hole mini-golf course, pool table, 50-inch HD widescreen TV for live sports, great Western and Asian food including excellent Indian dishes, and a well stocked bar open late and with incredibly cheap draft beer, especially during happy hour between 12:00 and 16:00. A great place to hang out and meet other travellers, with no shortage of entertainment. Air-con or fan rooms are spotlessly clean and feature superb quality mattresses and hot showers, and now there is a penthouse dormitory. Laundry, travel tickets, motorbike and bicycle rental and up to date travel information available.
River front bungalows with over-the-water dining.
Relatively (3 storeys) high rise building. Clean fan/air-con rooms with en suite bath. Wi-Fi.
Straightforward guesthouse with fan and air-con rooms and food.
Multi-storey purpose-built hotel.
Six-bed dorm. Free Wi-Fi.
Converted villa guesthouse with simple restaurant and Wi-Fi.
Fan/air-con double room with en suite bath. Free Wi-Fi.
Eight-bed dorm or double rooms. Free Wi-Fi.
A homestay guesthouse that features traditional bungalows and free use of a bicycle as well as Cambodian specialties and Western favourites. Friendly family country-side location, motorbike rental available.
Small private bungalows set in an orchard with a fantastic view. Great bar and restaurant in beautiful old wooden Khmer house with a large balcony overlooking the river. Free bicycles, kayak rental, free Wi-Fi, popular swimming spot.
Comfortable bungalows and rooms with mosquito nets. Diving board, inexpensive high quality food and great communal atmosphere. The cheapest of the three. Food and drinks.
Clean bungalows with mosquito nets, terrace, access to the river and good local food. Very friendly and family-like atmosphere. No party crowd and a place to easily get to know the locals.
Garden bungalow resort with table d'hote menu, kayaks, and boat trips. Very French. Trilingual staff. Call for pick-up.
Guesthouse and restaurant in a nice garden setting, in a quiet part of the old French quarter of town. Clean, nicely decorated fan and air-con rooms with cable TV, DVD player and en suite bath with hot water. Balcony. Complimentary tea and coffee. Patio restaurant and bar serving Khmer and international fare including pizzas from a wood-fired oven.
Swanky garden bungalow resort.
Consistently well reviewed charming small Western-managed hotel on the river road in town. Stylishly finished a/c rooms with amenities including TV, DVD, mini-fridge, in-room Wi-Fi, spring mattresses, and hot/cold showers. Strong-box in-room. Excellent rooftop restaurant and bar with a brilliant view overlooking the river. Western and Asian food in atmospheric terrace restaurant. Notable saraman (Cambodian beef curry) and amok trai (fish curry). Cooked-to-order breakfast included in room rate.
Given its reputation for quality, this is probably the most popular purchase made by visitors to Kampot. Such is its popularity that a host of imitators claim to be Kompot pepper. If you want to be confident that the pepper you buy is the genuine article, buy it from a reputable supplier. The packaging should have an authenticity logo and possibly a tracking code identifying the farm where it was grown.
Hand made in Kampot. Quilts, pillows and cushions, coasters and place mats, belts and bags.
Local fruit. sells clothing and housewares.
Mostly clothes, a bit of food and other miscellaneous products, and a couple of small rides for kids.
By bus
All of the buses, with the exception of Giant Ibis, end at the central Kampot bus station which is about 150 m from one of the main guesthouse streets in Kampot.
By taxi
Many guesthouses in Phnom Penh can arrange a private taxi. Expect to pay between US$35-50 for the whole taxi with the trip taking about 2½ hr.
By train
By boat
The Crab Shuttle is a converted local fishing vessel which sails between Kampot and Kep (trip time 2 hr 20 min). It leaves Kampot at 09:00 from the riverside in front of Rikitikitavi Hotel.
Getting around Kampot is easy on foot or on a bicycle, given the town's small size and flat terrain.
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