Kampot, Cambodia. Souther Cambodia'n Town.

Kampot, Cambodia

Set on the Kampot River, Kampot Town is the capital of Kampot province. A quiet town, best known as the starting point for trips to Bokor Mountain, Kampot's a great escape from the larger cities and towns in Cambodia. Located near the ocean, close to Vietnam, you can travel to SihanoukVille and Phnom Penh in a few hours, and to Vietnam in only an hour. Also, the original seaside resort of Cambodia, Kep, is a short drive away.

Kampot
Located on both sides of the Kampot River also know as Teuk Chhou or Prek Thom, and connected by 3 bridges, the East side of Kampot is where most of the restaurants, guesthouses, and market are located. Along the riverfront, on both sides, are several guesthouses and restaurants with Western and Khmer hosts. The riverfront is fairly quiet and quite picturesque.

Walk around town, rent a bicycle, or rent a small motorcycle to get around. Also, you can ride motorcycle taxis and tuk tuks (a cart pulled by a motorcycle) for 12 to 50 cents to most places in town.

Some attractions downtown, besides the riverfront, are the central market and the football stadium. Towards the ocean on the East side is the port of Kampot and many Cham Muslim communities and schools. Across the river is Kampot's Wat or Buddhist Temple which is open to tourists. Past the Wat are Kampot's salt fields, and further out of town are Kampot's famous Black Pepper and Durian farms.

not a map of kampot

List of
Accommodations, Drinking, and Dining in Kampot

the kampot riverside restaurant

Around Kampot

Across the River (West Side) the first big road to the right from either bridge, takes you to the Kampot Zoo (about 20 minute ride and $5 entrance fee), lions, tigers and bears (and maybe some monkeys), and the Kampot River rapids, Teuk Chhou, an informal park for eating, drinking, sleeping, and playing in the water. Take your own motorcycle or get a motorcycle taxi or Tuk Tuk for about $5-7 round trip.

Canoeing, Kayaking, and guided river tours are possible on the river. Check Little Garden, Long Villa and a few other places on the riverfront for boat rentals.

Kampot is also known worldwide for it's Pepper Farms (Pepper website) (black, green, red and white table pepper) and locally for Durian farms (a giant, pointy fruit, weighing up to 12 kilograms). The Pepper from Kampot is the only food product in Cambodia exported worldwide, and will soon have the Origin Specific label "Kampot Pepper". Pepper farm tours are a popular activity here.

Other Things in Kampot
Keppler's Books
Monkey Tour
Kampot Taxi
Salt Fields
Kampot Music
Sean Ly Moto Rental
Epic Arts
Lili Perles
Cheang Try Tours
Sok Lim Tours

Phnom Sasear is a cave about 15 kilometers outside of Kampot. The cave is small, and there is an ancient Buddhist shrine inside.

wat kampot

Getting Here

From Phnom Penh, a taxi or minibus for a 3 hour trip, about $5. From Kep, a half hour ride by car, tuk tuk or motorcycle. From SihanoukVille, a taxi for about $4/person, leaving from in front of the market, or $25 for the whole car for a 2 hour trip. Also, G'Day Mate offers a van service for about $7, or Rith Mony has a full sized bus. Check the Sihanoukville site for departure times.

Now from Koh Kong, you can get a morning bus to Kampot for $10 and a 4 to 5 hour ride.

While in Kampot, look for the Kampot Survival Guide and Kampot Dar'Laing Newsletter for more information.

the kampot port