Kampot and its charm
We know that the charm of Kampot has the power of relaxing even the most hectic traveler and the reasons to stay in town to enjoy its river and calmness are more than many. But we also know that, as soon as you get out of the city, Kampot’s surroundings offer a lot to explore and marvel at. Stay tuned from some suggestions on where to go!
Getting out of the city is a great way to meet some locals and experience a genuine Cambodian lifestyle.
Kep: a quiet coastal town with memories of a glorious past
Of course the first place to mention is Kep, the small and quiet coastal town popular since the sixties, when it was a resort area for rich Khmer families. Famous for its beach and its seafood market (crabs are so well known that they even deserve a statue in their honor on the sea in front of the town). Kep is also as a getaway to take the boat to Rabbit island, or Koh Tonsai, as known by Cambodians.
Koh Tonsai or Rabbit Island: palm trees, hammocks and glowing pankton
And here we go, Koh Tonsai is our next spot on this list! An island just a half hour boat ride from the coast, filled with nature and perfect to relax on a hammock, sunbath or swim in this gorgeous ocean. The beach is especially gorgeous on some nights, when the plankton appears in the sea and glows in the dark. Besides that, you can engage in snorkeling, fishing or trekking.
Natural Parks and Mountains: amazing views and local fauna
Back to the mainland, near Kep you have a national park with an entrance ticket of just one dollar, perfect for spotting the local fauna and trekking in a pure rainforest jungle. You can breathe some fresh air and maybe take the opportunity for that exercise you were looking for after eating such delicious seafood in Kep! Moreover, there’s a wonderful place to watch the sunset called, appropriately, Sunset Rock.
If you are passionate about birds, you should not miss the Anlong Pring bird sanctuary, not far away as well.
Not only for nature lovers but also for riders, a beautiful day trip idea to go to Bokor Mountain with a motorbike. There you can enjoy the view and have fun driving its winding road. You will be able to find a bit of everything, from wildlife (Bokor is also part of a national park) to an old vacant and forgotten casino on the top of the mountain. Worth some mysterious pictures for your travel album, namely if you are going in a foggy day. And, well, if you are really trying to do some kind of tour along the mountains and parks around town, you still have the Phnom Sor, or White Mountain, in the north of Kampot.
Traeuy Koh: local villages and salt fields
Tired of trekking and mountains? Much closer to the city you have Traeuy Koh, a small island just across one of Kampot’s bridges. Another option is to visit the salt fields in the surroundings which, depending on the time of the year, can provide you with one of the most incredible setting for photography in the whole country. Just imagine very shallow salt lakes where the water perfectly reflects the sky and you can picture it!
Kampot Pepper: a legend for a reason
There are also the well known farms of delicious Kampot pepper, famous all over the world for its distinguished taste. If you want to buy some, only trust the farms themselves. The pepper sold in Kampot’s markets is more often than not a fake one, cheaper and produced in Vietnam.
The famous Kampot pepper.
Secluded places: a secret lake, misterious caves, hidden temples
Not far away you can also find a beautiful lake, which somehow got named as the Secret Lake. If you are really into this kind of secluded places and want a beach only for yourself go to Angkoul beack! Ask your guesthouse or checkout the maps (typically available on bars and cafés in Kampot). If, in the other hand, suntanning is not your thing and you are missing is some cool shade to break the Southeast Asian weather, check out the caves around Kampong Trach. Another interesting place is Phnom Sorsia, a Buddhist hill temples complex, a cave filled with bats and another one where you can see limestone stalagmites that resemble elephants (hence its name of Elephant Cave).
Crossing the border: your bridge to Vietnam
Last but not least, a good option can be crossing the border to Vietnam, which is just 40km from Kampot. The border is Prek Chak on the Cambodian side, and Xa Xia in Vietnam side. Ha Tien is a nice town nearby, around 20 minutes from the border and a lovely place to start exploring the country. It is also a good spot if you are on your way to Phu Quoc island, highly recommended and not so far away. Just bear in mind that you can not make your visa on arrival on the border to Vietnam, you should have it already with you (the nearest place to Kampot to deal with the visa process is Sihanoukville).
As soon as you pass the border you can check some Vietnamese “street market art”.
Hope you got some ideas on where to go if you are in Kampot and looking for something different. Its surroundings are definitely worth to see! Check out Camboticket website if you need to book tickets for your trip. You can even book tickets from Kampot to Ha Tien and other places in Vietnam.