Kampot is a relatively small town on the banks of the Tuek Chhu river, southern Cambodia. It is only an hour or so away from the Vietnam border which was the only reason we ended up there in the first place. However, the town was a real surprise and we really liked its laid back vibe. It is also rare for an Asian place to have a pedestrian area and Kampot had this really nice riverside area where you could walk without the fear of being run over by a motorbike, huge plus!
The minivan ride from Phnom Penh took about 4 hours and cost $12 each, this time no overcrowding and no overheating, thank God.
We booked the Two Moons hotel as it had a pool and in Cambodia the pools are essential. Trust me, it is the hottest place on earth and it is impossible to survive the day without cold room breaks or pool dips. At times, I even considered not showering before going out. As soon as you step out it’s like walking into an oven and before you know it you’re sweltering. It is a reality, especially towards the end of the dry season in March and April so if you can’t stand the heat consider visiting at another time.
The Two Moons is located a short walk from the town centre. The rooms were basic but did the job. They have a bar and a restaurant onsite and can arrange transport as well, so pretty convenient if you just want to lie by the pool. If you’re up for a party, there was one going on pretty much every night in the nearby Mad Monkey Hostel 😂 We spent a couple of days being lazy since we had 5 days there. Apart from being at the pool we should have got a loyalty card from Simple Things, a vegetarian restaurant in town centre. The food there was truly incredible and I think we went there in excess of 5 times for sure. Cambodian food standards can be hit and miss so when you do find a good place you kind of stick to it for safety.
Kampot is famous for salt and pepper production and we felt it would be rude not to see how the world’s most famous condiments are grown and made. We hired a tuk tuk driver to take us to these sites as well as others in the area. The driver who called himself Ian (Eang) was such a nice person and we even ended up going to his house for some refreshments as a part of the tour. When I say refreshments, I mean refreshments Cambodian style – fresh coconuts collected from a tree right in front of us! It was amazing.
The visit to the salt fields was really interesting. Kampot is very close to the sea and has an abundance of salty water and the ever hard-working locals made a viable business from it. However, it is a hard slog, the heat is relentless and you only get $2.50 per field! Sometimes it is shared between 2 people too.
There are a number of pepper plantations in the area, some are big operations like La Plantation and some are small family run businesses. We went to La Plantation and got a free tour of the farm as well lots of information on different types of pepper and how it is used. They also give you a free tasting session which although a nice touch won’t be to everyone’s taste. How many peppercorns can you feasibly eat on their own without it all just tasting like pepper? Turns out I can’t do as many as the tour guide wants you to. He also accidentally threw some ground pepper in my eye (probably showing his disappointment in my pepper tasting skills) which was the final straw for me, I was truly peppered out and didn’t buy any pepper to take home.
We also saw an ancient cave temple thing and a man made lake which is called a Secret Lake (it’s called this because it’s a secret how many people died building it…). Both nice, however my highlight was the last stop – Kep crab market. There was a lot of seafood on offer but the guide suggested we should only eat there if we have a strong stomach. That’s a no then 😂 He took us to a crab restaurant instead (called Kimly) where I ordered a whole plate of the little fellows and it was truly delicious, I could have eaten several portions easily. Kep is actually on the seafront and it was so lovely to finally see the sea after travelling inland for the past 2 months. The beach is not amazing though so if you are wondering if you should stay in Kampot or Kep, Kampot gets my vote for sure as there is more going on there. There is an island near Kep called the Rabbit Island where apparently the beaches are really nice if that’s what you’re after but we haven’t made it there so can’t comment.
Another thing which I would definitely recommend in Kampot is a sunset cruise (turns out I’m a cruise fan, clearly getting old is taking its toll). There are a number of boats operating the cruise and you can book any of them through one of the travel agencies in town. It costs only $5 and we got 2 cans of beer each included in the price, bargain! It’s a very relaxing experience and you get a bonus attraction too – fireflies! The boat sails out of town to a more jungly part of the river and just stops by the shore. As the light slowly disappears you can see tiny lights flickering. 2 hours well spent 😀
As mentioned, we were obsessed by the vegetarian restaurant in Kampot, to the point we barely had any actual Cambodian food. But hey, sometimes you just need to give your body what it wants, right? In my case it was a giant aubergine pizza, oriental pesto pasta, mozzarella eggs and falafel.
