GETTING THERE
Traveling from Siem Reap, you will need to head first to Phnom Penh in order to make it to Kampot province. Once in the capital, National Route 3 takes travelers to Kampot, with buses taking about 4 and 5 hours and costing around $5. A private taxi for this same journey will set you back $35, but it will take only 3 hours.
If you are starting off from Sihanoukville, the 80 miles journey to Kampot will take around 1 to 2 hours, with road in a surprisingly good condition. Expect to pay around $30 to $40 for a private taxi. Shared taxi cost $5 per person, and usually carry six or seven passengers. While there are no proper buses currently, there are several Van companies that go between Sihanoukville and Kampot. Kampot Tours and Champa Mekong Tours are the most popular with expats. The trip will cost $5 and take 2 hours. The quiet seaside resort of Kep is about 30 minutes south of Kampot. The trip is only 25 Km and takes between 30 minutes to an hour depending on which type of transport you choose; your options include Reu Mok (around $12 one way), Moto $6, Taxi $20 boat $9.5 and bus $3. More adventurous readers might hire a Motorbike and ride the journey instead. This is quite a popular choice especially in the dry months from November onwards.
WHERE TO STAY
There are numerous places to stay in Kampot, and they can roughly be divided into two distinctive areas. The town centre hosts various accommodations that cater for the budget backpacker to the high-end tourist. For a room with a view, there are several guesthouses that sit on the river just out of town and offer the perfect place to kick back and relax or party, depending on which one you pick. A room with a twin bed and a shared bathroom can go for as low as $6.
Although much smaller, Kep caters for the medium to high-end tourists, with a good choice of hotels and guesthouses, many of which boast pools to help you cool down after a day of sightseeing. Kep's accommodation is quiet spaced out, and while there are some within easy walking distance of the beach, many of the options are clustered on the hill off the Kampot road, which begins at the bus's station. These places deliver excellent sunsets, but the further you go, the more you'll be relying on transport to get you around. Prices start at around $20 a night.
ACTIVITIES
Kampot is home to historic Bokor Mountain, which makes a great day trip by motorbike as the road is now in excellent condition all the way. Kayaking and other water activities are also available and, during high season, a recommended activity is stand up paddleboarding through the mangroves further upstream. Exploring the surrounding countryside is a must when in Kampot and the best way to do this is hiring a motorbike and hitting the roads.
Despite being laid-back and sleepy, Kep is home to a wealth of activities to enjoy. As well as boasting a beach with white sands, there's Kep National Park, boat trips, snorkeling and the famous crab market where visitors can enjoy the town's signature crab and Kampot pepper. Rabbit Island also site off the coast of Kep and is a 20 minustes boat trip away. Other popular activities include Kompong Trach and its caves, which are about 35Km northeast of Kep. The limestone caves can be explored and inside sites a huge reclining Buddha and a small lake, which is perfect for swimming in on a hot day.
FOOD & DRINK
Kampot and Kep may not have the extensive culinary range of Phnom Pen but most tastes are catered for. Fresh seafood is widely available, with crab, prawns, squid and many types of ocean fish caught fresh daily. No visit to Kep complete without a taste of the Kep crab. This blue swimmer crab is specially renowned for its taste in curries. Options abound when it comes tom sampling the gorgeously sweet and meaty crab. Culinary adventures head straight to the Kep crab market, where they can choose the choicest live catches from vendor's baskets, haggling down the price before paying a few thousand Riel to have them steamed at a nearby stall. This is the cheapest and most interactive crab experience, but visitors looking for a more hassle-free dinner will find it in the homey row of restaurants near the market, which all have crab platters as the highlight of the menu. Served still in the shell often with a thick, peppery sauce, dinners get to dig into each crab, scooping out the flesh in a messy and satisfying culinary experience.
NIGHTLIFE
Kampot is home to several bars, mostly along the town centre, with some of the venue that sit on the river hosting live music at weekends. And while nightlife in Kep is fairly scare, there are a few bars near the crab market that can get quite lively at nighttime.
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