Things to Do in Kampot: A Local Travel Guide
A local travel guide to Kampot, with honest advice on what to do, how long to stay, when to visit, food, day trips, transport, and local experiences.
Kampot Province
Stories
There’s more to Kampot than most visitors expect. Articles on local history, culture, and daily life.
Planning Your Trip
Best Time to Visit Kampot
What's actually happening in Kampot throughout the year, including rice transplanting, harvest season, salt fields, pepper farms, durian season, Buddhist festivals, and national holidays.
How to Get to Kampot
How to get to Kampot from Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Koh Rong, Kep, Siem Reap, and the Vietnam border.
How Long Should You Stay in Kampot?
How long to spend in Kampot, from one day passing through to a week of side roads, local spots, and not wanting to leave.
Things To Do
Yoga in Kampot
A guide to yoga classes and retreats in Kampot, Cambodia.
Kampot Pepper Farms: Which One Should You Visit?
Trying to choose between La Plantation, BoTree, Sindora, and Sothy's Pepper Farm? Here's how Kampot's best-known pepper farm visits compare.
Kampot Alternatives: 6 Places Most Visitors Miss
Kampot has more going on than most visitors ever discover. Here's where to look.
Banteay Srey Women's Spa: A Khmer Experience for Women
More than a spa, the Banteay Srey Women's Spa in Kampot offers an authentic Khmer wellness experience while supporting opportunities for local women.
Kampot Dog Sanctuary at High Tide
Visit Kampot Dog Sanctuary at High Tide, 4km from town. The official site currently says there are 72 dogs on site, there is no entry fee, and buying a drink helps support their care.
Kampong Trach: Kampot's Best Kept Secret
Forty kilometres from Kampot, the small town of Kampong Trach sits among dramatic limestone hills, jungle caves, rice fields, and almost no other tourists.
Food & Drink
Kampot for Vegetarians
Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Kampot, plus Khmer phrases for ordering vegetarian food.
Where to Eat in Kampot: Best Breakfast, Restaurants, and Street Food
A local tour guide's favorite places to eat in Kampot, from the best breakfast spots and Khmer seafood to international restaurants and street food at Kampot Food Street.
Nom Banchuck in Kampot: Cambodia's Beloved Breakfast Noodles
Nom Banchuck is a popular Khmer noodle dish traditionally eaten for breakfast. In Kampot, it has a distinct flavour and a refreshing twist.
Culture & History
The History of Bokor Mountain
Before Bokor became a colonial hill station, it was a mountain of local names, warnings, and stories: visible from Kampot, but still outside the world the French thought they understood.
Books About Cambodia: Where to Start Reading
A reading list for understanding Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, from David Chandler's history to survivor memoirs and the In the Shadows of Utopia podcast.
Mun Sui: The King's Pirate
A Chinese pirate arrived in Kampot in 1858 with a hundred men and a plan to burn the town. The king made him commander of the coast-guard.
The Massacre of Rạch Giá
On the morning of June 17th, 1868, a Chinese cattle merchant was travelling from Châu Đốc along a canal to Rạch Giá, a small port on the Gulf of Siam just south of the Cambodian border. The port was originally founded by Chinese settlers and had been occupied by the French just the year before.
Who Is Lok Yeay Mao? The Spirit That Watches Over Kampot
Who is Lok Yeay Mao? Discover the guardian spirit of Kampot, her legends, shrines, and why she still watches over travellers today.
Kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge: The 1994 Kampot Train Attack
In July 1994, three backpackers took a train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. It was a journey that would lead them into the heart of a Khmer Rouge stronghold in Kampot Province.
Prisoners of Class: A Khmer Rouge Survivor Memoir
A review of Prisoners of Class, Chan Samoeum’s firsthand Khmer Rouge memoir and one of the most important survivor accounts from Cambodia.
The Forest Children of Cambodia
Those small wicker shrines with little colourful houses hanging in front of Kampot shophouses: what exactly are they for?
The Kinky Tail of Cambodian Cats
Have you noticed that many of the local cats have stumpy, kinked tails? You're not the first.