Kampot travel guide
Pepper farms, a colonial riverfront and the misty Bokor plateau
Kampot is a riverside town in southern Cambodia with a French colonial centre, pepper farms and the Bokor plateau above it. Come between November and April for dry roads and clear views from Bokor. Two or three days suits most people. Kampot is cheap, and visitors need an e-Visa or visa on arrival.
Kampot lies on the Praek Tuek Chhu River about 5 km inland from the Gulf of Thailand. The Elephant Mountains and the Bokor plateau rise to the west. People come for slow days on the water, a colonial old town and the pepper grown on farms around it, which is exported worldwide.
Life centres on the riverside promenade between the patched-up Old Bridge and the restored French market building. Behind it runs a grid of 19th-century shophouses, one of the few colonial centres left in a Cambodian provincial town, and the government has been preparing it for a UNESCO nomination.
Bokor is the big day out. A paved road climbs to the plateau, where the shell of the French hill station and its old church stand in cool, often misty air. A large resort development has changed the mood up there, so go for the views and the history rather than wilderness. Tours run up daily and usually include lunch.
Buy pepper here, and on a farm visit taste the black, red and white grades side by side. Durian season runs through April and May. For breakfast look for thick beef stew eaten with baguette, and in the evening try a fruit shake from the stalls on the main avenues.
Day trips by tuk-tuk reach the salt fields, the Phnom Chhnork cave temple in the limestone hills and the crab market at Kep on the coast. PassApp works in town but Grab mostly does not, so keep riel and small dollar notes for drivers.
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Top things to do in Kampot
River trips, pepper farms, Bokor's old hill station and cave temples in limestone country.
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Best time to visit Kampot
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
December to February average under 30 mm of rain a month, with the clearest days on Bokor and dusty but easy country roads.
August brings around 380 mm and thick mist on Bokor, but a green river valley and fewer visitors.
Weekends and Khmer holidays bring crowds from Phnom Penh, and durian lovers arrive in April and May, so book rooms ahead then.
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Getting there
Buses from Phnom Penh, the railway and the Ha Tien border
Most visitors take a bus from Phnom Penh, 148 km away, two and a half to five hours depending on traffic; some go direct, others via Kep. All but Giant Ibis end at the central bus station near the guesthouse streets. Kampot has no airport, but the Royal Railway's southern line stops here. From Ha Tien, cross at Prek Chak.
- Sorya
- Via Kep, about 3 hours
- Paramount Angkor Express
- Direct without the Kep detour, about 3 hours
- Giant Ibis
- Daily coaches from the company's own Phnom Penh office; check the current timetable when booking
- From Ha Tien, Vietnam
- Minivan to Prek Chak, walk across the border, then a Cambodian minivan to Street 724; about 47 km in all
- Prek Chak is not on the list of crossings that accept the Cambodian e-visa for entry, so be ready to buy a visa on arrival and ignore touts offering to speed it up.
- Book a day ahead around Khmer holidays, when buses from Phnom Penh sell out.
- Sorya runs via Kep in about 3 hours; Paramount Angkor Express goes direct.
Where to stay
Old Market Street, Guesthouse Street or upriver
Sleep in Kampot's French quarter, near Old Market Street, to walk to dinner along the promenade, at the highest prices in town. Guesthouse Street has budget rooms 150 m from the bus station, and the durian roundabout plain hotels. Upriver bungalows across the bridge trade convenience for kayaks and silent nights.
- Old Market Street and the French quarter
- Cafes, restaurants and the riverside promenade on your doorstep; the most expensive rooms in town
- Guesthouse Street
- Budget rooms about 150 m from the bus station, handy for early departures
- Around the durian roundabout
- Plain hotels on the main avenues near the shake stalls and bike rental; busier traffic
- Upriver bungalows
- Riverbank places across the bridge with kayaks and hammocks; every trip into town needs a tuk-tuk or a scooter
Getting around
Walking, bicycles, scooters and the river
The riverside promenade, old market and French quarter are a short walk apart, and a bicycle reaches the salt fields. For Bokor, the pepper farms and caves, rent a scooter or hire a tuk-tuk for the day. PassApp works but Grab barely does, so carry small notes. Kayaks and slow boats head upriver.
- Bicycle
- Hired by the day near the durian roundabout or from most guesthouses
- Scooter or dirt bike
- 100 to 125 cc scooters and 250 cc dirt bikes by the day; the Bokor road is paved
- Tuk-tuk
- PassApp or street drivers; agree a day rate for the farms, the caves and Kep
- Kayak
- Daily rental or guided trips from guesthouses near the old market
- Check the brakes before riding up Bokor; the descent back to the coast is long.
Know before you go
What makes Kampot worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- A sunset boat on the river, with the mountains turning dark behind.
- A pepper farm visit, walking the rows and tasting the different grades.
- Bokor's old French church standing alone on the plateau in the mist.
- Kayaking upriver from the old market, with or without a guide.
- Phnom Chhnork, a cave temple tucked into a limestone hill among rice fields.
Good to know
- Bokor is cool and often misty, so bring a light layer even in the dry season.
- Durian is in season in April and May; out of season it is imported.
- Riverside guesthouses outside town can feel remote without your own transport.
- Shop around for boat trips, which range from party boats to quiet family cruises.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Kampot, month by month
Kampot's August rains average about 381 mm, while February gets only around 21 mm. May is hottest, near 34°C.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Kampot (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
Bokor by morning, salt pans and Phnom Chhnork cave
Go up Bokor on your first morning in Kampot, by scooter or tour, while the air is clearest: the paved road climbs to the shell of the French church and the old hill station, noticeably cooler on top. Take an evening boat on the Praek Tuek Chhu, and give day two to the salt pans and Phnom Chhnork cave.
Back in town, take an evening boat up the Praek Tuek Chhu and watch the Elephant Mountains darken against the sky, then eat in the old quarter near the market.
Day two is for the countryside. Hire a tuk-tuk to a pepper farm, where you can walk between the vines and taste black, red and white pepper side by side, then carry on to the salt fields, where workers rake brine in shallow pans during the dry months. Finish at Phnom Chhnork, a limestone cave sheltering a small pre-Angkorian brick temple, reached on foot past rice paddies. End the day with a fruit shake from one of the evening stalls on the main avenues.
Kampot pepper grades, durian and beef stew breakfasts
Visit a pepper farm near Kampot to taste the grades of its protected-status pepper: green fresh on the stalk, black, red ripened on the vine and white with the husk removed; small bags in town make the best souvenir. Breakfast is beef stew with French bread from morning stalls, and durian is the local obsession.
Breakfast here means a thick beef stew eaten with French bread, sold from small stalls in the morning. Durian is the other local obsession, honoured by the giant fruit on the main roundabout. It is in season in April and May, and anything sold in the cooler months is imported. Seafood comes in from the coast and from Kep next door, where crab is fried with fresh green peppercorns.
Evenings bring the shake stalls along the main avenues, blending whatever fruit is ripe with ice. Halal food is easy to find. For Western cravings, the cafes of the French quarter cover it, among them Epic Arts Cafe on Old Market Street, which employs people with disabilities, and Cafe Espresso, which roasts its own beans.
Clear Bokor views in December, cloud and a green river in August
Temperatures barely shift in Kampot, from 30°C in December to 34°C in May, but rain swings hugely. December to February bring only 21 to 29 mm a month, the time for clear Bokor views. August is wettest at about 380 mm, when the plateau vanishes into cloud, though the river runs green and the waterfall flows.
The wet season is not a write-off. The river runs high and green, the Bokor waterfall flows, and guesthouses are quieter and easier to book. Go up the mountain early and be ready to turn back if the top is lost in fog.
Crowds follow the holiday calendar, whatever the weather. Weekends and Khmer holidays, especially Khmer New Year in mid-April, bring families down from Phnom Penh, and riverside rooms fill quickly. Durian season in April and May draws its own visitors from across the country. If you want the old quarter to yourself, come midweek between November and March.
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How we research our Kampot travel guide
Kampot's bus routes, Bokor access and border crossing were checked with the provincial website and Cambodia's e-Visa portal.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of KampotCambodia official e-VisaAngkor Enterprise
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Kampot.
Getting there
Yes, Sorya runs via Kep and takes about three hours; Paramount Angkor Express goes direct. Traffic can stretch the 148 km ride to five hours.
Yes for the views, the cooler air and the ruined French hill station. A big resort development has changed the plateau, so do not expect untouched wilderness.
General
Two or three days covers Bokor, a pepper farm, the caves and a river trip, with time for a day in Kep.
November to April is dry, with the clearest days on Bokor. August is the wettest month, with mist on the mountain and green fields below.
Minivans run the 47 km to Ha Tien with a walk across the border in between. Prek Chak does not accept the Cambodian e-visa for entry, so plan for a visa on arrival when coming the other way, and hold a Vietnamese visa or e-visa before heading south.
It has protected geographical status and comes in green, black, red and white grades. A farm visit lets you taste them side by side and buy direct.
A tuk-tuk covers the short coastal ride, and most drivers will stop at a pepper farm on the way. Some buses from Phnom Penh also call at both.
Hardly at all, but PassApp works for tuk-tuks and taxis. Expect to pay drivers in cash.
The riverside promenade, old market and French quarter are a short walk apart, and a bicycle reaches the salt fields. For Bokor, the pepper farms and caves, rent a scooter or hire a tuk-tuk for the day. PassApp works but Grab barely does, so carry small notes.
Sleep in Kampot's French quarter, near Old Market Street, to walk to dinner along the promenade, at the highest prices in town. Guesthouse Street has budget rooms 150 m from the bus station, and the durian roundabout plain hotels. Upriver bungalows across the bridge trade convenience for kayaks and silent nights.
Timing & weather
April and May. Durian sold outside those months is usually imported.
May is the warmest month in Kampot, with average highs of 34°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 21°C. August is the wettest month, at about 381 mm of rain; February is the driest. Kampot's August rains average about 381 mm, while February gets only around 21 mm.
Stay & facilities
Look for thick beef stew served with French bread at morning stalls, then a fruit shake from the evening vendors later in the day.
Visa & documents
Cambodia requires a visa for most visitors. A 30-day tourist e-Visa can be applied for online on the official government portal, or obtained on arrival at international airports and main land borders. Citizens of most ASEAN countries are exempt.
Health & safety
Bag and phone snatching from motorbikes is common in Phnom Penh, so hold bags away from the street side in tuk-tuks. Landmines remain in some rural areas, especially near the Thai border, so stay on marked paths. Call 117 for police, 119 for an ambulance or 118 for fire.
