Kampot and Kep

Kampot is a beautiful laid back city on the banks of Preaek Tuek Chhu River in Southern Cambodia. My rendezvous with Kampot started with getting down at the Giant Ibis bus stop with literally no one around. It was 530pm in the evening. The air was warm and weather pleasant. I had a feeling how easy going and refreshing my experience in the city is going to be.

Getting to Kampot

I took the Giant Ibis bus from Phnom Penh at 2:45pm in the afternoon from the conveniently located bus office near to Preah Sisowath Quay. It was a 5 mins walk from Onederz Phnom Penh. The journey took around 2.5 hours. The drop point in Kampot is also very near to the city centre.

Stay Selection

After which, the most dreaded and important task of stay selection was upon me. On carefully scanning, booking.com’s ratings and prices, I had shortlisted The Vibe Guesthouse, Onederz and The Hideaway.

The Vibe Guesthouse

I was convinced by the exceptional user reviews on booking and google, went ahead and booked it to feel its vibe which was the talking point in many a reviews. 5$ a night and 2$ for grab tuktuk to reach here – it is located ~5kms away from the city centre. The hospitality was very warm and the owner Evan prepared a great dinner for all the guests. Priced at 5$, it was rich and flavourful with generous portions. The guesthouse runs some curated sightseeing tours while doing great NGO work as well on the side for local underprivileged children. More power to them.

On the negatives, the guesthouse dorm was low on amenities and it was dull because of the low season.

Besides me, only a German-NZ couple was staying at the property that night. I had a wonderful mind stimulating conversation with them about South Asian and German history.

Day 2 – Checkin at Wonderful Onederz

I wanted to shift to a livelier stay and chose Onederz as a safe option. Onederz Kampot is better in amenities compared to their Phnom Penh hostel. It is more spacious, has a lot of open spaces and has a more relaxed vibe all around. Priced reasonably & centrally located with good support staff – Onederz does tick all the boxes again.

It has a nice restaurant, swimming pool, pool table and other board games and a good number of well maintained washrooms. The swimming pool area is located next to the restaurant and gaming zone on the ground floor and is a great place to chill and soak in some sunshine.

They organise city tours and travels to your next destination in Cambodia. Bike rental services are available too (~5$ a day).

Bokor Mountains

Bokor Mountain is the most hyped up place to visit in Kampot and it does live up to the expectations. I wrapped up my office work by afternoon and started my most anticipated ride to the mountains. I had rented a bike from the hostel.

Complete drive on a bike is around an hour from downtown, out of which 30mins would be in the city. The moment you take the Bokor Mountain exit from the highway – a very beautiful stretch of greenery starts with tranquil peace. The road is well maintained too. I enjoyed this drive as much as I enjoyed the mountains.

After the winding roads amidst the greenery neared its end, I was very surprised to find a lot of construction at the top of the mountains. It was kind of a plateau on the top. Albeit there isn’t a beautiful mountain top to be seen here, there is a beautiful view of the sea and Phu Quoc island from the top of the Bokor mountain range.

I reached here serendipitously at the sunset time – the best time to visit. I didn’t get a clear view of the sunset, however, what I got to see was even more beautiful – the sea of clouds playing with the sunshine. It was a beautiful sight to behold and I stood there mesmerised. Even when I was freezing to death, I didn’t want to leave and stayed well beyond the sunset to capture each and every moment – which is etched in my memory.

Note – Do carry a good quality jacket when visiting the mountains, I rode here in my sleeveless Ts and trousers and was forced to use my raincoat and helmet as cold protection tools 😁

Kampot – Riverside vibes

I firmly believe now that Cambodia is a country where people know how to enjoy their lives. I often saw the locals here in picnic mode – a big van parked next to the river with all the supplies – food, drinks, stools and the most important – speaker with Cambodian music on. They all seemed to have a great time with their friends and family. I must tell you – whether it is a weekday or weekend doesn’t matter here. I saw the riverside fairly crowded with such folks every evening at dinner time.

The complete road next to the river was nicely decorated when I visited and it was a festival atmosphere all around. Some of the happiness rubbed on me too as I felt joy and lively just by strolling and driving on the streets of Kampot at night 🙂.

Lemongrass Bistro

Lemongrass has great reviews online and I made it a point to visit here for dinner on my return from Bokor mountains. The place appeared to be family run and had a modest setting to it. I ordered a soup and an avocado shake, if I remember correctly. I badly needed a piping hot soup after all the cold I had endured on this day. Both the items were well made and service was prompt too. Prices were reasonable. Do give it a try when around.

Day 3 – Breakfast at The Hideaway

Hideaway was one my shortlisted stay options along with Vibe and Onederz and I wanted to check it out. I had read good reviews about its food too.

I woke up, freshened up and drove to The hideaway. It is about 20mins drive from Onederz. The place is located on the riverside and what a view it has! Having my breakfast with such a view in front of me was an absolute delight. I ordered an english breakfast which was very well made and an orange juice.

The prices are on the higher side though, some would say, considering the views on offer, the extra money is well spent.

Stay recommendation if visiting in the monsoons

One more thing I would like to add – Onederz is your safest bet if you are visiting in the off season. I found Onederz to be very lively and buzzing even at this time of the year to the extent of being sold out.

Vibe and Hideaway were almost empty and located slightly away from the downtown.

Bike ride to Phnom Chhngok Cave

Just like the previous day, I couldn’t wait to finish up my office work and venture out. I was free by 3pm and started my ride towards the cave. As they say – the fun is in the journey not the destination, it came true. After driving for about 30mins from my hostel, I reached the empty countryside and it looked beautiful. The sky was so full of colours. Just looking at it, you would have felt happier and energised.

I often wondered how the Cambodian countryside looked so pretty. Add to it – young kids smiling and waving at you with sheer innocence and joy in their eyes. I kept falling in love with this country more and more as the time went by.

Kep

I only had ~30mins left to the sunset when I reached the cave. Also, I only had this day at my disposal in Kampot as the next morning, I was leaving for Koh Rong. So, I decided not to go into the cave and rode towards Kep.

Kep is another beach destination located about an hour drive away from Kampot. The drive is pleasant and roads are well maintained. I reached there at sunset. Kep Beach is small, however there are other beaches in surrounding areas worth checking out.

I rode around and enjoyed the lively atmosphere. Plenty of tourists were sea bathing and I could see a lots of food stalls and eateries on either side of the road. There are a few resorts as well on this road overlooking the ocean.

Crabs – Kep is famous for its crabs and you would find several restaurants here with crabs as its specialty. There is even a big crab statue in the sea water near the beach punctuating crab’s significance in the area.

Captain Chims Restaurant

After seeing the picturesque sunset by the beach, I was famished and wanted to have a nice dinner in Kep. Captain Chims has great reviews and is located very near to Kep Beach.

Modest by its looks, this place serves great food and shakes. Affordably priced, clean and fast service – I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner here.

Kampot nightlife options – Karma Traders Hostel

Kampot is known for its laid back and serene vibes. No wonder, it doesn’t have big nightlcubs, as people come here mostly for relaxation.

If you find yourself in Kampot and still have a strong urge to party, Karma traders will come to your rescue. They have live music events on their rooftop a few nights of the week. The front desk staff at Onederz suggested me about one such event. Upon  reaching there, I was happily surprised to see that the rooftop was packed with people and the drinks were flowing at the bar. Prices are reasonable and vibes are awesome – on such evenings, it is a great place to socialise and meet new people.

The two parallel streets – The Bay and Dragon women Bar

These two parallel streets on the opposite side of Starbucks, create a walking street impression akin to the ones found in the bigger tourist destinations like Phuket. Although, a much more laid back and chilled out version of it. Almost every establishment on these two streets is a bar (or a hostess bar). The Bay has a good crowd and a very lively atmosphere in the evenings. These streets surely warrant a visit if you are around.