Kampot province has improved as one of the most popular provinces in Cambodia, thanks to an attractive combination of abandoned colonial towns, abundant natural attractions and easy access around the region.
Most attractions in Kampot province can be taken in just a few days, including Bokor National Park and its abandoned hill station, the broken down but recovering seaside resort of Kep and the caves around Kampong Trach. However, the sleepy, atmospheric provincial capital of Kampot province often holds people longer than expected.
The economy of the province never really recovered from the loss of its south-coast port status to Sihanouk Ville in 1959, and was in slow decline until civil war. Agriculture gradually regained supremacy over trade in the province; a wide range of fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices are cultivated. Durian haters be warned: Kampot province is Cambodian’s main producer of this stinky fruit.
Road links between Kampot Province and Phnom Penh have come on in leaps and bounds in the past few years. National Highway 3 to Phnom Penh is in pretty good condition for its whole length, while long-forgotten National Highway 31 running down to Kep and Kampong Trach has been totally rebuilt. Heading west to Sihanouk Ville, there is more good news, with a widened road approaching motorway status by Cambodian standards.
The sleepy riverside town of Kampot province is slowly awakening. Visitors are discovering a charming place with a French architectural legacy and a relaxed atmosphere. Despite experiencing a commercial decline since the birth of Sihanouk Ville in 1959, Kampot is well known for producing some of the best pepper in the region. In the year before war took its tool, no self-respecting French restaurant worth its salt in Paris would be without Kampot pepper on the table. The town is the perfect base from which to explore the nearby crumbling beach resort of Kep, the abandoned hill station of Bokor and the caves around Kampong Trach.
These are the attractions of Kampot province, which worth your visit to this destination:
Teuk Chhou Falls and Zoo, Kampot Province The Tekcchou Resort, Kampot is a well known tourist attraction in Kampot in Cambodia. Kampon is a small town in the country of Cambodia. This town is a known tourist destination in this country. It is renowned for its limestone caves and other sightseeing spots which are worth visiting. This town is visited by several vacationers and holidaymakers who visit this country from all parts of the globe. You will have a good time exploring the beauty of this region. The Tekcchou Resort, Kampot is a good place to hang out with your family when you are in Kampot in Cambodia.
The Tekcchou Resort in Kampot is a popular picnic place close to the town. This spot is just 8 km drive away from the Kampot town. The Tekcchou Resort in Kampot is set on the Prek Chha River. This resort in Kampot is famous among the local people. On weekends you will find the Tekcchou Resort in Kampot very crowded. People in the nearby regions enjoy spending their weekends here. Many tourists also flock to this resort. The rapids here are very beautiful. The kids can play nearby and have a nice time. The cool river breeze will refresh you and will make your trip to this place a pleasant experience.
Near the Tekcchou Resort in Kampot you will find various stalls. These stalls generally sell drinks and food. The food is decent and fresh. Various local as well as international cuisines are on offer at these stalls.
There is a small zoo near the Tekcchou Resort in Kampot. Many animals and birds are kept here in enclosures. You can go with your family and friends and visit this zoo. Your kids will simply love watching animals at such a close distance.
Transportation in Kampot is also conveniently available. You will find several modes of transportation which will take you to the Tekcchou Resort in Kampot in no time. The roads leading to this resort are very good. You can take a car on rent and drive down to this place or hop onto various buses which ply to the Tekcchou Resort, Kampot.
This pleasant bathing spot is a major hit with locals. Waterfall enthusiasts should prepare themselves for a disappointment, however as these falls, 8km northwest of town, are really just a series of small rapids that don’t even move all that rapidly in the dry season. There is a proper waterfall 18km further up a dirt track from Teuk Chhou, but access is not straightforward, as the trail is pretty bad.
Caves, Kampot Province There are more holes than Swiss cheese in the limestones landscape around Kampot and a lot of the bigger caves can be explored with the help of local guide and reliable torch (flashlight). Phnom Chhngok is the most impressive because there’s a 7th century brick temple located inside the main chamber. The protection of the cave means the brickwork in remarkable condition, giving the impression of a kitsch temple replica built more recently. Phnom Chhngok is about 10km from Kampot.
Phnom Sorsia is another cave complex on the way towards Kep. It is considered a holy place and there is a small Wat at the bottom of the hill. Concrete steps wind their way past alters and statues on a circuit that takes you to several major caves. The biggest cave is called Rung Damrey Sor (White Elephant Cave) because of a stalactite formation thought to resemble a white-elephant head. Further on the right is a sign pointing to 100 Rice Field Cave. By following a precarious path to a small hole in the cave wall, you are rewarded with a peep show of terraced paddy fields. The final cave is home to many bats that can hear squeaking before you descend. The circuit ends near a small stupa from where there are impressive views.
Bokor National Park, Kampot Province
Officially known as Preah Monivong National Park but more commonly referred to as Bokor, Bokor National Park is one of the country’s largest protected areas. It has been open to visitors for several years, having long been kept off the map due to Khmer Rouge activity and more recently because of illegal loggers. A decade ago, there was talk of making this vast tropical forest a World Heritage Site, but sadly, extensive illegal logging put an end to this initiative.
Within the park boundaries are the nascent tourist attractions of an abandoned French hill station and the Popokvil Falls, a two-tiered waterfall where you can swim in the wet season. The park is home to significant numbers of birds and mammals, including elephants and tigers. However, most of the animals are nocturnal and inhabit the more remote areas of the park, so don’t expect to see much wildlife. The park has a ranger post at the bottom of Phnom Bokor and a ranger station with accommodation at the old hill station. Both national park and hill station are believed to be free of land mines, but as always in Cambodia, do the sensible thing and stick to well-worn paths. It is easy to visit the park as a day trip from Kampot, but should you want to visit from Sihanuk Ville, it is best to overnight at Bokor or in Kampot, as it is a lot of ground cover in one day.
The old French Hill Station of Bokor (1080m) is known for its cool climate, secluded waterfalls and jungle vistas. The French authorities decided to construct a road to Bokor in 1917; the project took several years to complete and many Cambodian indentured labourers perished in the process. With the completion of the road, a small community was established that included a grand colonial hotel – the Bokor Palace – inaugurated in 1925.
The hill station was twice abandoned: first when Vietnamese and Khmer Issarak (Free Khmer) forces overran it in the late 1940s while fighting for independence against the French, and then in the early 1970s when the Lon Nol regime left it to Khmer Rouge forces that were steadily taking over the countryside. It has since remained uninhabited, save for the presence of either Vietnamese troops or Khmer Rouge guerrillas during much of the 1980s and 1990s. Its altitude and commanding views made it a spot of strategic importance to all sides during the long years of conflict in Cambodia, and it was one location the Vietnamese really had to fight for during their invasion in 1979. The Khmer Rouge held out for several months; one unit was ironically holed up in the Catholic Church while the Vietnamese shot at them from the Bokor Palace only 500m away.
The place has a genuine ghost-town feel and the old Catholic church looks like it was locked up only yesterday. Inside the altar remains intact and drawings of what appear to be Khmer Rouge fighters adorn the wall. The old hotel, BokorPalace, is straight out of the film The Shrining. From what was once an outdoor terrace, there is a magnificent view over dense jungle stretchjng almost to the sea. It is possible to wander from the kitchens, up and down the corridors and through the ballroom to the suites above, imagining what the hotel was like in its heyday. On cold, foggy days it can get pretty creepy up there, as visibility drops to nothing ans the wind howls through the building. The ruin of Wat Sampeau Moi Roi is known locally as Five Boats Wat due to its five large rocks, which some say resemble boats (although what they were smoking at the time is up for debate). It was built in 1924 and, like BokorPalace, affords tremendous views over the jungle to the coastline below. Other buildings dotted around include an old Casino just opposite the ranger station, an abandoned post office, which looks like it has taken a mortar at some stage in its history, and an old water tower that looks like something out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Debate rages over whether to redevelop the town. Environmentalist says it should be left untouched, while entrepreneurs eye its tried and tested potential. It would be sensible to create a compromise that allows a limited development of the old town area, thus generating much-needed funds to help protect the actual national park, much of which remains remote and defenceless.
Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot Province
When you go for sightseeing in Kampot a must visit spot is Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot. The Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot is nothing but a cave containing ruins which would give you an idea about the historical heritage of Kampot.
Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot is a place where you can take your own car provided you are very good in driving, but if you are not sure of driving then it is better that you take a trail bike. Always take the help of an expert guide before you set on a trip to Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot.
In Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot you would find a shrine dating from pre-Angkorian dynasty and it dates back to the 4th century and it is set in a limestone cave up in a mountain. Those of you who are interested in going to Phnom K'Chnor in Kampot, they should take the road that leads to Kep from Kampot and after traveling for 8 kilometers you have to take the left turn. Then you can travel down a dirty road for 5 kilometers which intersects beautiful rural farmlands.
After sometime you would come across a railway line and after crossing the line you would find the way leading to the base of the mountain. Here you would find the shrine which is renowned as a healing center of Buddhist faith. The ruins that you would find at Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot are nothing but brick structures from the 4th and the 5th century AD and are evidences of the ancient state of Funan.
There is no entrance fee for visiting the Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot. Thus here you might find people involved in some sort of ceremony at any time. It is advisable that you do not visit the Phnom K'Chnor, Kampot during monsoon because the road is quite treacherous at this time
Kampot Province has its rich agricultural land for the farming such as peper farm, rubber plantation, especially the wellknown through the kingdom of Cambodi, Kingdom of Wonder!, of its durian plantation. Beside, local people ever known this province is the very good place making the tasty fish sauce and salt...