The modest town of Kampot has a strange way to make travelers fall in love with it. Many new arrivals who plan to stay for two nights can be found a week later, sitting by the river while drinking a cold beer and plotting ways to move there permanently. Travel to Cambodia with: Indochina travel Cambodia

With more bars and restaurants popping up every day, Kampot town, which is located just two hours from the Vietnam border in south east Cambodia, is not as sleepy as it once was. In spite of this, Kampot is still definitely one of the top spots to chill out and relax in Cambodia and hereunder are some of the reasons.

Taking things slow

Kampot’s pace of life is still exceptionally unhurried- source: internet

The pace of life in Kampot is still exceptionally unhurried even though in the past few years, things have become somewhat less sedate. In the town center, the streets are bustling, and even the traffic is easy going but in the most tranquil imaginable way. In Kampot, you can spend days leisurely taking strolls along the river, lazing in a hammock or enjoying snacks and drinks. Besides the occasional tuk-tuk driver hollering over, there are neither touts nor hard-sell there, the Kampot local people are friendly, hospitable, gracious and always willing to give tourists a beautiful smile.

The hippy river

Magnificent sunset in Kampot- source: internet

Built along the Praek Tuek Chhu River, Kampot has such an awesome backdrop of the Elephant Mountains creating some spectacular scenery. It is a daily joy that will have you hooked to see the sun set from a kayak on the river itself or from a spot on the riverbank. If you are lucky, you can get a chance to see the bio-luminescent plankton in the water on dark nights. Cambodia travel packages

A couple of kilometers away on the opposite side of the river are located a few bungalow operations and even non-guests can enjoy the fine waterside dining and drinking before spending time taking a dip from the beach or decking. At the weekend, parties and live music are also held there, like the way they are in the center of town.

The architecture

Kampot architecture- source: internet

It is not said that all of the buildings in Kampot have beautiful architecture, but much of the architecture in town has a distinct dilapidated charm. In Kampot, you can find many crumbling French villas interspersed with art deco decorations galore, colorful shutters and old Chinese shop fronts. On the outskirts of town are scattered some great wats, one of which was left intact by the Khmer Rouge because of the legendary mystical powers of the head monk.

So many snacks

Dishes to try in Kampot- source: internet

Here in Kampot, you can find almost any food making your fancy. In fact, with so many lovely little restaurants and cafés around town, it is really hard not to spend much of your time drinking and eating. Thanks to the lure of living in Kampot, this town owns a sizeable ex-pat community, which means a broad spectrum of cuisine as well as some quirky characters can be found.

In addition to plenty of cheap and cheerful Cambodian dishes, homemade Italian street food and freshly baked bread are also available here. For those who want to be even more chilled out, there is no shortage of places offering happy pizza. In the homeland of the best pepper in the world, you can enjoy so many dishes incorporating the divine condiment.

Out of town

Bokor National Park- source: internet

With the light traffic and the relatively simple layout of town, Kampot is an excellent place to be explored by moped or bicycle. You can take part in numerous possibilities for day trips into the surrounding countryside, including to the magnificent Bokor National Park, where you can get incredible views of the whole coast from an abandoned French casino. Just a few minutes out of town, you are taken to a world of paddy fields and red dust, passing waving kids and wading buffalo on the way to ancient cave temples and beautiful waterfalls. So much to do in such little time.

How to get there?

From Phnom Penh to Kampot- source: internet

It takes you about 4 hours with the price ranging from $5 to $8 to travel by bus from Phnom Penh to Kampot. Traveling directly without stopping in Kep are Rith Mony Express having departures at 7.30 AM and 1.30 PM and Capitol tours with buses at 7.00 AM and 1.00 PM. With departures at the weekend, a train from Phnom Penh to Kampot takes you about 4 hours and costs $6.

See more:

• How to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap
• Avoid crime and tuk tuk scams in Cambodia
• Don’t miss top five Cambodia’s beaches

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