Kampot

“Kampot pepper is so prized for its aroma that it is protected by name and shipped to top restaurants worldwide - and this sleepy riverside town is where it grows.”

About Kampot

Kampot was an important colonial-era port and pepper-growing centre, its plantations supplying French kitchens until war and the Khmer Rouge devastated the industry. Pepper farming has since been revived, and Kampot pepper won protected geographical indication status, restoring the town's culinary fame alongside its preserved colonial streets.

Overview Kampot is a laid-back riverside town of crumbling French shophouses on Cambodia's south coast, famous above all for Kampot pepper, a peppercorn so prized for its aroma that it carries protected geographical status and appears on high-end menus around the world. The town is a relaxed base for visiting pepper farms, the river and the mountains behind.

River and Mountain Sunset boat trips drift down the Kampot River, and the town is the gateway to Bokor Hill Station on the mountain above. Cafes, pepper plantations and salt fields fill out a slow, easygoing few days.

The Experience

Days in Kampot move slowly: coffee in a restored shophouse, a tour of a pepper plantation to taste the fresh green, red and black corns, and a sunset cruise on the river with the Bokor massif behind. It is more about atmosphere and food than headline sights, and many travellers stay longer than planned.

Why It Matters

Kampot is the home of one of the world's most celebrated peppers and one of Cambodia's most charming colonial river towns, as well as the gateway to Bokor mountain.

Why Visit

It offers world-class pepper at its source, riverside calm and easy access to Bokor, a relaxed counterpoint to temple-touring. Tour a pepper farm to taste the fresh corns, take a sunset river cruise, and use the town as a base for the mountain.