Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
statue roundabout, where roads converge from all directions. The streets are quiet and most things you need are easily
reached on foot.
Car rental
Cars with driver can be hired through hotels
and guesthouses for around $50/day; or try English-
speaking Mr Panya (
T
010 503053,
E
pagnia2007@yahoo
.com). You can rent a car through Kampot Car Rental for
$20/day (
T
088 5102702,
E
info@kampotcarrental.com);
rates don't include insurance.
Motorbike rental
Motorbikes are available for rent at
many of the guesthouses as well as Sean Ly (daily
7am-9pm;
T
012 944687), south of the Durian statue
roundabout, near the old theatre. A 125cc runabout costs
$5/day, a smart 250cc off-road bike is $12. Jupiter (daily
8am-6pm;
T
095 984079), west of the 2000 Monument,
rents Endure 200cc and 250cc trail bikes for $15/day,
including full-face helmet and gloves.
INFORMATION
Tourist information centre
You can get good advice
about the local area from Mr Pov and his team at the new
information centre on the waterfront near the old bridge
(7am-7pm;
T
012 655 5541,
E
kampottourismo
ce
@gmail.com). They can also arrange visas, make bus and
taxi bookings and book tours.
TOURS AND ACTIVITIES
Bart the (Belgian) Boatman
T
092 174280.
The best
boat trips in town (private charters only; 3-4hr; $40/boat).
Climbodia
T
095 581951,
W
climbodia.com.
Belgian-
run rock climbing in and around Kampot's caves using
high-quality gear; programmes include beginner's half-
day courses and full-day Via Ferratas and abseiling.
Massage
Seeing Hands Massage, near
Bokor Mountain
Lodge
on Riverside Rd (7am-11pm; $4/hr). You can also
get a massage, as well as a scrub, mani or wax from Jolie
Jolie, 20m north of
Captain Chim's
(
T
092 936867).
Quad Cambodia Kampot
South of town, near the Salt
Workers roundabout
T
033 699 1010.
ATV countryside
tours to isolated villages, salt flats and rice fields (a 1hr
15min Easy Ride costs $40 for two).
Sightseeing tours
The main guesthouses, the tourist
o
ce,
Captain Chim's
(opposite the old market), Sok Lim
Tours, next to
Ny Ny
, and many outlets across town can
arrange sightseeing trips, including to Bokor (from $12)
and the surrounding countryside, which take in salt and
pepper plantations, nearby caves, Kep and, often, Rabbit
Island too ($15-20). Also on offer are boat trips upriver or
to the islands, plus sunset ($5) and firefly cruises ($7).
Swimming
The
Borey Bokor
hotel, east of the hospital, has
a swimming pool ($5).
ACCOMMODATION
There's a pleasant selection of
places to stay
in Kampot, including some of the cheapest backpacker accommodation
in the south. Some of the nicer options are found a few kilometres out of town, dotted along the banks of the
Kampot River
.
★
Bodhi Villa
2km north of town
T
012 728884,
W
bodhivilla.com.
Set in a veritable jungle of garden on
the river this blissful guesthouse, one of a few side-by-side
backpacker options, offers accommodation for all budgets,
from a mattress and mosquito net on the balcony to
comfortable open-fronted fan-cooled bungalows and an
idyllic floating room - try and stick around for one of the
owner's Friday-night live m
usi
c sessions
. G
ood restaurant,
too (see opposite). Mattress
$2
; doubles
$5
★
and unrivalled river views.
$35
GreenHouse
6km west of town, off the Teuk Chhou
Rd
T
088 886 3071,
W
greenhousekampot.com.
The
original green timber structure here was formerly home
to
Snowy's
, a bar stilted over the Tonle Sap near Phnom
Penh, before it was transplanted in 2012 to the banks of
the Kampot River. It continues to serve as a restaurant
and bar, and shares a lush garden with a variety of
straw-roofed bungalows with fans (the cheapest with
shared
bat
hrooms), many stilted and with ace river
views.
$10
La Java Bleue
Road 27, 100m west of the 2000
Monument
T
033 667 6679,
W
lajava-bleue.biz.
A French-Aussie-run colonial boutique hotel with three
well-appointed themed rooms in the main building (the
top-floor Chinese room has a private balcony), plus two
en-suite bedrooms (ideal for a family) in a building nearby,
all a/c. Delici
ous f
food, including a popular nightly barbecue
(from 6pm).
$50
Champa Lodge
Riverside Rd, 4km north of town
T
092 525835,
W
champalodge.com.
Idyllic family-run
riverside retreat - one of Cambodia's best - home to five
charming fan-cooled rooms within three original stilted
Khmer houses, renovated to include luxe bathrooms, plus a
convivial restaurant-bar serving top-notch home-cooked
food and Belgian beers. The friendly owners are a mine of
information about the area, and have kayaks for exploring
hidden loops of the river. The spacious Boat Lodge ($50) is
well worth the splurge for its panoramic private balcony
