Kampot
More and more visitors are discovering the sleepy riverside town of Kampot, a charming place with a relaxed atmosphere and a fine, if run-down French architectural legacy. Eclipsed as a port when Sihanoukville was founded in 1959, Kampot makes an excellent base for exploring Bokor National Park and the verdant coast east towards Vietnam, including Kep and a number of superb cave-temples.

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Getting there & away
NH3, these days in sharp shape, links Kampot with both Phnom Penh (148km, two hours) and Sihanoukville (105km).

Both Phnom Penh Sorya Transport and Hour Lean (012 939917) run two buses daily to midday to/from Phnom Penh (US$4, four to five hours). Both companies take the long way around – via Kep (US$2, 40 minutes) and Angk Tasaom (the gateway to Takeo; US$2.50) – because the Bailey bridges on NH3 aren’t bus-friendly. Both companies have ticket desks around Sokhoda Restaurant (facing the Total petrol station).

Other options to Phnom Penh, via Angk Tasaom, include share taxi (US$4) and crowded-to-the-gills minibus (US$3). Both leave from a stand near the Total petrol station and are easiest to find between 7.30am and 10am.

A moto/tuk tuk/taxi to Kep should cost about US$3/6/10.

To Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh Sorya has a bus (US$3.50, 1½ hours) at 8.30am. Share taxis cost US$3.50, minibuses are US$3, and a private taxi is about US$20. Sihanoukville’s G’day Mate Guesthouse operates a safe, reliable minibus service (017 707857; US$6.50) between Kampot and Sihanoukville on Monday and Friday, with plans to make the service daily. The service is door-to-door, with pick-up and drop-off at your guesthouse or hotel.

There is talk of establishing a regular boat service from Kampot to the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.

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Place To Visit

Old bridge
The old bridge is quite a sight: destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period, it has been repaired in a mishmash of styles.