Kep

Why Go

A former French colonial town on the sea-front near the border with Vietnam, now most famous for its crab meat. Kep has a sleepy beach town feel that’s great to relax, eat crab meat and kick back watching the sunset with a cold beverage If you’re on your way to or from Vietnam via Ha Tien, it can make a nice little layover.

Why Not

It’s a very chilled town, if you’re looking for somewhere lively Kep definitely isn’t for you.

To See

In its heyday, the town was home to holiday villas for the elite, which then fell into disrepair. The last few years have seen a steady revival of the town, with properties being bought up by the wealthy and the aim appears to be a more upmarket revival. What was once a 1km pebbly beach is now covered with sand imported from Sihanoukville, a new promenade and a pier have also been built. Besides the main beach there are 13 nearby islands offering snorkelling and diving opportunities. The main island to visit is Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay) which has nicer sand beaches than Kep with some basic accommodation options. Kep is most famous for its crab meat, with plenty of restaurants, seafood stalls and a crab market to sample it.

How Long

You can visit Kep on a day trip from Kampot butt you need to stay at least a night to really appreciate it.