Kep

Kep a neither a centralized ‘town’ like Kampot, nor a collection of beach communities a la Sihanoukville; rather, Kep is somewhat spread out along roads connecting large, private villas that were once the exclusive domain of Cambodia’s rich and famous. Consequently, hotels and guesthouses are found along the road leading toward the beach, the road the follows the coast, and on the hills overlooking the sea.

The nicest of the hotels are beachfront or on hillsides opposite the beach, along the road that parallels the sea. The budget options are located a bit farther from the water, on the road leading back towards Kampot or on dirt roads leading up the hillside into the interior of Kep National Park.

At Kep Beach there are a few budget and mid-range accommodation options in the “strip-mall” where the seafood restaurant ‘shacks’ are located, as well as a number of fusion Khmer-International restaurants. The rest of the dining and nightlife venues are located at the crab market, along the coast between Kep Beach and most of the guesthouses.

• Kep Crab Market: a strip-mall of seaside seafood restaurants and bars
• Kep Beach: head down to the beach, which although being a bit pebbly and rough still makes a good spot to swim and work on your tan.
• Kep National Park: a natural area with hiking trails and lots of wildlife
• Koh Tonsay: (Rabbit Island) - this great daytrip takes 30 minutes to reach an unspoiled island where the swimming and boating is superb.
• Angkaul Beach and Salt Fields: one of the nicer beaches in the area
• Kep Durian Plantations and Cashew Farms: local farms that grow interesting products

Kep shares its tropical climate with the rest of Cambodia; a ‘dry season’ that lasts from November to May and a ‘rainy season’ that runs from June to October. Temperatures are relatively constant (i.e. hot) throughout the year but humidity can vary. There are times of the year that are noticeably cooler or hotter, and as is normal for a monsoon climate, times when heavy rain is nearly constant. Kep is fine to visit during most of the year, though the hottest months from March to May can be too hot for comfort.

Humidity and rainfall may vary through the year, but Kep is typically hot. Few visitors will experience something they would call cool. Temperatures in the day range throughout the year from above 100°F in the early afternoon to around 70°F at night.

The hottest time of the year in Kep is toward the end of the dry season, when daytime temperatures can be dangerously hot. During the wet season, although copious amounts of rain are dumped on Kep with monotonous regularity, rainstorms and thunderstorms often last just one or two hours in the afternoon.

While monsoon rains may provide respite from the intense Cambodian sun, torrential rains tend to coincide with rough seas; travel to islands, such as Koh Tonsay - rabbit-island may not always be possible in the monsoon season months (June-October) though you don’t really want to be going out there if its raining that hard anyway.

Kep was once a town of villas, mansions, and wide sidewalks. Many of these lovely colonial structures remain, and exploring the quiet roads and abandoned villas by bicycle or motorbike is one of Kep’s more enjoyable activities. One of the finest of these is the Palace of King Sihanouk, which was built here in one of the former king’s favorite provinces but sadly, perhaps, was never lived in. The palace is located on the hillside above the sea near Champey Inn.

Kep is also famous for its seafood, so the crab market and a number of seaside restaurants and ‘crab shacks’ along the coast are great places to spend an entire day, alternating between eating, drinking, snoozing in hammocks, and taking walks on the beach.

The beaches and islands of Kep, including Kep Beach and nearby Rabbit Island, don’t offer the same crystal clear waters and soft white sand as those in neighboring Sihanoukville do, but the vibe in Kep is much more laid-back and the beaches are nice enough. Other than Kep Beach, which is the ‘central’ beach on the south coast (where most of the beaches are located), Coconut Beach, just east of Kep, has some nice beachside restaurants including some hammock adorned ‘crab shacks’ that are beside a Giant Crab Statue. Farther along the coast is the least developed beach in the province, Angkaul Beach which lies amidst a series of salt fields.

There are a number of attractions to explore in the surrounding countryside, including those in neighboring Kampot Province (which surrounds Kep). Kep features a number of Durian plantations and cashew farms, including those growing the world famous Kampot pepper as well as both durians and cashews.

For nature enthusiasts, Kep National Park offers hiking trails passing through a forest filled with wildlife (otherwise only accessible by 4WD).

Other attractions, if you rent a motorbike and feel like cruising around a bit, include those in neighboring Kampot things to do ,and a number of local Buddhist temples, including Wat Kao Krosang, Wat Samathi and Wat Samot Reang Sei, and Wat Kompong Trol’ach and Wat Phnom Proo’h. [These pages are not finished Trevor: yeah, i dont know much about them but i put them in cuz they are there. Maybe just no link]

Most visitors travel to Kep (via Kampot) by car or bus from Phnom Penh, which is 172km north on National Road 3. The ride takes around 3-4 hours, depending on car or bus and the number of stops along the way. Busses between Kep and Kampot run regularly (40 minutes) as do busses to/from Sihanoukville (2+ hours).

From Phnom Penh

Kep is 170 km from Phnom Penh along National Roads 3, 31, and then 33 (as well as perhaps a few other random new bypasses). There are several bus companies that make the journey from the capital city as well as share and private taxis; the voyage takes around 3-4 hours. Kampot is only 25 km from Kep and is serviced by both busses and taxis, including those that continue on past Kampot to Sihanoukville, which is 130 km west.

Kep is relatively small, but most things are spread out a bit along quiet country roads. The major roads, including the coastal road and the one around the mountain/National Park, are sealed, while most others are dirt and therefore subject to seasonal weather.

Road conditions (and your fitness level) should be taken into account when deciding whether to rent a bicycle or motorbike, both of which are available at many guesthouses. If you prefer not to drive yourself, there are some motodop taxi drivers hanging out around the crab market and Kep Beach, who will take you on either one-way trips for around 2000r or for the entire day at a negotiable rate (usually more than a rental).

Kep has a wide range of accommodation options, from back-to-nature eco-budget to exquisitely rennovated colonial villas, from hilltop suites with panoramic balcony views to modern beachside “bungalows” with carefully manicured landscaping.

Kep is basically a peninsula with a road looping along the coast and around both sides of the large mountain/national park in the center of the province; consequently most lodging is either on the beach, along the road, or up on the hill side.

The less expensive accommodation tends to be along the flats, a 5-15 minute bike ride to the beach, or part way up the hillside, while the nicer places tend to be seaside or on hillside with good views. The exception is kep-beach which has both budget and midrange accommodation within a single concrete complex and a few mid-range places on the roadside opposite the beach.

Kep is famous for its seafood, so the crab-market and a number of seaside restaurants and ‘crab shacks’ along the coast are great places to spend an entire day, alternating between eating, drinking, snoozing in hammocks, and taking walks on the beach.

kep-beach has a “strip-mall” with a number of fusion Khmer-International restaurants, and along the beach near the ‘mall’ are numerous seafood restaurant ‘shacks’ right on the sand. The rest of the dining venues are located along the coast and operated by various hotels.

There isn’t much nightlife to speak of in sleepy Kep. While a few of the hotels have small bars that are open to non-guests (including the spectacular Sailing Club), the only real nightlife to speak of is located at the crab-market, where a number of the old seafood restaurants have been converted into interesting seaside bars, the most popular of which is Toucan.

There really are no shopping opportunities to speak of in Kep. You can buy crabs at the crab-market but you really ought to eat them there too!