Cambodia: Kampot, Kep, and Cardamom Mountains

This is the second report on travel tips and my round trip through Cambodia. Here you can find the first part: my travel report from Phnom Penh to Angkor.

Those traveling to the deep south of Cambodia usually have a clear destination: the beaches of Sihanoukville or the turquoise island Koh Rong in the Gulf of Thailand, with its powdered sugar beaches and a Robinson Crusoe feeling. I seem to be the only one who doesn't jump into a taxi headed for paradise after landing in Sihanoukville to relax under an umbrella after temple hopping in Angkor. I will explore the hinterland of Cambodia's coastal region with the colonial town of Kampot, the old seaside resort of Kep, and the Cardamom Mountains.

Two hours by car and nearly 100 kilometers later, I realize: one doesn't necessarily need the ocean to feel like they're in paradise. My paradise is located by a river, specifically on the north bank of the Teuk Chhou, a few kilometers outside of Kampot. I don't know where to settle first - in the lounge area in front of my room in the old boathouse of the Villa Vedici or on one of the lounge chairs on the wooden pontoon that sways above the water.

After a Khmer coffee - a uniquely brewed strong coffee with sweetened milk - I decide to first explore Kampot. Riding an old bike, whose brakes only somewhat work, I pedal along the reddish-brown sandy path by the river and turn onto the main road. Eventually, I see the first brightly painted houses; this must be the center of Kampot. I park my bike in front of a restaurant across from the waterfront promenade and walk down the nearest side street.

Kampot doesn't really have any notable sights, as I quickly realize. Unless you count the massive Durian statue at the roundabout, a hint that this sleepy provincial town is Cambodia's largest producer of the 'stink fruit.' People come to Kampot, by the way only 40 kilometers from the Vietnamese border, for the relaxed atmosphere. Much like Battambang, which I visited on the first leg of my Cambodia tour, the streets are lined with faded and somewhat spruced-up French colonial villas and single-story Chinese-style shops. There are even more cafés and restaurants here than in Battambang.

I land at Ellie's. In the shade of the arcades, I enjoy my cucumber smoothie and the chicken-avocado sandwich on homemade brown bread. A cat purrs in the rusted bicycle rickshaw in the front yard. The flowerpots hanging from a pole sway in the wind. Update: Unfortunately, Elli's has had to close since then. Many lovely cafés in the area are also worth a visit.

In the parallel streets, I discover small architectural gems and shops where one can buy pepper and handicrafts. And there's the Auberge du Soleil, a restaurant in a restored villa from 1903 that serves Swiss Rösti and cheese fondue, where I will savor a 'Beef Filet Marchant de Kampot' in the evening.

Slowly I cycle back. Just in time to swim another round in the pool and enjoy the sunset in a lounge chair by the river with a cold Angkor beer. The sun slips behind the mountains on the other side of the river, dark clouds surround the mountain tops. Suddenly, the silence is interrupted by Cambodian pop music. A boat passes by, one of the sunset cruises that depart every evening in Kampot near the tourist information center. Should I grab one of the SUP boards? The Teuk Chhou with its mangroves and fishing villages along the shore is perfect for paddling, even with a kayak. Unfortunately, it gets dark quickly in these latitudes, so I'd better postpone my sporty endeavor.

Instead of on a SUP board, I hop into a tuk-tuk the next day to explore the area around Kampot. I'm too late for an organized tour to the Bokor Hill Station. A tuk-tuk isn't suitable for the steep winding road through the jungle, and I wouldn't dare go up there alone on a motorcycle. Still, I would have been really excited to enjoy the view of the coast from the summit and explore the remnants of the former retreat of the French colonialists with the crumbling casino, the Catholic Church, and the old hotel - a ghost town that has been trying to revitalize for some time now.

However, I am well compensated once we leave the main road and Mitch, the tuk-tuk driver, skillfully maneuvers the motorcycle taxi around the potholes on the reddish-brown sandy path. Clattering, we pass shimmering green rice fields, durian and mango trees, and sugar palms, colorful wooden houses on stilts beneath which dogs nap in the shade. In the distance, green hills rise. Our destination is La Plantation, one of several hundred pepper plantations in the region.

Kampot is famous for its namesake, high-quality pepper, the gold of Cambodia. Since 2013, La Plantation has been growing black, red, and green pepper on its 20 hectares, with over 22,000 pepper bushes, of which I will explore a small part during a free tour offered every day from 9 AM to 6 PM. In the attached restaurant in the pretty wooden Khmer-style house, one can enjoy ice cream with pepper while gazing over the Bokor Mountains and out to sea, where the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc can be faintly seen in the haze.

On the way back, we make a stop at a strikingly blue dam lake, the Secret Lake. In the modest wooden shack off the path is one of the best local eateries, the Khmer Roots Café. Soklim, who has been running the restaurant since 2013 and regularly offers cooking classes, apologizes that the power is out and therefore no smoothies are available. However, with a fresh coconut that I drink in a hammock overlooking the lake, I am just as happy.

The locals call the Secret Lake Tomnop Tek, where one can even swim in the crystal-clear water. Tubing is also offered. For the older residents of the area, this seemingly idyllic spot is accompanied by distressing memories. The dam generating the reservoir was built in the 1970s, using not only prisoners from the Khmer Rouge but also forced laborers from the surrounding villages. Many lost their lives during this project.

Next, I head to Kep, the old seaside resort about 25 kilometers east of Kampot. As early as 1930, this location was a popular retreat for the wealthy Khmer. Under the 'party prince' Norodom Sihanouk, Kep was supposed to become Asia's St. Tropez in the 1960s. Lavish villas and hotels were built, in which even celebrities like Jackie Kennedy stayed, as the prince reportedly held regular rock and roll parties in his summer residence. With the rise of the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1970s, glamour and rock and roll faded away; the colonial buildings fell into disrepair.

Alongside overgrown villas, there are now many new hotels in Kep. Nevertheless, the elongated town seems oddly deserted. Most visitors use Kep as a springboard for excursions to the Bokor National Park or to offshore islands like Koh Tonsay, the Rabbit Island. Or they visit the famous Crab Market, Psar K'Dam. Here, it's bustling and lively. On the wooden planks right by the water, deals are made and money is counted. The determined sellers in their colorful patterned, pajama-like outfits and checkered hats fish fresh goods out of large baskets - primarily crabs and lobsters, but also octopus. Seafood can be taken home by the kilogram or grilled on the spot and enjoyed at one of the plastic chairs. For a quieter experience, one can visit the Kimly Restaurant, reportedly the best spot at the Crab Market. I snag a seat by the open window and enjoy my fresh crabs and lobsters in coconut milk with green Kampot pepper while gazing at the sea. I am in paradise...

'At the bridge in Andong Teuk, a boat is waiting for you,' is my instruction. I admit, I am a bit skeptical about whether the onward journey will actually work when I get out of the car that brought me from Kampot and walk with my backpack down to the river. But indeed: shortly after, I find myself in an aging wooden boat that will take me to Chi Path, two hours away. The steerswoman seems to know the way well, as instead of steering she stitches. Four days in the 'wild west' of Cambodia lie ahead of me.

Chi Path is located amidst the Cardamom Mountains, a roughly 300-kilometer mountain range in southwestern Cambodia that stretches from Pursat at the Thai border to the Elephant Mountains near Kep and Kampot. Until well into the 1990s, the Cardamom Mountains were a 'no-go area'; this inaccessible jungle region was one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge, where scattered followers of leader Pol Pot took refuge.

Today, the Cardamom Mountains are considered one of the last intact rainforest areas in Asia, home to over 70 animal species including elephants, Siamese crocodiles, gibbons, black bears, and the wolf snake discovered only in 2014. With the ecotourism project established in 2008 at Chi Path, it is the perfect destination for those wanting to trek in the jungle or gain insight into rural life. About 500 families live in stilt houses along the unpaved road in Chi Path. I settle into quarters at the Sunbear Bungalows. Electricity is available only in the evening for a few hours, as is internet. The afternoon flows by with swimming in the waterfall, walking through banana plantations, and an off-road motorcycle ride to a viewpoint for a nearly magical sunset.

At dawn the next day, we shoulder our backpacks. After a boat ride, we start our two-day trekking tour. We are joined by my guide Sen, who normally works as a teacher at the primary school in Chi Path; the cook Mr. Kim; and Mr. Saroeun, who is easily recognizable as our jungle guide thanks to his camouflage pants. We go deeper into the rainforest; left, right, left, over tree trunks, up, down. Soon I've lost all sense of direction.

The air is thick and humid beneath the dense canopy of leaves. Something is pinching my sock. A leech, which has already become bloated. Thirteen kilometers later, we reach O'Chunleas Bran Touch, the 'Little Haven Shelter.' Our campsite for the night is no more than a raised platform made of tree trunks with a corrugated iron roof and a railing where we set up our hammocks. After a refreshing dip in the narrow river and a dinner cooked over an open fire with rice, vegetables, omelets, and the fish Mr. Kim caught at midday, all that's left is to drift off into sleep in my hammock, lulled by the sounds of thousands of cicadas, occasionally interrupted by howler monkeys.

Getting to Chi Path: Buses from the company Virak Buntham stop at the kiosk at the bridge in Andong Teuk, heading to Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, and Phnom Penh. Boats to Chi Path typically operate between 12:30 and 1:30 PM. You can also get a motorcycle ride along the 17-kilometer dirt road to Chi Path. Transportation and accommodations are arranged via an agency or directly through Chi Path Community Based Ecotourism.

You can find the mentioned locations in Kampot and Kep plotted on the map:

The bus struggles through Phnom Penh's dense afternoon traffic. How much livelier it is today compared to the rainy Sunday after my arrival in Cambodia. I'm glad when I arrive at my hotel. The Kabiki Hotel is housed in an old, restored villa and is nestled in a tropical garden on a quiet side street, within walking distance of the Royal Palace. I do little else but jump into the pool and stroll a bit along the lovely cafés, galleries, and shops along 240 Street. Here, I recommend The 240 (#85), a concept store featuring art and accessories by Cambodian designers and an attached café, the Phka Slaar Khmer Restaurant, and Tamarind (#31). Definitely try the Beef Lok Lak, Cambodia's national dish next to fish curry Amok. If you'd like to enjoy a cocktail afterward with a view of the beautifully lit National Museum or Phnom Penh's skyline, visit the rooftop terrace at the Frangipani Royal Palace Hotel.

Of course, I can't leave Phnom Penh the next day without visiting the Royal Palace, the city's most famous landmark. The palace is remarkable not only for its magnificent throne hall but also for its richly adorned, multi-tiered roofs with serpents and golden towers.

Tip: Be sure to wear something that covers your knees. The Royal Palace also has somewhat unusual opening hours, from 8 to 11 AM and 2 to 5 PM. Just before closing, you almost have the complex to yourself since most groups have dispersed by then.

I decide to take a tuk-tuk to Choeung Ek. Although there may be a smoother conclusion to my journey through Cambodia, this closes the circle to my visit to the former torture prison Tuol Sleng, which I wrote about in the first article.

Choeung Ek was once an idyllic orchard and a Chinese cemetery until the Khmer Rouge converted the site, 15 kilometers south of the center, into one of their killing fields, where prisoners from Tuol Sleng were executed. Signs indicate the most significant locations, such as where the truck with prisoners stopped and where the mass graves were found. The audio guide accompanies visitors with testimonies from survivors and background information on the brutality and paranoia with which the henchmen of dictator Pol Pot dealt with their own countrymen.

Back in the city, I have myself dropped off at the Russian Market. I still have some time before my return flight to Germany. I'm not in the mood for souvenir shopping, although there are a few higher-end shops off the beaten path around Prar Toul Tom Pong, the market's official name, besides the usual 'touristy goods.' I'd rather watch the hustle and bustle at the food stands. Observing how diligently baguettes are filled, Vietnamese spring rolls stacked, and halves of pig are unloaded from a moped and taken into a butcher shop.

Above the butcher shop, I find myself at the Sundown Social Club, a rooftop bar with an 1980s Miami Vice vibe. With a melon juice in hand and a view of the lightly rusted rooftops of the market, whose blue seems to compete with the milky-blue afternoon sky, I bid farewell to Cambodia. I hope it won't take another ten years to come back.

If you have a few more days to spare in southern Cambodia, you won't be bored around Kampot and Kep.

In addition to Bokor National Park, the Kep National Park invites hiking or mountain biking with jungle vibes. An eight-kilometer circular path winds through dense, green forests. Smaller trails lead to various viewpoints and attractions such as Nun's Pass, Stone Horse, and Little Buddha. For the sunset, one can climb the 182-meter high Sunset Rock.

You can cool off in the sea after hiking at Kep Beach. The approximately one-kilometer-long white sand beach is located in a small bay at the tip of Kep Peninsula.

However, most sea and beach lovers are drawn to Koh Tonsay, better known as 'Rabbit Island.' This small beach paradise is located four and a half kilometers off the coast of Kep and can be reached by boat in half an hour. The main beach is lined with plenty of coconut trees and hammocks for relaxing. One can stay overnight on Koh Tonsay in simple bamboo huts on the beach.

When the sun sets over Kep and Kampot, the streets that seemed deserted during the day suddenly fill with life. One can stroll through the Kampot Night Market, tasting some fried noodles here, a portion of 'Sticky Rice' with coconut sauce there. Clothes can also be shopped here. The Kampot Night Market is located near the Durian statue and is open every day until 10 PM.

Best time to visit: The best time to travel to Cambodia is from November to March. This is the dry season when it hardly rains, and temperatures are around 30 degrees Celsius.

Flight to Cambodia: I flew from Munich to Phnom Penh with Emirates, with a layover in Dubai and a stop in Yangon. Currently, the stopover is in Bangkok. The flight time on the way there is just under 17.5 hours; on the return flight, it is 19.5 hours.

Visa for Cambodia: A visa is required for entry into Cambodia. It's possible to apply for this in advance. However, the more practical option is the visa on arrival. Up-to-date information can be found at the German Foreign Office in Berlin and at the Cambodian Embassy in Berlin.

Hotel tip in Kampot: The Villa Vedici is located about three kilometers outside of Kampot in a jungle-like area right by the river. The rooms in the River Villa, the former boathouse, are particularly nice. On the private terrace, you can quietly enjoy the sunset with a cold beer. The hotel has two pools.

Hotel tip in Phnom Penh: The Kabiki, 22 Street 264, is a boutique hotel located in a former private residence. The rooms are large, decorated in Khmer style, and have a balcony. You can relax by the pool under tamarind and frangipani trees after a day of sightseeing. The 'hotspots' of Phnom Penh are within walking distance. By the way, the Cambodian Prime Minister lives next door in the villa.

Accommodation in Chi Path: In the Sunbear Bungalows, you sleep in simple, thatched stilt huts made of bamboo. Electricity is available only in the evening for a few hours, but you're very close to the jungle here. In the large garden, you can retreat with a book under one of the many sandalwood and jackfruit trees. It's just a five-minute walk to the community center where meals are also taken.