Kep: the quiet seaside town 25 km from Kampot

Getting your bearings in Kep

Kep is only 25 km from Kampot, so it works as a day trip or as a place to spend a night or two. The town is spread out rather than packed into a centre. The main landmarks are the beach, the market, the crab market, and a handful of statues you will pass whether you want to or not.

Many people use Kep as a base for the countryside around it: forest, low hills and waterfalls. The national park, a lake and a hill called Phnom Sorsia are all marked on the map links below.

The beach

Kep's beach is small, with pale sand and calm water. Trees line the back of it and give shade in the heat of the day, which makes it easy to sit for an hour without a parasol. Local seafood restaurants and places to stay are close by, so lunch and a swim sit within a few minutes of each other.

It suits walking along the waterfront, sunbathing and doing very little. If you want surf or long open stretches of sand, this is not that kind of beach.

Crab, statues and landmarks

The blue crab is the town's emblem. It is a prized dish on Cambodian menus, and statues of it stand around Kep, some with a lot of detailed work. Other markers are easy to spot:

• White Horse statue on the roundabout on Road 33.
• White Lady statue, made of white concrete, facing the beach.
• Crab statue, one of several in town.
• Dolphin statue, another of the town's sculptures.

The crab market is the obvious place to try the local speciality. Eating crab is the main reason many visitors come from Kampot.

French colonial villas

Kep has French colonial architecture, and the old villas and buildings in town have been restored. They give a sense of the town's past while offering modern comforts, so some of them are places you can actually stay or eat in rather than just look at. A slow walk or ride through the streets is enough to find them.

Planning tips

• Allow a half day for the beach, the crab market and the statues. Add the national park or the temples if you want a full day.
• Use the map links on this page to locate the market, beach and statues before you set off.
• The Kep tourism port is covered on its own page.