Kampot.city
Sights and day trips

Where to Go in and Around Kampot

Kampot's best outings sit a short ride from the centre: two waterfalls on the Bokor side, a quiet lake, and a private boat trip on a side arm of the river. This page covers those, and points you to the town's landmarks, markets and medical services.

Boats on the Praek Tuek Chhu river north of Kampot
Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Start with the town itself

The centre of Kampot is compact, and most of what you see on a first day is public infrastructure with a story attached: the bridges over the river, the statues and roundabouts, the clock tower, the lotus pond, the pagoda, the provincial museum and the salt fields outside town. The river and the beach areas are the usual places to spend an evening.

For daily needs the town has a central market (Samaki), a night market, a gold market, Dey Huy market and a handful of supermarkets and minimarts. Clinics, dental practices, pharmacies, opticians, massage places and veterinary services are listed in their own pages, so you can find help quickly if you live here or are staying a while.

Two waterfalls about 12 km from town

Both waterfalls are roughly 12 km from Kampot, so either fits into half a day by tuk tuk or motorbike.

Tada Roung Chan Waterfall, also called the Elephant Waterfall, drops 27 metres inside Bokor National Park. The water runs over several rocky ledges into a pool where you can swim. Upstream the water is shallow enough for wading. The surrounding forest has monkeys and birds, and there are hiking trails and picnic areas nearby.

Veal Pouch Waterfall is a rocky cascade with natural pools and small falls around the main drop. It is a calm spot for a swim and a break from the road. Flow varies a lot with the season: the photo of it on the old site was taken in the dry season, so expect less water then.

Tip: if you want to see the falls at full strength, think about visiting after the rains, and bring a swimsuit either way.

Love the River: a private boat trip

This is a private trip on a narrow side arm of the Kampot River, run on an 8-metre wooden long-tail boat that takes a maximum of six people. The skipper talks about local life and points out birds, mangroves and fruit trees along the bank. There is a stop at a sandy river beach for a swim, and a walk through a fruit plantation.

  • Duration: about 3 hours
  • Early morning tour: starts between 07:00 and 09:00
  • Afternoon sunset cruise: starts at 15:00
  • Bring: swimsuit, sunscreen and a camera. Parasols are provided and drinks are available on board.

If you want the boat to yourself, a different start time or a longer trip, ask the captain about special arrangements. Trips leave from Green House; show the map link to your tuk tuk driver.

Brateak Krola Lake, the Secret Lake

Known locally as the Secret Lake, Brateak Krola is a short drive from Kampot. It is a quiet, green spot suited to a slow boat ride or a picnic rather than any organised activity. Check the map link before you set off, since it is easier to find with a pin than with a verbal description.

Combining a day out

The waterfalls sit on the road toward Bokor, and the old site suggests pairing them with the Kampot pepper plantations or a trip to Kep beach. A reasonable plan is a morning swim at one of the falls, lunch back in town, and the sunset boat trip at 15:00. Bokor Mountain itself, a plateau west of town, has its own set of sights, from the old hill station to the national park.

Questions people ask

How far are the waterfalls from Kampot?

Both Tada Roung Chan and Veal Pouch are about 12 km from the town.

Can you swim at Tada Roung Chan Waterfall?

Yes. The waterfall drops into a pool where visitors swim, and the water upstream is shallow enough for wading.

How long is the Love the River boat trip and when does it start?

It lasts about 3 hours. The early morning tour starts between 07:00 and 09:00, and the sunset cruise starts at 15:00.

How many people fit on the Love the River boat?

The 8-metre wooden long-tail boat takes a maximum of six people on a private trip.

Town & landmarks: all guide pages

Kampot's Artificial Sand Beach on the RiverKampot's riverfront has a stretch of imported sand where residents swim, picnic and walk along the water. The sand...Beautiful Bays StatueA heart sits on top of a globe, and two sea animals hold the globe up. The Beautiful Bays Statue is one of Kampot's...Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship StatueOne of Kampot's public monuments, dedicated to the relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam. It is a quick roadside...Kampot Clock TowerAt 35 metres, the Kampot Clock Tower is described as the tallest and largest clock tower in Cambodia. Its dial alone...The Durian Roundabout in KampotA giant durian sculpture sits in the middle of a traffic circle in central Kampot. For most visitors it is the first...Entanou BridgeEntanou Bridge is the old French-era bridge over the river at Kampot, known locally and online as the Rainbow Bridge...Firefly Cruise on the Kampot RiverA two-hour boat trip along the river at dusk, ending with fireflies glowing in the riverside trees. It leaves at...Kampot Food Street at the City MarketOpened in 2026, Kampot's food street is a permanent, roofed eating area in the central garden of the city market. It...Kampot International PortThe Kampot international port is a project meant to give Cambodia another sea route for trade, with farm exports at...Kamchay DamKamchay Dam, sometimes called the Kampot dam, is a 193-megawatt hydroelectric plant on the Kamchay river, about 10...Kampong Bay BridgeKampong Bay Bridge, often called the New Bridge or simply the Kampot Bridge, carries traffic and pedestrians over...Kampong Bay FountainOpened in March 2025, the Kampong Bay Fountain is a music-and-light water display on Kampot's riverfront. Locals...King Ang Duong Statue in KampotA bronze statue of King Ang Duong seated on his horse stands beside the Kampot River. It honours the monarch who...Lotus PondThe Lotus Pond is a wide, green pond near Kampot town, covered in pink and white lotus blooms. It is a calm place...Pagodas and Temples in KampotKampot has a handful of active Buddhist wats in and around town, from the riverside pagoda known as Wat Kampot to a...Province StadiumProvince Stadium is Kampot's main sports ground, a short distance from the Durian Roundabout. It is the home of...Kampot Provincial MuseumA small museum in a restored French colonial building in central Kampot, covering the history and everyday culture...River BeachLocals call it Grass Island: a grassy stretch beside the Kampot river where people gather in the afternoon and...Riverside FitnessA row of free-to-use exercise machines sits beside the riverside path in Kampot, a few steps from the water. It is...Kampot Salt FieldsEast of Kampot town, on the road towards Kep, flat clay pans are filled with seawater and left to the sun. Farmers...Salt Workers RoundaboutA traffic roundabout in Kampot town centred on a sculpture of salt workers at their daily labour. It is a small...Wave RoundaboutThe Wave Roundabout is a traffic circle in Kampot with a wave-shaped design, and one of the town's recognisable...Year 2000 MonumentA big "2000" with a pigeon perched on top, this monument is one of the small landmarks that people in Kampot use to...The Seahorse Sculpture on Kampot's RiverfrontA tall seahorse statue stands on the Kampot riverfront and sends a stream of water from its mouth into the Preaek...Kampot Yacht ClubKampot Yacht Club sits in International Village, a short way outside Kampot town. It combines an international...Kampot International Tourism PortKampot International Tourism Port is the province's first port built for international visitors arriving and...Thai Boon Roong BuildingA two-tower residential and commercial complex taking up a full city block on the Kampot riverfront, right beside...

Beyond the town centre

Bokor Mountain and National ParkBokor is the high plateau west of Kampot town, at 1,300 metres (4,300 feet), set inside a national park created in...Preah MonivongBokor National Park covers 1,581 square kilometres of forested mountain in Kampot Province. The ruined French hill...Getting to Bokor MountainBokor is reached by road, and Kampot is the closest starting point. This page lists travel times and turn-offs from...Bokor Lake on Bokor MountainA spring-fed lake on Bokor Mountain in Kampot province, laid out in the French colonial period. It has a floating...KepKep is a small coastal town about 25 kilometres from Kampot, known for its calm beach, its crab statues and its...Kep BeachKep Beach is a curved, roughly one-kilometre strip of sand near the tip of the Kep peninsula, right beside Kep...Kep Crab MarketThe crab market is the main reason most people stop in Kep. You pick your crabs, hand them to a cook, and they come...Kep National ParkKep National Park is a small mountain range of forested hills covering roughly 50.5 square kilometres, right beside...Kampot Market GuideKampot has one big daily market, a colonial-era fish market building on the river, an evening night market and a day...Phsar SamakiPhsar Samaki, the Central Market, is where Kampot buys its food, cloth and household goods. It sits in the middle of...Kampot Night MarketThe Night Market is where Kampot eats, browses and spends its evenings, with Khmer street food, souvenir stalls and...Bokor Night MarketBokor Night Market was an evening street-food and souvenir market on the Kampot riverside. It has closed for good,...