Things To Do In Kep – Budget Travel In Cambodia

Visit Kep, Cambodia to experience a coastal resort, famous for its crab, that was once the destination of choice for the French and Cambodian elite before the arrival of the Khmer Rouge.

Our first taste of Cambodia was the capital city of Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh was a little rough around the edges and we spent half the time in genocide museums. So, we were ready to relax. And where better than the sleepy, coastal town of Kep?

Things To Do In Kep | Food And Drink In Kep

How To Get To Kep From Phnom Penh

To get to Kep, we simply arrived at the main bus station in the centre of Phnom Penh. We had booked our tickets online in advance and it was easy enough to turn up just shy of an hour before the departing time and pick up our tickets then sit and wait with a coffee and a do-nut.

The journey time was approximately 4 hours and the bus dropped us off at Kep beach.

For information on bus times, visit https://www.canbypublications.com/cambodia/buses.htm.

Relaxing In Kep

We were looking forward to some beach time. We had visited some coastal places on our travels but had not actually been anywhere long enough to spend a day relaxing by the sea. Our plan for Kep was to relax by the beach, cycle around its abandoned villas and eat some fresh crab!

Plans Ruined

What I wasn’t prepared for was being ill for half the time we were there! On the second night, I woke up sweating and freezing with a high temperature. I managed to get out but the next couple of days were a real struggle. I had to spend one of the days entirely in our room. Obviously, I feared the worst and presumed it was dengue fever. It may have actually been dengue fever, but on leaving Kep I was already over the worst part.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST HOSTELS IN KEP!

Things To Do In Kep

We had planned to visit ‘Kep Rabbit Island’ and ‘Sothy’s Pepper Farm’ but my illness soon saw off those possibilities. These are high on the agenda for travellers to Kep and should be considered, as well as the options listed here:

Kep Beach

Though it is small, Kep beach was a great place to relax and, during the week, you will have almost the whole place to yourself. At weekends, it is much busier. You can hire covered hammocks for a dollar to take a break from the heat. During the week, you might not even have to pay!

Kep Crab Market

The crab market is a must for visitors to Kep. Even if you are not a lover of crab, it is a great experience seeing the hustle and bustle take place in this small market. There were souvenir shops too and fruit vendors. You can get durian and mangosteen for a decent price here. Remember to haggle! Map.

Kep Ruined Villas

In the 60s, Kep was Cambodia’s top seaside destination. Many royals owned properties here, as did the elite of Cambodia society. There were many parties held in these properties (which numbered over 200 in their heyday) and visitors from international jet-setters and movie stars (such as Catherine Deneuve) would be spotted here. That all changed in the 1970s with the arrival of the Khmer Rouge regime and all the rich folk left, leaving their mansions to gradually be reclaimed by nature.

There are still over 100 left, giving an eerie ghost-town quality to the area. Some are easy to spot, but you will have to look for others.

From Kep beach, cycle east towards the pier for ‘Rabbit Island’ then turn left and cycle around the area. This is a good spot for the ruins. Some you can go right up to and others are behind locked gates. This was probably my favourite experience in Kep.

Statues Of Kep

This is not something you need to take time out to do, as you will come across them anyway. In Kep, they love their statues! There are many on the beaches and no roundabout is complete without a statue in the middle! Perhaps the most famous is the ‘White Lady Statue’ (map) on Kep beach. Sometimes, she is covered up to keep her modesty intact!

Food & Drink In Kep

As I spent a couple of days ill, we didn’t get around as much as we would normally. However, we did manage to try a few of the local eateries.

Arts Cafe

Located near the Crab market was this wonderful cafe where we enjoyed food and drink with the sea literally under our feet. We came and had breakfast and coffee which was delicious. The owner was very friendly too. Highly recommended. Map.

Kep Crab Market

Buying and eating crab at the Kep crab market was a unique experience. First, they brought in the live crabs in baskets from the sea. Next, we haggled a price per kilo and made our purchase. We then took the crab to another woman who killed and boiled them. We then took our Kep crab to another stall to buy more fish. From another vendor, we bought some rice and chilli sauce. Finally, after purchasing a drink, we sat down and ate the crab!

To be honest, I’m not a big lover of crab. It seemed a lot of effort for little reward. Some of the crabs sold here were very small and had very little meat. I’m not sure how sustainable this method of crabbing is. Map.

Le Bout Du Monde

We had planned to have breakfast in the Led Zep cafe, but found it closed (annoying after a bit of a trek). Luckily, we found some wonderful looking wooden lodges that had a restaurant so we were able to have a good, strong coffee and some wonderful pancakes! Map.

Thyda Restaurant

A well-priced and enjoyable Thai and western food restaurant. Run by a guy from Liverpool with his Cambodian wife, he was very friendly and gave us some good advice on what medication to buy for my illness and also to skip Sihanouk and head straight for the islands. Map.

Is Kep Worth Visiting?

Despite being ill for half my visit, I loved the town of Kep. It was very quiet during the week as it has not yet regained its position as a leading tourist destination in Cambodia. They are preparing for it though, as the new highways testify. This mix of planning for the future combined with the relics of the past that scatter the town make for an interesting visit. I would definitely recommend adding Kep to your Cambodia itinerary.