Welcome to Kampot!

People visit Kampot Town for its quaint “old world” charm, traditional French and Chinese architecture, wide streets and provincial feel while enjoying inexpensive local seafood and venturing to the nearby Bokor Hill Station and national park which is reached easily by local tour or by hardy individuals on motorbikes. If you saw the recent Hollywood film “City of Ghosts” starring Matt Dillon, James Caan and Gerard Depardieu, you will recognize the ghostly scenery of the misty hill station and it’s deserted mansion.

To get to Kampot from Phnom Penh, its a 3-hour trip on an excellent road. Taxis leave the west side of Phsar Thmel and cost 10,000 Riel or $15-20 for a private car.

You can also get to Kampot from Sihanoukville. The 110 kilometres take about 2 hours by taxi from the market. It costs 8,000-12,000 Riel or $18-20 for a private car.

Bokor Hill Station

Bokor Hill Station was constructed by the French authorities in the 1920's as a retreat from the heat. They built a hotel, a casino, a church and a stately mansion on top of this mountain which is regularly shrouded in mist. Years of neglect, however, have left the hill station a collection of ghostly ruins and the oft-present fog gives the place a distinctly eerie atmosphere.

Whilst the years have eroded the beauty of the buildings, they have not been able to destroy the beautiful scenery. On a clear day, there is a spectacular view of the coast and surrounding countryside.

Many wild and rare animals and birds inhabit the national park surrounding the hill station. For nature enthusiasts, these include the great hornbill, pit viper, tiger, horned orb weaver, red muntjac, sundra pangolin, leopard, binturong, greater long-tongued fruit bat, blue-eared kingfisher, asian golden cat, pig-tailed macaque, yellow-throated marten, asiatic black bear, northern tree shrew, lesser mousedeer, marbled cat, asian elephant, slow loris and the chestnut-headed partridge ..... so you never know your luck on the day.

Bokor is 37 km from Kampot, West along Route 3. The park entrance is a well-marked and there is a $5 entrance fee. 4WD tours can be booked from any guesthouse in Kampot. If you are an experienced rider, it's a moderate ride on a dirt bike. People do go up on 100cc bikes but it's a slow and painful trip on the bad road.

It can be very cold at Bokor, even if it's hot in Kampot, so take warm clothes and sensible shoes. There is a small gueshouse at the hill station but it is very basic. It's advisable to take some sandwiches and drink with you as there's not much available there.

The free, 2007 Editions of the on-line Thailand and Vietnam Travel Guides are now available in English. Other Travel Guides will be available in the near future.

In addition, Arikah now also features free, online encyclopedias in Dutch, English, German, French, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.