Travel Photo Report

Kep is a coastal tourist town(if not a village) located southwest of Royal city of Phnom Penh of kingdom of Cambodia. I had never heard of it before i was heading to South East Asia for the first time. I was meeting my brother and we were travelling around Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia together.

Seaside in Kep Cambodia

Kep is quite small but one can enjoy a variety of activities and visit some attractions around it. The seaside is not great, at least not within the city limits. We have not visited famous Rabbits islands. We rented a scooter and explored the area around. There are some nice temples and caves in the vicinity.

Temples around Kep, Cambodia

But what brought us there were famous Kep crabs.

Grilled squid in Kep

Kep is very famous for its crab and sea food. The road opposite the main beach is lined with picnic platforms.

One of the most popular activities among both locals and foreigners is having a picnic tasting freshly caught and cooked sea food. People rent mats or an empty platform.

Platforms are equipped with hammocks in which we spent several evenings. Besides crabs you can eat grilled squid dipping them into lime juice thick with salt & pepper.

But the best is to visit the local market which is about 2-3km from the Kep beach. Here you can buy freshly caught crabs, shrimp and fish on weight. If you pay just a little extra you can ask the ladies to cook them for you.

This was the reason we came to Kep in the first place. We indulged ourselves without limits.

The prices surprized me:

1kg of crabs = 8USD;

1kg of shrimp = 6USD.

Freshly caught crabs

Freshly caught crabs in Kep

Shrimp on Kep market

While waiting for your food to be cooked and packed you can have a glass of freshly made /so much not recommended by Lonely Planet/ sugar cane juice.

Once chilled beer is bought, and everything is packed you are ready to to “saddle up” and go to one of the view points on the seaside or hills. There you can enjoy both the delicious food and the amazing views.

Fishermen boats in Kep

Sunset in Kep, Cambodia

While we did not really enjoy the sea side Kep is definitely worth visiting, especially if you are heading from the Mekongg Delta or Phu Quoc island to Cambodia. Kep ois convenietnly located right at the border.

I recommend to stay here for a couple of day before you head to busy Phnom Pehn or Angkor Wat. Once you are there you will remember the peaceful atmosphere and slow pace of life. And of course, great and very affordable crabs, shrimp and squid.

Other things-to-do and place-to-go in & around Kep are:

– Visit the former King Sihanouk’s mansion on top of the hill, abandoned nowadays, but full of monkeys that hang around the villa

– Explore caves in Kompong Trach nearby

– Spend a relaxing day on the beach of Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay)

– Rent fishing boats to catch fish and crab in hidden bays

– Kampot, lovely riverside town with old colonial buildings and nice riverside coffee shops, famous for its Kampot black pepper

About the Author: Alex