Kep, Cambodia: travel guide
Quiet Coastal Town — a serene beach destination with colonial villas, local markets, and a gateway to offshore islands.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Currency
- KHR
- Time zone
- Asia/Phnom_Penh
Top places to visit in Kep
Kep Crab Market
Market · 4.1 rating · about 1.5 h
The legendary Crab Market at Kep is Cambodia's most famous seafood destination. Dozens of stalls line the waterfront, selling the prized Kep blue swimming crab — cooked fresh to order with the signature Kampot pepper and butter sauce.…
Bokor Hill Station
Heritage · 4.3 rating · about 3 h · entry USD 5
Perched 1,080 metres above sea level in the Elephant Mountains, Bokor Hill Station (Phnom Bokor) is a hauntingly beautiful French colonial ghost town abandoned twice — once during the independence struggle, once during the Khmer Rouge. The…
Kep Beach
Beach · 4.1 rating · about 2 h
Kep's main beach is a slim crescent of grey-white sand fronted by calm, shallow waters ideal for swimming and wading. Backed by casuarina trees and the famous Kep Crab Market, the beach has a quiet, old-world Cambodian resort charm. Once a…
Kep National Park
Nature · 4.2 rating · about 3 h · entry USD 2
A 50 km² protected forest covering the hills behind Kep town, Kep National Park has a well-marked 8 km hiking trail through dense jungle with viewpoints, seasonal streams, and diverse birdlife including hornbills and kingfishers. The park…
Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay)
Beach · 4.2 rating · about 6 h · entry USD 8
Just 30 minutes by boat from Kep, Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay) is a small, car-free island with three beautiful beaches, a handful of rustic wooden bungalows, and near-total absence of modern development. The main beach is a 400 m arc of…
Kampot Pepper Farms
Cultural · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h · entry USD 5
Kampot pepper is world-renowned — protected by a Geographical Indication since 2010, it is considered among the finest pepper in the world by Michelin-starred chefs globally. The lush pepper farms straddling the Kampot–Kep corridor offer…
Kep Crab Statue
Cultural · 4.2 rating · about 0.3 h
The giant blue crab sculpture standing in the sea, Kep's emblem.
White Lady Statue (Sela Cham P'dao)
Cultural · 4.1 rating · about 0.3 h
Nude white statue on the rocks, subject of a local legend.
Sothy's Pepper Farm
Cultural · 4.7 rating · about 1 h
Family Kampot-pepper farm near Kep with free tours and tastings.
Led Zep Cafe Viewpoint
Viewpoint · 4.5 rating · about 0.5 h
Rope-swing viewpoint cafe on the edge of Kep National Park.
Kep Salt Fields
Nature · 4.2 rating · about 0.8 h
Coastal salt pans worked by hand on the road toward Kampot.
Phnom Voar (Cave Temples)
Nature · 4.0 rating · about 1.5 h
Hill of cave shrines and a viewpoint inland from Kep.
Things to do
- Rabbit Island Day Trip by Boat Boat · 7 h · from KHR 28,200 per person
- Kep Crab Fishing & Cooking Experience Cooking Class · 3.5 h · from KHR 106,000 per person
- Kampot Pepper Farm Tour & Tasting Food Tour · 1.5 h · from KHR 17,600 per person
- Bokor Hill Station & Waterfall Day Tour Historical Tour · 6 h · from KHR 123,000 per person
- Kep National Park Sunrise Bird Walk Wildlife · 3 h · from KHR 52,800 per person
- Kep Crab Market Seafood Feast Food · 1.5 h · from KHR 42,400 per person
- Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay) Boat Trip Nature · 6 h · from KHR 50,900 per person
- Kep National Park Loop Hike Adventure · 3 h · from KHR 17,000 per person
Day trips and tours
- Kep Crab Fishing, Rabbit Island & Pepper Farm 8 h · from KHR 221,000
- Bokor Hill Station & Kep National Park Sunrise 7 h · from KHR 161,000
Where to stay in Kep
- Kep Beach & Town about KHR 50 per night
Kep's laid-back town centre and main beach strip. Stays range from backpacker bungalows to boutique eco-resorts. The famous Crab Market (Phsar Kdam) is a short walk away, selling freshly cooked crabs in Kampot…
- Kep National Park Hillside about KHR 80 per night
Rising above the beach town, Kep's forested hillside is home to the National Park hiking trails and some of the most dramatic sea-view eco-resorts in Cambodia. Shaded jungle walks lead to viewpoints over the Gulf of…
- Kep Peninsula Boutique Resorts about KHR 120 per night
The western tip of the Kep peninsula, reached via a scenic coastal road, is Kep's most exclusive enclave. A cluster of design boutique resorts and private villas perch above the water with infinity pools overlooking the…
Hotels
- Knai Bang Chatt 5-star · USD 220 to USD 600 per night
- The Vine Retreat Kep 3-star · USD 65 to USD 160 per night
- Knai Bang Chatt Annex 5-star · USD 150 to USD 400 per night
- La Villa Romonea 4-star · USD 80 to USD 180 per night
- Veranda Natural Resort 3-star · USD 55 to USD 180 per night
- Le Bout du Monde 3-star · USD 45 to USD 110 per night
Where to eat
- Kep Crab Market Stalls Seafood, Cambodian · about USD 18 per person
- Sailing Club Kep Seafood, Cambodian, International · about USD 22 per person
- Veranda Natural Resort Restaurant Cambodian, Khmer, International · about USD 25 per person
- La Baraka French, Cambodian, Fusion · about USD 28 per person
- Botanica Restaurant Kep International, Cambodian, Healthy · about USD 16 per person
- The Beach House Kep Cambodian, Seafood · about USD 8 per person
- Kimly Restaurant Seafood, Cambodian · about USD 10 per person
- Holy Crab Seafood, Cambodian · about USD 11 per person
Getting around
- Bicycle main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Boat main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Tuktuk main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.
Safety and scams to avoid
Crab market price manipulation
Kep Crab Market stalls
Stall operators show fresh live crabs priced per 100 g, then weigh cooked crabs after the shells (much lighter) or add surcharges for cooking, sauce, rice. Bill can triple the quoted price.
How to avoid it: Ask for total price (cooked, with sides) in writing before ordering. Weigh crabs live on the vendor scale and watch it yourself.
Rabbit Island overcharging by boat captains
Kep pier / Koh Tonsay departure point
Boat captains quote USD 5 return per person to Rabbit Island but demand extra "fuel surcharges," "weekend premiums," or refuse to leave until the boat is "full" (indefinitely).
How to avoid it: Agree on a fixed per-person return price and departure time before boarding. Standard published rate is USD 5 round-trip; USD 7–8 is acceptable in high season.
Kampot pepper "farm tour" bait-and-switch
Guesthouses in Kep and surrounding roads
Tuk-tuk drivers offer a "pepper farm tour" then take you to a souvenir shop selling mass-produced pepper for 5× the farmgate price, claiming it is the farm.
How to avoid it: Visit certified Kampot Pepper farms directly — La Plantation and KPPA-certified farms publish GPS addresses. Genuine farms show growing plants, not just retail shelves.
Best time to visit Kep
- Jun 33°C · moderate · MoWRAM/WMO WWIS 1982-2024 normal for June: 136.3 mm over 23 rain days (national station Kep (WMO WWIS city id 3639), 10.3 km from the stored city centre). No `outdoor` entry: 136.3 mm is below the 150 mm gate this programme uses, so the month gets no rainfall opinion - only the sea one. Sea: mean significant wave height 0.42 m (90th pct 0.66 m) at the 10.458N 104.292E model cell, hourly series 2022-2025 (4 complete years), https://marine-api.open-meteo.com/v1/marine?latitude=10.458&longitude=104.292&start_date=2022-01-01&end_date=2025-12-31&hourly=wave_height&timezone=UTC .
- Jul 32°C · moderate · MoWRAM/WMO WWIS 1982-2024 normal for July: 197.6 mm over 26 rain days (national station Kep (WMO WWIS city id 3639), 10.3 km from the stored city centre). Sea: mean significant wave height 0.53 m (90th pct 0.84 m) at the 10.458N 104.292E model cell, hourly series 2022-2025 (4 complete years), https://marine-api.open-meteo.com/v1/marine?latitude=10.458&longitude=104.292&start_date=2022-01-01&end_date=2025-12-31&hourly=wave_height&timezone=UTC .
- Aug 32°C · moderate · MoWRAM/WMO WWIS 1982-2024 normal for August: 297.9 mm over 24 rain days (national station Kep (WMO WWIS city id 3639), 10.3 km from the stored city centre). Sea: mean significant wave height 0.47 m (90th pct 0.72 m) at the 10.458N 104.292E model cell, hourly series 2022-2025 (4 complete years), https://marine-api.open-meteo.com/v1/marine?latitude=10.458&longitude=104.292&start_date=2022-01-01&end_date=2025-12-31&hourly=wave_height&timezone=UTC .
- Sep 32°C · moderate · MoWRAM/WMO WWIS 1982-2024 normal for September: 200.7 mm over 28 rain days (national station Kep (WMO WWIS city id 3639), 10.3 km from the stored city centre). Sea: mean significant wave height 0.48 m (90th pct 0.82 m) at the 10.458N 104.292E model cell, hourly series 2022-2025 (4 complete years), https://marine-api.open-meteo.com/v1/marine?latitude=10.458&longitude=104.292&start_date=2022-01-01&end_date=2025-12-31&hourly=wave_height&timezone=UTC .