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Fishing boats on still water before sunrise near Kampot, with mountains in the distance

Sample journey · 10–12 days

Cambodia beyond Angkor: Kampot, the islands and Battambang

Phnom Penh, Kampot & Kep, Koh Rong Samloem, Battambang & Siem Reap

Photo: Seanghay Yath / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Many people come to Cambodia for Angkor and leave a few days later. Yet the country's life is felt best in the provinces: on the quiet Kampot river at sunset, on a pepper farm where the family shows you how the famous Kampot pepper grows, at the market in Battambang or on a village lane between rice fields. This route goes there first and leaves Angkor for the end, when you understand the country a little better.

It's a journey for the curious and unhurried: couples or friends who care about food, people and history, including its painful chapters. Between the coast and the island there's time simply to rest, and every stop has at least two nights. Stays range from small riverside guesthouses to restored colonial villas; the pace and the stays would be chosen around you.

The route

The journey

  1. Phnom Penh
  2. Kampot & Kep
  3. Koh Rong Samloem
  4. Battambang
  5. Siem Reap
  1. Monks in saffron robes walking past a temple near Phnom Penh

    01Days 1–2 · Phnom Penh

    A capital of rivers

    Phnom Penh sits where the Mekong and the Tonlé Sap meet, and it's at its best in the morning, when locals exercise along the riverfront and monks collect alms. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, the art deco dome of the Central Market and an evening boat on the river make an easy beginning. Half a day is worth giving to the country's history, with a guide who helps you understand it calmly and respectfully. For more, a morning at a monastery or on a weavers' island outside the city.

  2. A rice paddy and palms on Fish Island near Kampot, with mountains behind

    02Days 3–5 · Kampot & Kep

    Pepper, a river and crabs

    About three hours south to Kampot, a sleepy river town of French-era houses with Bokor mountain behind. The days are slow: cycling Fish Island between rice fields, a visit to a pepper farm to taste green, black and red pepper, and an evening boat on the river as the fireflies come out along the banks. One day goes to Kep: the crab market, where women haul baskets of crabs from the sea, and lunch of crab with fresh Kampot pepper on a wooden terrace over the water.

  3. Fishing boats and stilt houses in a turquoise bay on Koh Rong Samloem

    03Days 6–7 · Koh Rong Samloem

    An island without roads

    By road to Sihanoukville and by boat to Koh Rong Samloem, an island with no cars, where forest trails link the beaches. The days are for swimming, a book and a walk to the next bay. On a dark night the water sometimes glows with plankton, and in the mornings the fishing boats come back to shore. The stays are simple and close to the sea: a deliberate rest before the second half of the journey.

  4. A pagoda and village among the trees, seen from Phnom Sampov hill in Battambang province

    04Days 8–9 · Battambang

    A provincial town on the river

    The longest day of the journey: by boat to the mainland and with a driver to the north-west, with a lunch break and pottery villages along the way. Battambang repays it: French-era shophouses along the Sangker river, an unhurried market and village lanes between rice fields, best by bike or tuk-tuk. With a guide you can visit the hilltop temple of Phnom Banan and ride a bamboo train, a remnant of the old line. At dusk, millions of bats pour out of the caves at Phnom Sampov, and in the evening a performance by young circus artists is well worth seeing.

  5. The moss-covered stone ruins of Beng Mealea temple among the trees

    05Days 10–12 · Siem Reap

    Angkor, slowly, to finish

    About three hours by road (or, when the water is high, a long boat journey along the river and across the Tonlé Sap) to Siem Reap. Here the pace is everything: early mornings at the temples while it's cool, a long rest through the midday heat, and a bike or tuk-tuk to the less-visited sites. One day goes to Phnom Kulen, with its riverbed carved with hundreds of lingas and its waterfall, another to Beng Mealea, a jungle-covered temple whose stones lie just as time left them. Angkor Wat and the Bayon look quite different at the end, once you know the country.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    A pepper farm in Kampot

    A tasting where some of the world's most prized pepper grows, and a conversation with the family who grows it.

  2. 02

    The Kep crab market

    Baskets of crabs straight from the sea and a peppery lunch on a terrace over the water.

  3. 03

    Battambang's country lanes

    By bike or tuk-tuk past rice fields, rice-paper makers and village pagodas.

  4. 04

    Beng Mealea

    A temple still held in the jungle's embrace, especially striking early in the morning.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More rest

    Two more nights on the island, or a villa with a pool in Kep: a lovely idea if you're travelling as a couple.

  • South by train

    From Phnom Penh to Kampot, the revived passenger train is slower than the road but full of village views.

  • With the Mekong

    Begin with a few days in Vietnam's Mekong Delta and travel up the river by boat to Phnom Penh.

  • End in Laos

    From Siem Reap, a flight to Luang Prabang for a few more slow days beside another river.

Practical considerations

  • The dry, cooler season usually runs from about November to March; April and May are very hot, and in the rainy season (roughly June to October) the landscape is at its greenest but island boats don't always run.
  • In rural areas and around some remoter temples, stay on marked paths and go with a local guide: landmine clearance still continues in places.
  • The journey from the island to Battambang is long; it can be broken with a night in Phnom Penh for a gentler pace.
  • Angkor's temples have a dress code: shoulders and knees covered.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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