Experience the best of Krong Kaeb

Krong Kaeb, usually called Kep, is a small coastal town in the far south of Cambodia, close to the Vietnamese border and facing the Gulf of Thailand. It was developed as a seaside resort in the French colonial period and again in the 1960s, when modernist villas were built along the shore, and the weathered shells of some still stand among the trees. Kep National Park covers the hill behind the town.

The seafront has a large crab statue and the crab market, where the catch is cooked on the spot. Small boats leave for Rabbit Island, with sandy beaches and simple huts, and trails loop through the national park. The town of Kampot, famous for its pepper, lies about 25 kilometres to the west.

Crab cooked with fresh green Kampot pepper is the local classic, with grilled squid, prawns and fish alongside. Fruit shakes cool the afternoons. Heat lasts all year; the sea is calmest after the rains end in November, and the wet months bring storms and a greener hill.