Where it sits
Kep is the smallest of Cambodia’s provinces by both area and population, wedged between Kampot and the Vietnamese border on the south coast. It was made a province in its own right in 2008, having previously been a municipality.
In the 1960s this was where the Cambodian elite came for the weekend, and the hillsides are still dotted with the shells of abandoned modernist villas — some restored as boutique hotels, most beautifully derelict.
The crab market
This is what Kep is known for. A row of wooden shacks stands over the water at the western end of the seafront, with blue swimmer crab kept alive in submerged baskets until it is ordered.
The dish to have is crab stir-fried with fresh green Kampot peppercorns still on the stem — the peppercorns pop and are eaten whole. It is one of the genuinely great regional dishes of South-East Asia and it is worth planning a day around.
What else there is
Kep National Park rises directly behind the town, with an eight-kilometre loop trail through forest and out to sea views. Early morning, before the heat, is the time to walk it.
Koh Tonsay — Rabbit Island — is twenty-five minutes offshore by boat, with basic bungalows, one beach and limited electricity. Kep beach itself is small and imported, but pleasant enough at sunset.
Practicalities
Kep has almost no nightlife, by design and by preference. Most travellers pair it with Kampot, forty-five minutes away, rather than treating it as a standalone base.