3 Best Sights in Cambodia

Kampot's world-renowned aromatic pepper is sold all around the country and was once the go-to spice for upmarket kitchens in Paris, but there's nothing quite like visiting where it's grown, sampling it right off the plant, and paying its producers in person for a certified 100% organic product. La Plantation is one of the most respectable producers, where you can buy white, red, or black pepper after a free tour of the pepper plantation itself. You can also explore its numerous heritage buildings, which were rescued and restored from the surrounding villages (the main one, where you can have lunch, was once a hall for monks). They also offer fun water buffalo--led cart rides, which take you into the waters of the nearby Secret Lake, a beautiful stretch of water that hides a dark past; it was built by forced labor during the Khmer Rouge years.

As most pepper plantations are in the countryside along dusty, rocky roads, it's best to arrange a taxi ride—tuk-tuks across this kind of terrain can be exhausting.

In the early 20th century, the French built this hill station as a retreat from the heat and humidity of the coast. Aside from the once derelict casino, which has been restored as a hotel, it's now mostly a collection of ruins but it's worth visiting for the spectacular sea views from its 3,000-foot heights. It's 35 km (22 miles) west of Kampot, and easily reachable by rented motorbike. Or you can hire a car with a driver for more comfort (and local knowledge). Besides the hotel, the abandoned church and former royal residences are highlights.

These limestone caves shelter a pre-Angkorian Hindu ruin (before it was Buddhist, the Khmer empire was Hindu), over which the stalagmites and stalactites are gradually growing. The less appealing cave of Phnom Sia (flashlight required) is mostly about exploring in the depths of a cave but the white elephant cave, or Cave of Sasear, has a shrine where worshippers pray to an elephant-shaped limestone formation. Tuk-tuks from town cost around $10 for the round-trip. Locals will ask $4 to guide you into the caves.