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Kampot town, situated on the Teuk Chhou
river (also called Prek Thom river) at 5 kilometres from the sea, is the capital of Kampot
province. Off the tourist track, it has the charm of a small provincial
town with colonial style houses. The French called it the 'Perle de la
Cote d'Agate'.
A visit to the Waterfall and zoo of Teuk Chhu is a must when you visit this
town. It is situated at the base of the mountain at some 20 minutes
drive from the centre of town.
Tigers, lions, numerous kinds of birds can be seen. Have a romantic
pick-nick along the stream that stems from the waterfall and have a dip
in the water during the rainy season enjoying the enchanting sound of
the waterfall. Be careful for the currents. During the dry season,
expect less water. The water is very clear. The river is a popular
Cambodian tourist attraction during important celebrations like Khmer New Year
and other holidays.
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The Department of Tourism has built
many cottages along the river, used by both Cambodian and
international tourists. Kampot is the durian growing region of Cambodia. It has the best
durian of Cambodia, Thailand or Vietnam, but there are plentiful of
other fruits available, such as mangosteen, rambutan, mak prang,
pineapple, grapefruit, custard apple and coconut. It is also the centre of the Cambodian pepper culture.
Kampot pepper is unique in taste and is one of the world's finest
peppers. Chamkar Mrich or pepper
plantations can be visited.
Kampot province is bordered by Vietnam in the east and extending into
the Gulf of Thailand (also called the Gulf of Siam) to the south. It is
the province that produces cement due to its abundance. The cement
factory can be seen at the left-hand side of the road from Phnom Penh to
Kampot
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