Less than an hour from the center of Kampot is the small town of Kampong Trach, the gateway to the Prek Chak (Cambodia)/ Xa Xia (Vietnam) crossing. There are nothing much to see in the town itself, but there are some tourist attractions nearby, specifically the numerous limestone caves and the tubes carved in the mountains nearby.
There is a huge cave in the mountain’s center with a collapsed roof. Inside it grew an enclosed jungle. Like the ones near Kampot, the caves here in Kampong Trach have pagodas and shrines inside them.
Another interesting site is the numerous small wells at the foot of the mountain in Kampong Trach. Cambodians and a smattering of Chinese and Vietnamese worship these wells. A large one measures around 30 meters in diameter and has different-colored soil inside it. There are a number of other smaller wells, too, and some of them have different rock formations, including some which look like animals.
For those who would like a bit of history, a side road to Kampong Trach goes around the base of Phnom Voar, a small mountain range. This is where the kidnapped victims of the Khmer Rouge were held sometime in 1994. The area itself was used as the last hideouts of the Khmer Rouge.
To go to Kampong Trach from Kampot, take the Kep road. You will pass by picturesque areas, but it may be better to hire a local guide as the route is not straightforward. One day should be enough for the day trip to the town’s caves.
