A countryside loop: Fish Island, Cham villages and the Secret Lake

A slow day on back roads around Kampot, through fishing villages, river islands, durian orchards and a quiet reservoir with a dark history.

Area

Countryside & caves

Start from

Kampot

Distance

about 30–40 km loop

Time needed

1 day

Best season

November – April

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Scooter or bicycle

Tickets & rules

None

Why go

Kampot’s countryside is gentle and very green, and the best way to see it is with no fixed plan. This loop strings together a few places: the river island known as Fish Island, Cham fishing villages on the lower river, orchards and paddies, and the reservoir travellers call the Secret Lake.

Nothing here is a big sight. That is the point. You stop when you see something interesting, drink sugarcane juice in a village, watch buffaloes in the fields, and greet the children who run out to wave at every passing foreigner.

It is ideal for a second or third day in Kampot, once you have seen the town and Bokor and want to feel the rhythm of rural life.

The story

Fish Island, called Trey Koh in Khmer, sits in the river delta south of town, a flat land of coconut palms, fishing villages and rice fields reached by a bridge. Life here moves with the tides and the fishing calendar.

The Cham communities along the lower river are descendants of people from the old kingdom of Champa, in what is now central Vietnam, many of whom settled in Cambodia centuries ago. They are Muslim, and their small mosques, wooden boats and the women’s headscarves set their villages apart.

The Secret Lake is a reservoir dug during the Khmer Rouge years, when people were forced to build irrigation works across the country under brutal conditions. Many died in such projects. Today the lake is calm and pretty, ringed by fields, but it is worth knowing what it cost.

Along the way, look for palm sugar trees with bamboo ladders tied to their trunks. Climbers go up daily to collect the sap, which is boiled down into the soft brown palm sugar that sweetens Khmer cooking.

Getting there

Rent a scooter or a good bicycle in Kampot. Ask your guesthouse to mark Fish Island and the Secret Lake on your map; roads are a mix of asphalt and dirt, and signs are few. A tuk-tuk driver can also take you on a similar loop.

A suggested plan

1. 8:00 amCross to Fish Island; ride through palm groves and fishing villages.
2. 10:00 amFollow the river to a Cham village; see the boats and the mosque from the road.
3. 12:00 pmLunch in a village restaurant: rice, soup, grilled fish.
4. 1:30 pmRide through orchards to the Secret Lake; rest by the water.
5. 4:00 pmReturn to Kampot for sunset on the river.

Where to stay

Kampot is the base for this route; any guesthouse can help with rentals.

Good to know

• Download an offline map; mobile signal is patchy in places.
• Carry water, sunscreen and a little cash.
• Dress modestly in Cham villages, especially women, and avoid filming people without asking.
• Stop for palm sugar or palm juice from roadside sellers.