La Plantation is the Kampot pepper farm most visitors want to see. It's open daily from 9am to 6pm, with the last farm visit at 4pm, and from October to March you should book a visiting slot online before you go. From Kampot it's roughly 30 to 45 minutes by tuk-tuk, right next to Secret Lake. Below: the booking rules, what the tours include, what it costs as far as we can verify, and what "Kampot pepper" actually means.
On this page
Booking: October to March, book ahead
La Plantation's own rule is simple on paper:
- October to March: book a visiting slot online in advance, through the booking link on the farm's website (laplantation.com).
- April to September: no booking needed; you can turn up during opening hours.
One catch: on the same page, a tour heading says no time slot is needed "from April to October". So October is unclear. Our advice: if you're visiting in October, book anyway, or email the farm (visit@laplantation.com) to check.
Two more booking notes. The cooking class needs at least 24 hours' notice. The private tours (see below) are arranged with the farm, so contact them ahead whatever the month.
Use the right website. The farm's official site is laplantation.com. A similar-looking domain, la-plantation.com, belongs to an unrelated hotel in the Caribbean.
Opening hours
| What | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Farm visits | 9am–6pm daily | Last visit starts at 4pm; open on public holidays |
| Restaurant | 7am–3pm | No reservation needed |
| Sunset Tour | From 3pm (2 hours) | Private; book ahead |
| Cooking class | By booking | At least 24 hours' notice |
The 4pm last visit is the time that matters. If you're also doing the salt fields at sunset, plan La Plantation first.
Tours and tasting
The farm offers four ways to visit. It doesn't publish prices, tour lengths or departure times on its own pages, so we only give the details we can confirm.
Farm Tour: guided visit and tasting
The standard visit. A guide walks you through the pepper vines, the spice beds and the fruit garden, explains how the pepper is grown and processed, and finishes with a tasting. Guided walks are offered in English, French and Khmer.
Cost: current tour listings (2026) describe an entry fee of about $2.50 per adult ($1.25 for ages 6–15, under-6s free), issued as a voucher you can spend at the farm, and a guided tour at about $5, with the voucher counting towards it. An older official article described the guided tours as free. Fees can change, so treat these as a guide and check when you book.
Secret Tour
A private, more in-depth visit into production: how the pepper is processed, sorted and packed, with a personalised tasting. Whether you see the harvest itself depends on the season.
Sunset Tour
A private two-hour visit starting at 3pm, ending at 5pm with a cocktail and a snack plate at the farm's Spice Bar. It includes a visit to the primary school the farm supports through its schools programme.
Cooking class
Dishes include fish amok, a vegetable curry and a mango salad; a vegetarian amok is available if you ask when booking.
Food and the shop
The restaurant serves Khmer breakfast from 7am, then lunch dishes such as lok lak and fish amok, and Kampot pepper ice cream. The shop sells the farm's pepper alongside other products such as chillies, cardamom, cashews, mustards and vinegars.
Allow about two hours at the farm for the tour, tasting and a look around the shop, more if you eat there.
Kampot pepper and its PGI, explained
"Kampot pepper" is a protected name, not just a place on a label.
- In Cambodia: it became a registered geographical indication (GI) in 2010.
- In the EU: in February 2016 it was registered as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under the name "Poivre de Kampot" (in Khmer, Mrech Kampot).
- Where it can come from: seven districts and towns in Kampot and Kep provinces, including Kampot town, Dang Tong, Kampong Trach and Kep.
- Who checks it: the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA), the producers' body, inspects member farms, alongside an independent certifier. Only accredited members who follow the PGI rules may sell pepper as "Kampot pepper".
What you're tasting is one plant in four forms. Green pepper is the fresh, unripe berry (the one Kep cooks with crab). Black is the green berry dried in the sun. Red is the fully ripe berry, dried; it's sweeter and fruitier. White is the ripe berry with its skin removed. For how each is made and how to buy the real thing, see Kampot pepper explained.
Pepper has a long history here: the Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan described pepper growing in the area in the 13th century, and production was expanded under French rule from the 1870s. War and the Khmer Rouge years nearly wiped it out; by the late 1990s only a few tonnes a year were harvested. Farmers returned to their land in the 2000s, and production has slowly recovered since.
Getting there by tuk-tuk
La Plantation is out in the countryside between Kampot and Kep. From Kampot town, a tuk-tuk takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes, partly on rural roads. A few things make the trip easier:
- Combine it. Secret Lake is right next door, and the salt fields are on the way back to town. Many people also add the Phnom Chhngok cave temple or continue to Kep's crab market.
- Agree on the farm. Some shared tours visit a different pepper farm. If La Plantation is the one you want, ask before you book.
- Agree on waiting time. If you hire a tuk-tuk just for the farm, settle up front how long the driver waits. See our Kampot tuk-tuk prices for typical fares.
- Morning or early afternoon. Arrive well before 4pm. Mornings are cooler for walking among the vines.
Other pepper farms, briefly
- BoTree: offers a free tour and tasting, and has a shop on Old Market Street in Kampot town. A common stop on shared tours.
- Sothy's Pepper Farm: on the Kep side, about 17 km from the crab market, with a free tour of about 45 minutes and a tasting, in English or French. Our source for this is older, so check before you go.
Each farm has its own character. La Plantation is the most set up for visitors, with its restaurant, shop and range of tours; smaller farms feel more like a family visit.
Ride with Seth
La Plantation is a stop on Seth's Kampot Countryside Tour and his Kampot & Kep Full Day. From October to March, he can book your visiting slot for you, so you don't have to deal with the booking system. Seth was born in Kampot and has guided for 12 years. Message Seth for a fixed quote on WhatsApp.
FAQ
Do I need to book La Plantation?
From October to March, yes: book a visiting slot online in advance. From April to September you can turn up without booking. The farm's pages disagree about October, so book then too.
What are La Plantation's opening hours?
Daily from 9am to 6pm, including public holidays. The last farm visit starts at 4pm. The restaurant is open from 7am to 3pm.
How much does it cost to visit La Plantation?
Current listings show about $2.50 per adult as a voucher you can spend at the farm, and about $5 for the guided tour, with the voucher counting towards it. Check when you book, as fees can change.
How far is La Plantation from Kampot?
About 30 to 45 minutes by tuk-tuk, in the countryside towards Kep, next to Secret Lake.
What does PGI mean for Kampot pepper?
It's an EU Protected Geographical Indication, granted in 2016. Only accredited farms in set districts of Kampot and Kep provinces, following the producers' rules, can sell their pepper as Kampot pepper.
