Food lovers and anyone curious about Kampot pepper
BoTree Farm is a family-run organic Kampot pepper farm near Secret Lake, about 17 km from Kampot town on the road to Kep. It offers a free guided tour of the pepper vines and a tasting of black, red and white Kampot pepper, with a pondside restaurant serving Khmer lunches and pepper ice cream.
September 2026
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BoTree Farm is a family-run organic pepper farm in the Kampot countryside, near Secret Lake on the road between Kampot and Kep. Visitors come for a free guided walk through the pepper vines, a tasting of black, red and white Kampot pepper, and a slow Khmer lunch by the farm’s pond. It is one of the most relaxed and personal ways to discover the world-famous pepper of Kampot.
BoTree is a small, family-owned farm, registered in Cambodia in 2015, that grows organic Kampot pepper alongside tropical fruit trees such as mango, jackfruit, mangosteen, durian and rambutan, as well as turmeric and ginger. Pepper vines climb tall wooden posts in neat rows, shaded by palm-leaf screens, much as they have in this region for generations.
Unlike the larger commercial plantations, BoTree feels like visiting a family farm. Tours are unhurried and personal, and the farm’s pondside restaurant serves home-style Khmer food. The farm also runs a pepper shop on Old Market Street in Kampot town.
Pepper has been grown in Kampot for centuries, and by the early 20th century it was prized in French kitchens. Production nearly vanished during the Khmer Rouge years, and has since been revived by farmers across the province. Kampot pepper was registered as a geographical indication in Cambodia in 2010 and gained Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in the European Union in 2016, the first Cambodian product to do so. Only pepper grown in the defined area of Kampot and Kep, using traditional methods, can carry the name.
Harvested green and sun-dried until black. Strong and complex, with hints of eucalyptus and mint.
Picked when fully ripe and dried. The rarest and most prized of Kampot’s peppers, with a gentle heat.
Ripe red berries soaked and peeled to reveal the white seed. Sharp, clean heat, ideal with fish.
Eaten fresh on the vine or pickled, most famously stir-fried with crab in nearby Kep.
Tours are offered in English and French. There has also been free kayaking on the farm’s pond; check on arrival.
| Tour | Free guided tour and pepper tasting |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Not published; visit during the day and confirm locally |
| Location | Near Secret Lake, about 17 km from Kampot town, between Kampot and Kep |
| Time needed | 2 to 3 hours with lunch |
| Food and drink | Pondside restaurant with Khmer lunches, coffee, juices and pepper ice cream |
| Languages | English and French |
| Website | botree.asia |
BoTree is in the countryside, so most visitors come by tuk-tuk from Kampot or Kep. The farm suggests budgeting around $20 for a half-day tuk-tuk trip for up to four people; agree the price and waiting time with your driver before you set off. It combines well with other stops on the Kampot countryside loop:
For more of the region’s food, see our food experiences and village experiences.
We plan unhurried days in Kampot and Kep, from pepper farms and salt fields to Bokor and the crab market, with a local driver who knows the back roads. Kampot is a highlight of our Pepper Coast & Islands journey.
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