Siem Reap Weather is strongly influenced by the Southeast Asian monsoon pattern - the dry season, which roughly coincides with high season; and the rainy season, which is the low season with respect to tourist numbers.
Dry Season - November to April
By November, the regular monsoon
rains have just about stopped, and water levels are high - so boat travel is at
its best. Road travel on the secondary roads begins to become easier as the
dirt roads dry out (some roads are impassable to cars in the wet). Temperatures
start to drop through the mid-summer, and are at their coolest in December and
January - peak season for visitors is over the Christmas and (international)
New Year period. Chinese New Year, and Khmer New Year (mid-April) can also be
extremely busy, with many hotels full over the Chinese New Year, and many
Cambodian-owned businesses closed over the Khmer New Year. The cooler
temperatures make life most comfortable for travelers from temperate climates,
and the (generally) clear skies mean that sunrises and sunsets are at their
best, but temperatures start to rise through March, with April generally
reckoned to be the hottest month of the year.
Wet Season - May to October
The rains start to become
established through May, and the temperatures slowly become milder. Early in
the wet season, rain showers are in the morning, moving to the afternoons and
evenings as the season becomes fully established. Rains are generally fairly
predictable and are easy to work around, lasting (generally) for an hour or
two. The forests and paddies are lushes, and the rain brings many of the colors
to life, making for arguably more interesting photographic conditions with the
reflections in puddles and the rainwater bringing out the colors of stone. The
much lower traveler numbers mean that crowds at Angkor Wat and elsewhere are
not seen in the same way as the high season, and hotel rates are at their most
competitive.
Cambodia Weather
Our month by month guide is
designed to help you decide the best time to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia for
you. Average temperatures, chances of rain, and sunrise and sunset times, all
based on data that we have taken.