It’s worth taking a look at the weather patterns to assess when to visit Cambodia. The best time of year to visit Cambodia depends on what you intend to do during your travels and if you want to try and avoid the rainy season.
Best time to visit Cambodia
If you are deciding when to go to Cambodia, it’s good to know that there is really no wrong time to visit. Cambodia is warm all year, but it has a monsoon climate that creates two distinct seasons, rainy and dry. However, the dry period is split into two, hot and cool. Although the temperature is hot all year round.
- It can still be worth visiting Cambodia during the rainy season. The scenery can be stunning. Mornings are usually dry, and the rain falls mainly in the afternoon. There are generally still windows of bright sunshine and clear sky
- In September and October, the rain can be more substantial and more consistent. It’s naturally much quieter, making this the best time to visit Cambodia for some. Travelling by road can be impacted during the rainy season as flooding is a possibility.
- Cambodia’s dry season runs from October to April, when the dusty northeast monsoon arrives. Blowing like a hair-dryer set to high, the northeast monsoon dries out the country fast. While November and January are quite cool (high C20s) by April. As the country dries out, badly rutted roads get graded and trip times improve dramatically, though they get incredibly dusty. Cambodia’s beach strips at Kep, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong bask in brilliant sunshine with clear calm waters — if you’re a beach bum, dry season is the season for you.
- If you wish to visit Angkor Wat during Khmer New Year, It is the best time you must, but weather quite hot during this season of April. Temperatures are known to hit more than 40°C Despite this, April comes with a sense of celebration because it is the month of Khmer New Year. While the exact dates vary, every year falls on April 11, 12 and 13 – with April 14 being observed as an additional public holiday. Escape the heat with a trip to Kirirom. About 1.5 hours from Phnom Penh, Kirirom is home to sprawling pine forests where the temperature dips a good few degrees lower than in the city.
Which is the best time to visit in Cambodia?