Travel Tips - Cambodia - Weather
Cambodia has two seasons, hot and dry and hot and wet, the former running from October - April and the latter from May - September. Both have their pluses and minuses, providing quite different travel experiences.
Most roads in this developing country are dirt, so in the rainy season the going is very slow, bumpy and messy. The opposite holds true in the dry season when things are still bumpy but very dusty.
Most travelers tend to visit from November - February when temperatures are the most bearable (low-30s in the day and mid-20s at night) and there's almost no rain. Of course the trade-off is there are lots of people. Travel during this time of year is a bit like being in a very dry sauna with the air you're breathing literally being a bit hot.
The rainy season can truly be a pleasurable time to travel, especially if you're sticking to major centers like Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) as sealed roads link the two, making land travel rather painless. The temples of Angkor also take on a different look, with a bit of moss sometimes adding to their color. About 75% of the country's rainfall happens during this time of year and you can expect a couple hours of solid downpour on any given day. That said, there are few travelers, everything is lush and green and you're sure to have some temples almost to yourself.
See what the weather is like in Phnom Penh
