Discover the best time of year, based on historical climate, temperature, and precipitation.
The best weather in Siem Reap is from January, February, December. — consistent weather climate
⛈Hot & rainy
| Score | 90 | 83 | 67 | 53 | 36 | 48 | 40 | 39 | 31 | 41 | 69 | 90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & rainy | Hot & dry |
| Temperature | 22–31°C | 23–33°C | 25–34°C | 26–34°C | 26–33°C | 26–33°C | 25–32°C | 25–32°C | 24–31°C | 24–30°C | 23–31°C | 22–30°C |
| Feels like | 23–34°C | 25–36°C | 29–39°C | 30–40°C | 32–40°C | 31–39°C | 30–37°C | 30–37°C | 29–37°C | 28–37°C | 27–36°C | 24–33°C |
| Precipitation | 19mm 2 days | 25mm 3 days | 51mm 7 days | 107mm 10 days | 197mm 17 days | 155mm 16 days | 220mm 22 days | 214mm 21 days | 324mm 28 days | 256mm 23 days | 101mm 11 days | 25mm 4 days |
| Sunshine | 10.3h ☀︎ 90% | 10.7h ☀︎ 91% | 11.1h ☀︎ 92% | 10.8h ☀︎ 87% | 7.2h ☀︎ 57% | 6.3h ☀︎ 49% | 5.2h ☀︎ 40% | 5.3h ☀︎ 42% | 4.8h ☀︎ 39% | 6.4h ☀︎ 54% | 8.9h ☀︎ 77% | 9.9h ☀︎ 88% |
| Wind | NE · 13 km/h | E · 14 km/h | S · 13 km/h | S · 13 km/h | S · 13 km/h | SW · 15 km/h | SW · 16 km/h | SW · 15 km/h | SW · 12 km/h | NE · 11 km/h | NE · 12 km/h | NE · 13 km/h |
| Humidity (%) | 64% | 62% | 66% | 69% | 77% | 78% | 81% | 81% | 86% | 85% | 78% | 70% |
| Day length | 11.4h | 11.7h | 12.1h | 12.4h | 12.7h | 12.9h | 12.8h | 12.6h | 12.2h | 11.8h | 11.5h | 11.4h |
Runners from around the world race past the temples of Angkor in the cool, dry conditions of December, one of the most p…
This Khmer New Year celebration held within the Angkor Archaeological Park brings traditional games, folk performances,…
The dry, sun-lit winter is genuinely the only time Siem Reap feels welcoming rather than punishing, and waiting until December or January rewards you with pristine blue skies right as the ferocious November crowd surge begins to thin.
Almost no one comes to northwestern Cambodia purely for the provincial hub of Siem Reap itself, charming as its ochre French-colonial shopfronts, quiet river, and lantern-lit alleys around the Old Market may be. Travelers journey here to witness the immense stone universe left behind by the Khmer Empire. Exploring the Angkor Archaeological Park is not a passive museum experience; it demands miles of walking across open, exposed stone courtyards, climbing steep laterite staircases, and navigating humid forest paths. Because the temples act like giant stone ovens under direct sunlight, the atmosphere dictates everything about whether your days here feel like transcendent discoveries or exhausting physical endurance tests.
December and January represent the pinnacle of Siem Reap's calendar, offering weather so gentle it feels almost out of place in tropical Southeast Asia. The fierce tropical humidity recedes, leaving crisp mornings where you might actually want a light shawl during a pre-dawn tuk-tuk ride toward the temple gates. Rain is practically non-existent, the sky arches clear and cobalt, and the daytime air stays remarkably dry and manageable beneath the canopy.
This is the season when temple wandering becomes pure pleasure. You can linger for hours examining the intricate sandstone bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat or sitting quietly among the overgrown roots without drenched clothes and sun-induced vertigo. In December, runners gather from across the planet for the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, gliding past centuries-old moats in the brisk dawn air. While December sees a steady stream of winter-holiday arrivals, January often feels noticeably calmer, offering the identical sparkling weather with just enough breathing room at the major monuments.
By February, the temperatures begin their inexorable climb upward, but the skies remain brilliantly sunny and rain showers stay rare. Evenings in the Old French Quarter come alive during these months, with street-side tables filling up under mild night breezes.
By March, the dry gentleness of winter vanishes, replaced by a brooding, heavy heat that builds week after week. The ancient sandstone slabs absorb the overhead glare all day and radiate it straight back at you. Walking the causeways between noon and mid-afternoon feels like walking into an open hearth, with apparent temperatures easily surging past forty degrees Celsius. Wise travelers wake at five in the morning, retreat to air conditioning or pool shade by eleven, and do not venture back out until the low sun casts long shadows.
April is arguably the most brutal month for raw heat, yet it holds a brief, joyous counterweight in Angkor Sangkranta. Held inside the Angkor Archaeological Park for Khmer New Year, this massive gathering fills the ancient temple plazas with traditional games, music, and multi-generational Cambodian families celebrating together. It completely reframes Angkor from an ancient open-air museum into a living, festive communal ground, though surviving it requires serious hydration and patience with the oppressive midday air.
May brings the breaking of the drought. The heat remains intense, but the atmosphere turns thick with moisture as the first violent thunderstorms begin to roll across the rice fields, clearing the air for an hour before returning the city to a steamy simmer.
From June through October, the southwest monsoon reigns over northwestern Cambodia, reaching its sopping climax in September and October. This is not a time of gentle gray mists; the heavens open in dramatic, deafening cloudbursts that turn dirt tracks into reddish mud and overwhelm city gutters in minutes. September sees the heaviest rainfall of the entire year, when afternoon plans are frequently wiped out by torrential downpours that strand tuk-tuks beneath tin awnings.
Yet the monsoon holds a strange, undeniable beauty for those willing to pack rain ponchos and navigate slick stone steps. The parched brown countryside explodes into an electric green, the moats around the temples fill to their stone brims, and bright green moss blankets the smiling carved stone faces of the ruins. The air feels heavy, warm, and constantly damp, like a permanent steam room.
This season also dramatically transforms Tonlé Sap, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake just south of the city. Swollen by monsoon rains and the reverse flow of the Mekong, the lake expands dramatically, flooding mangrove forests and lifting stilted and floating fishing villages meters higher into the treetops. Visiting during these saturated months reveals an entirely different ecosystem than the dusty winter period, provided you do not mind shoes that never quite dry out.
November marks the official shift into peak travel season, and the town absorbs a massive influx of international visitors. Travel brochures universally proclaim November as the ideal time to arrive, and tour buses promptly clog the access avenues leading into the temple complexes. Every major viewpoint fills shoulder-to-shoulder well before sunrise.
The paradox of November is that while crowds reach their annual zenith, the weather is actually inferior to the crisp months that immediately follow it. The tail end of the wet season often lingers into the first half of the month, bringing humid afternoons and sudden showers that catch unprepared sightseers in exposed stone corridors.
If you must visit in November, balance your temple schedule by escaping into the quiet countryside or spending unhurried late afternoons exploring the craft markets and stalls around the Old Market. Otherwise, holding out for a few weeks until December or January yields substantially cleaner skies, cooler breezes, and a far more comfortable exploration.