The short answer: November to February — dry, relatively cool, reliably golden sunrises. The honest answer is more interesting, because the "best" months are also the busiest and priciest, the "worst" months have real advantages, and one mid-April week can quietly wreck an itinerary if you don't know it's coming.
The Three Seasons That Matter
Cool & dry (November–February): peak season for a reason. Mornings in the low 20s°C, almost no rain, postcard light. Also: maximum crowds at sunrise, hotels that need booking weeks ahead, and the year's highest rates.
Hot season (March–May): brutally hot — 35°C+ by late morning, and the temples are stone ovens with no shade. Doable with discipline (sunrise starts, pool afternoons, sunset returns), punishing without it.
Green season (June–October): the contrarian pick we genuinely recommend. Afternoon downpours usually pass within an hour, the moats and rice paddies fill, the stone goes dark and dramatic, and you can have Preah Khan to yourself. Our full rainy season guide makes the case.
Month by Month
- January: prime time. Cool mornings, dry days, big crowds. Book everything early.
- February: still excellent; warming late in the month. The last comfortable hot-afternoon month.
- March: heat arrives. Sunrise is still lovely; plan indoor afternoons (the Angkor National Museum earns its air-conditioning).
- April: the hottest month — and Khmer New Year falls mid-April, when the whole country travels, businesses close, and the temples fill with domestic visitors. Festive if you're into it; avoid it if you want logistics to be easy.
- May: still hot; first rains break the back of the heat late in the month. Shoulder-season rates begin.
- June–July: green season proper. Short afternoon storms, lush paddies, thin crowds, real hotel bargains.
- August: wetter, still very workable — mornings are usually clear, which is when you should be at temples anyway.
- September–early October: the wettest stretch and the quietest. The Tonlé Sap is at its most dramatic — boats drift between the stilt-house streets of Kampong Phluk.
- Late October–November: rains taper, everything is impossibly green, crowds haven't fully returned. Arguably the smartest weeks of the year.
- December: peak-peak. Perfect weather, maximum demand — lock in hotels and the sunrise tours well ahead.
Deciding by Priority
Best weather: December–January. Best value: June–October, when rates drop meaningfully:
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Best photography: green season for skies and reflections (see the photography guide), dry season for guaranteed sunrises. Fewest people: September. With kids: November–February for bearable afternoons — more in Siem Reap with kids.
One Rule That Holds All Year
Whatever the month, the rhythm is the same: temples early, town in the afternoon, evenings for Phare and the markets. The climate punishes midday ambition twelve months a year — build the day around dawn and you'll love whichever season you picked.