Rainy season in Cambodia: Best time to travel in 2022

Asia is well known for its hot weather, beaches and lush landscapes. A common misconception is the rainy season: We call it the green season here, because Southeast-Asia will look much more beautiful. 

The rainy season in Cambodia is also a green season

Cambodia is located on the south-western part of the Indochina peninsula and has only two seasons, the rainy season in Cambodia and the dry season. The so-called rainy season will start in May and last until October while the dry season will start from November and usually ends in April. Cambodian people love the rainy season more than the dry season because it is the season that farmers can work on the fields and harvest rice and vegetables. The rain will be favorable for the fields. Also you can save money since the price for hotels are often lower than in other seasons.

You may think that the dry season would be the only season to travel in Cambodia. A misbelief is that during the rainy season in Cambodia people get sick and you may think there is nothing to do and you have to stay in the hotel room. In fact, it is not like that, you can get very unique experiences when you travel in the rainy season in Cambodia.

It doesn’t rain every day, and most times rain happens in the night or in the afternoon. There are only a few days when the rain doesn’t stop. More common is a heavy, 30 minute rain shower and right after it blue sky again.

Angkor Wat during the rainy season in Cambodia

What to know about the rainy season in Cambodia

In the rainy season, Cambodia has two traditional ceremonies, Pchum Benh in September and the water festival in November. These ceremonies will make your trip even more wonderful. During the rainy season in Cambodia can attend the water festival or you can see what people will do on Pchum Benh day.  You can get a taste of the traditional cake that is made only on the special ceremony day.

More than this you will see a beautiful landscape with flowers blooming and green fields. Also you can experience fresh air and pleasant weather when visiting Angkor Wat. It is possible that there are fewer tourists in this season, so it is time for you to enjoy your time at the temples without too much noise. You do not have to rush or  wait in the long line to buy a ticket  for visiting a temple. 

After a heavy rainfall you may see Cambodians riding a boat on the deeper flooded places to move, what might look a bit strange for those not used to it. But even flooding after rain will retreat in less than an hour.

Best activities for the rainy season in Cambodia

Need more activities? Here are some indoor activities to do: Visit a museum. In Phnom Penh there is the National museum, but also less known museum like the one about currency.  You can visit some of the art galleries showing contemporary and traditional Cambodian art tour, or find yourself at a coffee shop and enjoy the sound of rain. What makes you get more and more experience is cooking and dining with local people. Dine with the locals will give you an experience of cooking and eating with locals. Not only cook and eat, you also can learn about something new that you never did or knew about from the host. 

So do not worry anymore about traveling in Cambodia in the rainy season, what you have to do is prepare things such as a raincoat, slippers, umbrella and mosquito spray. Then it is time to start your rainy season trip to Cambodia to experience both culture and food.