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Where is the country of Cambodia located? Cambodia is a country in southeastern Asia, bordering Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. To the south, Cambodia lies on the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate, type Am according to the Köppen climate classification. Cambodia has an average daily temperature that is around thirty degrees Celsius all year round. In the dry season, the average maximum temperature reaches its lowest point with an average of 30 degrees, after which it quickly rises to an average of 34 to 37 degrees in April. Once the rainy season starts in May, you will see the average temperature slowly decrease, although the wind chill doesn’t seem to be any lower. This is due to the high relative humidity, which can rise to more than eighty percent in the wet season.

Rainy season

Cambodia has a southwest monsoon, which provides relatively high amounts of precipitation from May to October (locally November), with the coastal areas and especially the windward side of the mountains registering the most rain. The total amount of precipitation in the capital Phnom Penh is on average just under fourteen hundred millimeters per year, in the Kirirom National Park this rises to 3800 to 5000 millimeters in the wettest places in the Elephant Mountains (around Bokor Hill Station). From December, the chances of precipitation drop quickly because the wind then comes from the northeast and mainly supplies drier and cooler air. January and February are the driest months, with hardly any rainfall recorded in some places in Cambodia.

Hurricanes

Cambodia is located in a region where hurricanes are active. From the end of May there is a (relatively small) chance of hurricanes that form above the now considerably warmed Pacific Ocean. If you look at the supply route of hurricanes and tropical storms, Cambodia lies behind the Annamese mountain range in Vietnam, so the chance that the country will actually be hit by a hurricane (typhoon) is relatively small. Once over land, these tropical storms lose much of their strength, limiting their chances of reaching Cambodia with hurricane-force winds.

Cambodia Vacation

The best time to visit Cambodia is during our winter period. From December, the amounts of precipitation decrease significantly, making traveling through Cambodia suddenly much more pleasant. You need a visa to travel to Cambodia with a Dutch passport. You can simply apply for a visa for Cambodia online.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit Cambodia

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Cambodia? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The Asian country of Cambodia is located in a region where tropical climates predominate. In the case of Cambodia, it concerns a tropical monsoon climate (type Am) with a clear dry period and a wetter monsoon period. Significant amounts of rain can fall during monsoons, especially on the coast of Cambodia. The rainy season starts in April or May and lasts until November.

Best time to visit

The best travel period for a holiday in Cambodia is therefore from December to the beginning of April. Since the months of March and April can be seriously hot, December, January and to a lesser extent February are the best travel times for Cambodia. It is then dry, tropically warm and mostly sunny. The real heat starts to hit in the course of February. When the monsoon starts you can see the temperatures drop a bit.

The monsoon period

The monsoon or rainy season starts in May and ends in November. In the north, the heaviest rain usually ends in early November. In the central and southern part you will have to wait for more towards the end of the month. Climate change is manifested in Cambodia by the fact that for years the monsoon lasts several weeks longer than usual. That is something to take into account in your planning.

Hurricanes

Cambodia is located in a region where hurricanes can occur from June to December. These are called typhoons or cyclones in this part of the world. Due to its geographical location, Cambodia is often fortunate that such severe tropical storms head towards Vietnam or Laos and that Cambodia is spared the greatest misery. If Cambodia has to deal with a hurricane, it has often already weakened. Nevertheless, in the second half of the calendar year you should take into account that a hurricane affects the weather and public life in Cambodia.