Cambodia Weather Month-by-Month for Aussies in 2026: Best Time to Visit
Cambodia has three seasons and only two of them are easy for an Aussie first-timer. Here is the month-by-month breakdown of temperature, rain, crowds, and which window works best for your Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane/Perth school-holiday block.
When is the best time of year for an Australian to visit Cambodia?
For an Aussie first-timer, November to February is the sweet spot — Cambodia's cool dry season runs 22–30°C with blue skies, low humidity, and almost no rain. March to May is the hot dry season at 32–38°C and the midday heat at Angkor is genuinely punishing. June to October is the wet season, warm and lush with heavy afternoon downpours, quieter temples, and lower hotel rates. The two Aussie windows that work cleanly: Christmas/New Year (peak dry, perfect weather, premium prices) and July school holidays (rainy but workable, much cheaper). Book the eVisa $80 USD (~$122 AUD) once your dates are locked — it is valid 3 months from issue, so a 1–2 week pre-flight application is the cleanest sequence.
主なポイント
- Best window for an Aussie first trip: November to February — cool dry season, 22–30°C, low humidity, blue skies, no rain.
- March to May is hot dry season — 32–38°C with brutal midday heat. April is the worst single month: peak temperatures plus Khmer New Year crowds.
- June to October is wet season — warm 27–32°C with heavy afternoon downpours that usually last 30–90 minutes. Lush green landscape, quiet temples, lower prices.
- Aussie school holidays in July work but expect daily rain. Christmas/New Year week is peak Cambodian dry season and the best Aussie family window.
- Pack for the season you book: layers and a light jumper for cool dry, sun protection and electrolytes for hot dry, a quick-dry rain shell and waterproof phone case for wet.
- Cambodia eVisa $80 USD (~$122 AUD) and validity 3 months from issue, so book the eVisa to match the weather window — not the other way around.
Why timing matters for a Cambodia trip from Australia
Cambodia sits roughly 11–14 degrees north of the equator, which means a tropical monsoon climate with only two real temperature ranges: hot, and warm-and-wet. There is no winter, no autumn, no concept of a cool snap the way Sydney or Melbourne understands it. What you do get are three sharply different seasons — cool dry (November–February), hot dry (March–May), and wet (June–October) — and each one delivers a completely different version of the country.
For an Aussie first-time visitor this matters more than for almost any other Southeast Asian destination. Angkor is an outdoor temple complex; the riverfront in Phnom Penh is best walked at sunset; Sihanoukville and the southern islands are about swimming and boats. Get the season right and the trip is effortless. Get it wrong and you are queueing for sunscreen at 7 am to beat 38°C heat, or watching three days of monsoon rain through a hotel window in Siem Reap.
This guide is the month-by-month breakdown for an Australian traveller in 2026 — what to expect, what to pack, and which Aussie school-holiday or long-weekend block aligns. The companion first-trip planning checklist covers the wider pre-flight sequence, and the 7-day itinerary shows what each season actually looks like on the ground. See our full Cambodia visa requirements for Australians for the end-to-end walkthrough.
Cambodia's three seasons at a glance
Before drilling into the month-by-month, here is the broad-stroke shape of the Cambodian year. The country only swings about 15°C across the entire calendar, but humidity, rainfall, and crowd patterns shift dramatically between the three seasons. Most Aussies are surprised that the warmest month isn't June — it's April, in the dry season, when there's no cloud cover to mask the sun.
Cool dry — the easy season
November through February is the Cambodia you have seen in every travel photo. Mornings open at 22–24°C — genuinely cool by tropical standards, cool enough that an Aussie used to Sydney winter mornings will reach for a light jumper at breakfast. By midday it climbs to 28–30°C with low humidity, almost no rain, and a clean blue sky that makes Angkor at sunrise look like the postcard. The trade-off is straightforward: the whole world knows this is the best window, so hotels in Siem Reap fill out and prices run 30–60% above the wet-season floor.
Hot dry — the punishing season
March through May is the season most Aussies underestimate. Daytime maximums slide from 33°C in early March to 36–38°C through April and into early May. There is no cloud cover, no breeze through the temple complex, and the stone walls at Angkor radiate heat well into the evening. The Khmer New Year falls in mid-April and the country closes down for three to four days — workable if you are already in your hotel, brutal if you are trying to fly domestic or get a tuk-tuk somewhere new.
よくある質問
When is the best month to visit Cambodia from Australia?
December and January are the best two months for an Aussie first trip. Daytime temperatures sit at 28–30°C, mornings open cool at 22–24°C, there is no rain, and the sky stays blue. This is also the Australian summer school-holiday block, which is why most Aussie families target this window. Trade-off: it is peak season, so book hotels in Siem Reap 3–4 months ahead and expect crowds at the popular Angkor temples from 8 to 11 am.
Is Cambodia too hot in April for Australian travellers?
April is genuinely punishing — daytime maximums push 36–38°C with no cloud cover and high humidity by month-end. On top of the heat, Khmer New Year (13–16 April) effectively shuts the country for 3–4 days. Government offices close, eVisa processing slows, domestic flights book out, and restaurants run reduced menus. For an Aussie first-timer, April is the single month to avoid. If Easter falls in early April you can travel before the 13th; otherwise push the trip to July or December.
Can I visit Cambodia in the wet season?
Yes — June to October works much better than most Aussies expect. Mornings are typically clear, daytime temperatures sit at 27–30°C, and the afternoon downpour usually lasts 30–90 minutes before clearing. The landscape is lush green, the temples are dramatically quieter, and hotel rates are 30–50% below the December peak. The honest trade-off is a small share of trips lose an afternoon to a longer storm, and some unsealed roads at the off-grid Angkor temples turn to mud. Pack a lightweight rain shell and a waterproof phone pouch.
How hot does Angkor Wat get in the middle of the year?
Angkor in April hits 36–38°C by midday with the stones radiating heat well into the afternoon. June to September is cooler at 27–30°C, but with high humidity that feels heavier than the temperature reading. The single non-negotiable for any season is being at the gates by sunrise (around 5:30 am) — the temperature swing from sunrise to 10 am is 6–8°C, and the Angkor Wat sunrise itself is the photo most Aussies come for. Plan all temple visits before 9 am or after 4 pm regardless of season.
Which Aussie school holidays work best for a Cambodia family trip?
Summer (mid-December to late January) is the unbeatable window — Cambodia at peak dry season, perfect weather, no rain, and the Aussie school-holiday block runs 3–4 weeks. July (Australian winter break) is the budget-friendly alternative at 30–50% lower hotel prices, but expect a daily afternoon downpour. Avoid Easter / Term 1 break in April — it lands inside the worst Cambodian heat and Khmer New Year shutdown. The Term 3 September break is workable but Pchum Ben (mid–late September) slows the country similarly to Khmer New Year.
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