When should I visit Angkor, Cambodia, for the best experience?

Cambodia has one rainy season, from May to October, and it delivers roughly 85 percent of the year's rain. National rainfall peaks in September at an average of 310.60 mm, about 12.2 inches in a single month, against a national annual total of 1,836 mm over the 1991 to 2020 period. January is typically the driest month. That one-season pattern is why Angkor's visiting calendar is so sharply divided.

Heat and rain do not peak together, and that is what makes November to February the clear window. April is the hot season's worst month, with an average maximum of 94.3°F (34.59°C) and an average minimum of 75.5°F (24.18°C) — brutal on open causeways with no shade. December pairs an 86.5°F (30.27°C) average maximum with a 69.8°F (20.99°C) average minimum, the nearest thing to a cool morning the country offers. The national annual mean is 81.3°F (27.41°C), and warming between 1971 and 2020 ran at 0.52°F (0.29°C) per decade.

The park's own hours reward early starts in any month. Angkor Enterprise publishes entry from 5:00 a.m. with closing at 6:30 p.m., which gives roughly 13.5 hours of access on a single day pass.

Pass structure then shapes the trip length. A one-day pass is USD 37.00, a three-day pass USD 62.00 and valid within a seven-day window, and a seven-day pass USD 72.00 valid within 30 days.

Monsoon months fill the moats and reflecting pools, so the standard mirror image of the towers depends on water that is not reliably there in March. In the dry months the laterite and sandstone go pale and hard-edged, and the dust on the approach roads is constant.

The three-day pass does not have to be used on three consecutive days — it expires seven days from purchase, and the seven-day pass expires in 30 days. Buying a three-day pass and spreading it across a week lets you take the two or three coolest mornings out of a stretch of hot or wet days, which no one-day ticket allows. Angkor was inscribed by UNESCO in 1992 under criteria (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv), covering a landscape of temples across many square kilometers rather than a single monument, so pacing matters more here than at most sites.

• November to February — Dry and coolest; use the 5:00 a.m. opening and expect the heaviest visitor numbers.
• March to April — Hot season, peaking at a 94.3°F (34.59°C) average maximum in April; plan sunrise-to-10 a.m. days only.
• May to October — The rains, bringing about 85 percent of annual rainfall and a September peak of 310.60 mm, with green surroundings and full moats.

Buying a pass requires stating your nationality, and the three-day and seven-day passes require face capture, which is printed on the ticket; the e-ticket is presented at the temples. Cambodia sits at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, in the State Department advisory issued January 10, 2018, and the CDC lists Cambodia among destinations affected by its Level 1 Global Measles notice dated May 28, 2025. Nothing about the park's size is forgiving in the heat — distances between major temples are driven, not walked.

The things-to-do answer in this group covers the temple-by-temple rules, including the visitor cap at Phnom Bakheng.