Worldwide travel is getting hectic because travelers tend to want to go to the same places at the same period of the year. As personal travel choices are getting more diverse and environment-conscious, and the constraint of "high/low season" is easing away, we make the case for visiting Cambodia when you've been told not to!
Cambodia is affected (and blessed with) by the Southeast Asian monsoon, meaning heavy rainfalls from mid-May to mid-October. The country gets a lot of water, yet showers happen mostly at night, or in limited periods of the day, mostly around dusk like the aptly-named “Mango rain”.
Greener nature, more dramatic skies, spectacular sunsets and great vivid colors: it's a photographer dream, "a blaze of green" as Nick Ray puts it in Lonely Planet Cambodia upcoming edition (out in September 2025), adding "There are also far fewer tourists exploring Angkor during that season when the moats are full of water and many of the temples are coated in moss and lichen."
During the monsoon months, Cambodia still gets an average of 5 to 6 sunshine hours per day, a rate above most European countries at the peak of summer. Yearly speaking, the country is one of the sunniest places in the world with an average of 2,519 sunshine hours, twice more than Northern European countries.
Also, due to its geographical position, Cambodia is spared from heavy typhoons that hit eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
September at Trellion Park, Phnom Penh (photos Mathieu/MAADS)
This is a time when paddy fields blossom, farming activity goes down, a time for nature contemplation and self-assessment.
For Cambodian Buddhist monks, this period starts with Chol Vossa ("Enter the rain season", Vossa វស្សា meaning "rain" in Pali), first day of the waxing moon of the eighth lunar month, usually end of July. The three-month retreat, an ancient observance dedicated to intensive meditation, study, and reflection on the Buddha’s teachings. Vossa is so meaningful that he number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of rainy seasons since ordination.
As the retreat ends in October, you'll see villagers going out in colorful processions, with live music, dances and celebrations of Kathina, the conclusion of a period where everyone is invited to reflect on his or her life, and remember the origin of Vossa : Buddha has edicted that mendicant monks shouldn't travel during the rainy season, as they may unintentionally harm crops and insects during their journey.
When Western countries have to wait for fall to enjoy fresh fruit, green season in Cambodia brings yummy fruits such as
- Durian (ទុរេន turen) creamy texture, with a strong aroma that doesn’t prevent it to be the number one delicacy across Asia.
- Lychee (គូលេន ku’len) , small juicy fruit so important here that Cambodia’s main mountain, Phnom Kulen, is named after it.
- Mangosteen (មង្ឃុត mongkout), sweet and tangy, the ‘queen of fruit’.
- Java Plum (ព្រីង pring), tart and juicy, a staple of Cambodian green season.
- Rambutan (សាវម៉ាវ samveav), a tropical fruit at the base of trendy cocktails and mocktails.
- Dragon Fruit (ស្រកានាគ skrakeaneak, “scales of the dragon”), subtly sweet taste and texture.
Traveling to Cambodia in May-October gives you a chance to explore the country at its more peaceful and greener without feeling rushed or overcrowded.
The typical “high-season – low-season” pattern is now challenged as global trends in worldwide are shifting. It still has a negative impact on local communities, as income from tourism widely varies along the year.
With that in mind, go green season and save with these Green Season Offers at
- Pavilion, Phnom Penh
- White Mansion, Phnom Penh
- Penh House, Phnom Penh (enter your dates between 15 April and 15 October)
- Jungle Addition, Phnom Penh (enter your dates between 15 April and 15 October)
- Island Center Point, Koh Rong Sanloem
Photos on this page are courtesy of Angkor Travel Photography, a team work by photographers Alessandro Vannucci, Régis Binard, Chris Cusick and Rémi Abad. They recently opened Kasaya Gallery, worth a visit next time you're in Siem Reap.