Season guide · Phnom Penh · Cambodia
Phnom Penh in the late rains
September–October: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The wettest weeks with occasional flooding, rivers at their highest and the Pchum Ben festival. Expect highs up to 32°C (90°F) and lows around 24°C (75°F), with about 36 rainy days across September–October.
Key facts
- Months
- September–October
- Temperatures
- 24°C (75°F) to 32°C (90°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 36
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in the late rains
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 32°C (90°F) | 25°C (77°F) | 19 | 12.2 h | 1/5 |
| October | 31°C (88°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 17 | 11.9 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 32°C (90°F) against a yearly 33°C (91°F), and 36 of the year's roughly 119 rainy days fall in these 2 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in the late rains
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: Pchum Ben — 15-day ancestors' festival; many people travel to home provinces (September or October)
- October: Pchum Ben (some years fall in October)
Good choices for the late rains
Museum · Royal Palace and Street 240
National Museum of Cambodia
Visit before a trip to Angkor to see the statues removed from the temples for safekeeping.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Toul Tom Poung
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
A former high school turned by the Khmer Rouge into Security Prison 21, where thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured and photographed before being killed.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Day trips in the late rains
- Tonle Bati and Phnom Chisor (About 1–1.5 hours by car) — Tonle Bati has a late-12th-century laterite temple, Ta Prohm, beside a lake where locals picnic in bamboo huts.
- Kampot (About 3–4 hours by road) — A sleepy riverside town of colonial shophouses, known for its pepper farms, the abandoned French hill station on Bokor Mountain and the crab market at nearby Kep.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and high-factor sunscreen
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is the late rains a good time to visit Phnom Penh?
It is a trade-off: The wettest weeks with occasional flooding, rivers at their highest and the Pchum Ben festival. The best months overall are November–February.
+What is the weather like in Phnom Penh in the late rains?
Highs of up to 32°C (90°F) and lows around 24°C (75°F), with about 36 rainy days over the season.