The Map Cambodia · Tools
Siem Reap Crowd Forecast
Planning Siem Reap? Pick your dates and see how busy that week typically is: based on 15 months of official Ministry of Tourism data (2023–2026), with festival peaks flagged.
Calm
Green-season quiet: the city at its calmest.
Historical monthly averages, official Ministry of Tourism data 2023–2026: not a real-time prediction. Festival dates: 2026 official calendar.
Visitors to Siem Reap, month by month
Monthly averages across 15 reported months (2023–2026), Siem Reap Angkor region, domestic + foreign arrivals. Source: Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia: monthly statistical reports. · Data refreshed 2026-07-16.
How Siem Reap’s seasons actually work
Siem Reap runs on two overlapping calendars. International travellers follow the dry season: arrivals build from October and peak around December, at about 110,000 foreign visitors on average. Cambodian travellers follow the holiday calendar instead, and their spikes are the region’s biggest: April tops the year at roughly 990,000 total visitors, driven by Khmer New Year, while foreign arrivals actually dip that same month.
The quiet half is the green season: from May to September the moats fill up, the countryside turns lush, and May bottoms out at about 89,000 visitors. Roughly 11× fewer than the peak. Same temples, a fraction of the people.
Two high seasons: the Western winter and the Chinese New Year wave
The classic high season is the Western winter: cool mornings, blue skies and the strongest international flow of the year from December to February. Layered on top comes Chinese New Year (late January or February depending on the year), a short, intense wave of travellers from China, Vietnam and Korea: February still averages about 95,000 foreign visitors. If you want dry-season weather without the tightest crowds, early December and March are the smart windows.
Month-by-month advice for your visit
- Nov – FebPeak season. Book sunrise slots, drivers and popular restaurants a few weeks ahead, and note that the Water Festival (23–25 November 2026) pushes November into overdrive.
- Mar – AprThe heat climbs toward 40°C. Mid-April is Khmer New Year: Angkor Sankranta fills the park with Cambodian families. The most joyful, and busiest, days of the year.
- May – OctGreen season: short afternoon showers, lush landscapes, the year’s best hotel rates, and the calmest temples, with May the quietest month on record.
And the weather?
Crowds are only half the question: here is the rainfall and heat for the same weeks.
Rainfall and heat, month by month
Full climate chartDriest around Nov–Apr; wettest in Sep (~318 mm, 27 rainy days). Daytime highs stay 30.2–34.2°C year-round.
FAQ
- Is Angkor crowded in December?
- December is high season: on average 330,000 visitors reach the Siem Reap region that month. One of the busiest of the year for international travellers. Book temples at sunrise and popular restaurants ahead. Based on 15 months of official Ministry of Tourism arrival data (2023–2026).
- What is the busiest month in Siem Reap?
- April, with roughly 990,000 visitors on average: driven by Khmer New Year, when Cambodians travel en masse to Angkor for Angkor Sankranta. Foreign arrivals actually dip that month; the crowds are mostly domestic.
- When is Siem Reap quietest?
- May is the calmest month on record (about 89,000 visitors): the green season (May to August) offers empty-feeling temples, lush landscapes and the best hotel rates, at the cost of afternoon showers.
- How busy is the Water Festival (Bon Om Touk)?
- November averages 390,000 visitors (the second-highest month of the year) and the Water Festival (23–25 November 2026) is its peak. Hotels in central Siem Reap fill up; book several weeks ahead.
- Should I avoid Khmer New Year at Angkor?
- It depends what you want. Around 14–16 April, Angkor hosts Angkor Sankranta and April traffic reaches around 990,000 visitors, but it is also the most joyful, most Cambodian moment of the year. Come for the atmosphere, not for quiet photography.
- Is this a real-time crowd prediction?
- No, and we say so on purpose. This tool shows historical monthly averages from official Ministry of Tourism arrival statistics (2023–2026), plus known festival dates. It tells you how each period typically compares, not how many people will be at Bayon at 9am.
- What time of day is Angkor least crowded?
- Our data is monthly, so this answer is field experience rather than statistics: tour groups cluster from 9am to early afternoon. Sunrise at a secondary temple (not Angkor Wat itself), lunchtime at the far circuit, and the last two hours before closing are consistently the calmest windows.
Quiet season perks: deals on now
Fewer crowds also means the best deals of the year:
Never miss what’s happening in Cambodia
Get the best events, new stories and limited offers delivered once a week.