Sept Oct in Siem Reap

Having just read an amazingly honest web site tellling me these months are poor for visiting Siem Reap I thought I'd double check to see if this is always true and we should make alternative plans?

Otherwise can anyone recommend a mid range laid back friendly place to stay there?

Thanks

September and October are two of the wettest months of the year and two of quietest months of the year regarding tourists visiting. It normally rains late afternoon from about 4pm for a few hours or during the night. The good thing about this time of year is it is quiet as there are not many tourists and you will also get low season prices for things especially hotels.

Siem Reap Weather

...not forgetting to mention, that in these months, vegetation is at its peak and that the temples just look the best when surrounded by tropical rainforests which are lush beyond words, when they are covered in moss of the most crazy shades of green, brown and red and not when are not completely drowning in seas of tourists...

Personally I tell friends that the best month to visit is November because Cambodia is dressed in her best range of greens but I would say September and October as also great from that point of view - as long as there has been some rain.

Without doubt the worst months of the year to visit are march and april as it is VERY hot and everything is brown and dry.

Go for it

The rain's not that heavy in these months. July and August are the monsoon months, but towards the end of sept and oct not bad.
Not too many tourists and cheaper accom.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>The rain's not that heavy in these months.<hr></blockquote> Err, no. September and October are the two wettest months of the year, look it up. That said, I think it's a very good time to visit for the reasons stated by #2 and that the crowds, particularly in September tend not to be too bad. Yes, you do run the risk of having a day turn into one big wash-out but if you have a few days to spend in Siem Reap it would be extremely bad luck to get rained out every day.

grooger is wrong once again. As Gorshar noted, September and October are in fact the wettest months of the year. But I agree with elziax and Gorshar that it is still a good time of year to visit. Great for photographers. The moats and reflecting pools around the temples are full and the surrounding jungle is lush and green. The moisture tends to bring out the color in the stone as the lichens and mosses grow. Not only the temples, but the countryside is absolutely beautiful with full green rice paddies stretching to the horizon. And as others have mentioned, the tourists are a bit fewer and further between. The temples are less crowded and the hotels/guesthouses offer low season prices.

I was in Siem Reap/Angkor in mid September. It rained without fail every late afternoon, but the rest of the day was hot and sticky. Certain roads to more obscure temples were also not passable due to the rain, but there is plenty of greenery and water in the temple moats / reservoirs.

If you really don't mind the rain and visit during the rainy season, don't miss taking a boat ride on the Tonle Sap which would have overflowed into a huge body of water. The aerial view as you fly into Siem Reap is astonishing.

Thankyou for the replies everyone. We'll be going!
Ta

Not sure how long the gang will be hanging in SR, but a place with a pool to cool off and relax, and let the kids be kids, I like the Angkor Star $60 in 2004.

The rooms are comfy, huge baths with showers and old brass footed tubs, a nice cafe though I only had breakfast. Its located on the edge of town between the main road from airport, and the old quarter nightlife district and guide/travel services are located. There is a internet cafe, a massage spa, and cafes all over. Tuk Tuk and Cyclo youts hang on the corner at a local all night sidewalk food stall, great for getting the lowdown, and hiring a driver and licensed guide, if your taxi man does not strike a deal with you.

A enjoyed the local pace there, along the river and also in the main social areas, markets, and the post office etc, There is good to cuisine to be had as well, and vibrant and hip laid back bar scene too, that the kids could be at ease with a tea or a coke...

As for me being "wrong again", while you're busy "looking it up" on your computer, I'm busy living and working here in Cambo.
July and August were very heavy, so far Sept has been dry. (only 1 week, but, there wasn't a dry week in Aug)
I asked my Khmer building foreman "how are we looking weather wise from now on", he said "The rain starts slowing down now from Sept, we should be right".

But, maybe a Khmer who has worked in the building trade for 10 years in Cambodia and myself, who is living here also, don't really know as much as a few internet addicted people sitting in there homes in the west.
"But we looked it up!!"

Wrong again on almost all counts. Tell your foreman to come ask me. I'll set him straight.

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<hr>As for me being "wrong again", while you're busy "looking it up" on your computer, I'm busy living and working here in Cambo.<hr></blockquote> Where I am again? Fools, where you at?<blockquote>Quote
<hr>July and August were very heavy<hr></blockquote> Not in Siem Reap, we're having an unusually dry year and the Tonle Sap Lake is at some of its lowest levels ever seen this late in the year.<blockquote>Quote
<hr>so far Sept has been dry.<hr></blockquote>So you're debunking years of climatological records based on one five and a half day experience?<blockquote>Quote
<hr>I asked my Khmer building foreman "how are we looking weather wise from now on", he said "The rain starts slowing down now from Sept, we should be right".<hr></blockquote>I knew a guy from Boston USA who swore up and down it was one of the hottest cities in the country.<blockquote>Quote
<hr>and myself, who is living here also,<hr></blockquote>How many years?<blockquote>Quote
<hr>don't really know as much as a few internet addicted people sitting in there homes in the west.<hr></blockquote>Western Cambodia... but I did look it up... just now...
Here: BBC weather for Phnom Penh
Here: Yahoo weather for Phnom Penh
Here: World Meteorological Org for Siem Reap
Please, have a look.

Pretty short-fused, today, eh, grooger? About time, you find some local-owned businesses to slag off again - helps to ease off your inner tension a bit - it's only a pity, that with this, as well, you'll be wrong! Oh, and before attacking someone of being "internet addicted people sitting in there (sic!) homes in the west", I advise you to look up their bio - makes you look just a liitle less like a complete idiot (but not really much)...

...nice one, GoShar & Fools!

I would tend to think it's fine to visit during those months. The advantage is that there are less tourists around ('less' does not mean 'no'). But if you're a sunset fanatic, you may be disappointed, because of rains at that time of the day.

Thanks again to all the positive responses. However the frustration exhibited by some of the respondents has been less than useful - distracting and makes me wonder if the site is appropriately monitored? That said I guess free-speech etc is a good thing but maybe fools, groogers and so on should have a quite chat somewhere other than this discussion board.

Cheers

Ade

Thanks. In the future when someone offers incorrect information that could adversely affect someone's travel plans, we'll be sure to keep our mouths shut. Might not do much for the value of this forum as a place to get accurate information but at least everyone will be happy and full of smiles.