Siem Reap in the Rain: An Honest Guide to the Green Season
Let me be honest with you from the start.
Siem Reap in the green season is not for everyone — but it might be exactly right for you.
Come with time on your side and a flexible attitude, and you will discover a version of this city that most tourists never see. Come rushing, with every hour planned and no room to breathe, and the rain will frustrate you.
Travelling with kids? July and August are actually two of our busiest family months — and families who embrace the pace have some of the best trips we have ever heard about. Make sure to read our guide to Siem Reap with Kids before you arrive, and if the monsoon keeps you in longer than expected, don't hesitate to reach out — we are always full of ideas for what to do when the heavens open. Just email us at babelsiemreap@gmail.com or find us around the hotel.
But if you are open to something different — something quieter, greener, and more alive in ways that are hard to explain until you have experienced it — then the rainy season might just be the best kept secret in Southeast Asia.
We have lived here for 18 years. The green season is one of our favourite times of year.
The rice fields around Siem Reap are at their most beautiful during the green season
The town transforms
Something remarkable happens when the rains arrive in Siem Reap. The relentless dry season heat — the kind that sits on your shoulders and follows you everywhere — simply lifts. The air cools. People come outside.
The riverside fills up with locals jogging, cycling, and stretching in the early mornings and evenings. The parks along the river — quiet and dusty in the dry months — suddenly become social hubs. The city exhales.
Katrine and Simen — owners of Babel — on our quiet street in Wat Bo Village
And the colours. Nature absolutely pops during the green season. Every tree, every garden, every rice field turns a shade of green so vivid it almost looks unreal. Even the temples are different — moss creeps across the ancient stones, giving them a raw, ancient feeling that the dry season simply cannot offer. The temples look older, wilder, and somehow more alive. If you want to photograph them looking genuinely mysterious and untouched, come now.
After the rain passes, the temples feel completely different — quieter, cooler, and all yours
The storm
There is a particular kind of magic that happens just before a heavy rain in Siem Reap.
First, the wind picks up — a warm gust that rattles the palm leaves and sends the tuk tuk drivers reaching for their rain covers. Then the sky turns that specific shade of dark blue-grey that everyone here recognises immediately. And then, within minutes, the rain arrives.
What happens next is one of our favourite things about living here. Everyone — expats, locals, the handful of tourists brave enough to be here in low season — finds a place to huddle down. A café, a covered market stall, a restaurant awning. Strangers order snacks and cold beers and wait it out together. Conversations start. Stories are shared. For those of us who live here, the green season is a deeply social and unhurried time of year.
When the storm hits, everyone finds a spot and waits it out together — that's half the fun
At Babel, this happens regularly. A storm rolls in just as guests are heading out for the evening, and instead of rushing off, they stay — sitting with our staff and tuktuk drivers, talking, and laughing. Our team has more time in the low season to really get to know everyone. Some of the most memorable conversations we have ever heard in our garden started because of a sudden downpour. These are the relationships that last: exchanges of phone numbers, guests becoming Facebook friends with our drivers and staff — and they end up coming back.
What the rain actually looks like day to day
It is worth being clear about what "rainy season" actually means in Siem Reap, because it is often misunderstood.
It does not rain all day. In fact, most mornings are perfectly dry and often sunny. The rain typically comes in the late afternoon or evening — sometimes for 30 minutes, sometimes for a few dramatic hours. Mornings at Angkor Wat are almost always dry, but not always sunny. The temples are quieter, the air is cooler, and the light through the trees is extraordinary.
Green season sunsets over the rice fields are some of the most stunning we have ever seen
The months do vary. May can go either way — sometimes it barely rains at all. By June the pattern establishes itself. September and October usually bring heavier flooding in some areas. And then November arrives — and for us, this is the absolute favourite month of the year. The rains have stopped, the heat has not yet returned, and everything is still lush and impossibly green. If you can only come once, come in November.
Practical tips for the green season
Don't rush. This is the most important thing we tell our guests. The rain will come and go. Plan loose days, keep afternoons flexible, and let the weather decide the pace.
Use our tuk tuk drivers. This is not the season to rent a bicycle and fend for yourself. Book one of our trusted, English speaking and ChildSafe certified tuk tuk drivers for the day — when the storm hits, you always have somewhere dry to jump into. Your driver will know exactly where to shelter, what to eat while you wait, and when it is safe to head back out.
Take advantage of what most tourists miss. Siem Reap has two international-standard movie theaters featuring new releases in English for just $2.50. On a rainy afternoon, there is no better place to be. There is also the Blue Monkey indoor climbing wall, Level Up social games hub, Footprint Café's beautiful book-lined upstairs, and Theam's House gallery, just to mention a few. And if you're into craft beer, check out our partners at Pomme Brewhouse and Kitchen, where the locally produced beer on tap is a great value.
Pack light rain gear. A small packable poncho and waterproof sandals are all you need. Leave the heavy umbrella at home — it will only slow you down.
Fewer crowds, dramatic skies, and a completely different atmosphere — Angkor Wat in the rain is unforgettable
Travelling with kids in the green season?
July and August are actually two of our busiest months for families — and for good reason. School holidays mean families have more time, and the green season pace suits family travel beautifully.
Again - the key is flexibility. Don't pack every day with back-to-back activities and fixed timings. Leave afternoons loose, plan temple visits for the mornings when it is dry and cooler, and embrace the slower rhythm.
When the rain does come, Babel Guesthouse has you covered — literally. Our covered outdoor TV area is a favourite with kids, and we have a great selection of toys, coloring books and games to keep everyone happy while the storm passes. Some of our youngest guests have told us the rainy afternoon at Babel was their favourite part of the whole trip!
When the rain keeps everyone in, Babel becomes its own little community
One last thing
There is a version of Siem Reap that most tourists never see. It is quieter, slower, and more generous with its time. The staff at restaurants remember your name. The temple corridors are empty. The light through the jungle canopy is extraordinary. And sometimes, a storm rolls in and you end up spending two unexpected hours talking with a tuk tuk driver about his life, his family, and what this city was like twenty years ago.
That version of Siem Reap exists only from June to November.
We hope you come and find it.