Along long avenues, the beautiful old houses in the cities of Cambodia stand as memorials to the French colonial rule in Indochina. Not unaffected by the fierce wars that have taken place in the country, but you can still see traces of the greatness of ancient times in the facades. Between the houses from the colonial era are ancient temples, pagodas and homes that were built long before the arrival of the French to the country – a wonderful mix of nostalgia, history and culture.
See trips to Cambodia
Population: 15 mill.
Capital: Phnom Penh
Language: Khmer
Cruises may not be something you associate with Cambodia, but it is actually possible to see the beautiful country from the water during a cruise on the Mekong River.
The Cambodian language Khmer has one of the world’s longest alphabets. It consists of 33 consonants and 35 vowels.
Geography and climate in Cambodia
Cambodia is geographically divided between two dominant waterways: the mighty Mekong River and the Mekong Delta, and Lake Tonle Sap (also known as the Great Lake). Lake Tonle Sap is connected to the Mekong River via a 100 km long canal. During the rainy season, the water in the canal rises so much that the water is once again forced back into the lake. This phenomenon means that the area at Tonle Sap more than doubles in size every year. The country has three large mountain areas with the Elephant Mountains and the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest, the Dangkrek Mountains along the northern border with Thailand and the Eastern Highlands in the northeast corner of Vietnam and Laos. The majority of the population works in agriculture and rice, corn, peppers and tobacco are grown. Cambodia’s climate is dominated by two monsoon seasons. The cool northeast monsoon provides only a small amount of rain from November to March with an average temperature around 20-25 degrees. From May to October, the southwest monsoon provides strong winds, high humidity, rain and temperatures of about 30 degrees. The most pleasant month to visit Cambodia is January. Cambodians themselves, however, appreciate the rainy summer period and during the annual “Water Festival” they celebrate the fertile period that follows the monsoon rains.
Cambodia attractions
A trip to Cambodia without a visit to Angkor Wat is almost unthinkable – and rightly so. The huge ruin area was the capital of the Khmer Empire and is the prime example of the very special Khmer architecture. The dilapidated walls are adorned with stone reliefs that tell in a detailed way the story of everyday life and of various important events in the mighty kingdom. The surrounding jungle looks almost like it is about to devour the large ruin complex. Parts of the area are still overgrown with climbing plants, and it looks the same as it did when it was rediscovered in the 19th century. You get a reminder and testimony of Cambodia’s terrible past when you visit the mass graves at Killing Fields, where about 17,000 people executed by the Khmer Rouge are buried. Visit printerhall for Cambodia Highlights Jungle Elephants.
The capital Phnom Penh should also be included in the program. The city is characterized by the architecture of the French colonial era. Here is also one of the few Buddhist monuments that the Khmer Rouge did not destroy, the beautiful Silver Pagoda. Inside the pagoda, the floor is covered with silver plates, and there are several Buddha statues in a standing or sitting position covered with gold, silver, crystals and diamonds.
If you need a break from the historical and religious sights, Bokor National Park offers a bit of variety. The national park is located in a cool forest area with beautiful waterfalls, wild tigers and elephants and an almost eerie, abandoned French mountain station.
When you go out e.g. When hiking in Cambodia, one should always remember to exercise some caution. Landmines from the Khmer Rouge era still pose a risk, and one should always stick to the marked trails, even in well-visited places like Angkor Wat.
Climate and weather Cambodia
Read about the climate and weather in Thailand below – see the temperature of the capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, near the temple city of Angkor Wat.
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | CHRISTMAS | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
Phnom Penh | ||||||||||||
Daytime temperature | 32 | 33 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 |
Night temperature | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
Precipitation (mm) | 26 | 12 | 58 | 101 | 112 | 177 | 196 | 172 | 249 | 319 | 135 | 80 |
Siem Reap | ||||||||||||
Daytime temperature | 32 | 33 | 35 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 |
Night temperature | 20 | 21 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
Precipitation (mm) | 1 | 4 | 28 | 61 | 176 | 221 | 237 | 151 | 276 | 248 | 82 | 10 |
The climate in Cambodia is tropical with varying wet and dry seasons, and temperatures between 21 – 35 ºC. The weather is affected by the monsoon winds that blow in over the country from the southwest and the Indian Ocean between May – Oct, from the northeast between Nov – March. During the rainy season, which lasts from May to October, the weather is humid with temperatures down to 22 ºC. From Nov – Apr, on the other hand, it is dry with temperatures of up to 40 ºC.