Kep sää — joulukuu

December is the dry season here, and the thing the board explains that no column can is wind direction. The northeast wind of the dry months, roughly November to May, leaves the west coast of the island calm and clear - which is where the sunsets are, and where they tell you to stay in December. Our wind column reads 25.8 kph, so it is a real wind, simply blowing off the land on that side. The rain has largely gone, 59.1mm across 10 days and mostly at night. On temperature our row runs warmer than their recollection: they say 25 to 27C, we read 30.8C reading as 34C at 71.8 percent humidity, over 23.6C nights, with a 29.4C sea. The record: 9.4 hours of sun and AQI 48.

Cambodia forum threads are consistent that January sits squarely in the dry season here - lower temperatures, much lower humidity than the wetter months, and genuinely pleasant conditions extending from the November/December stretch through January. One visitor specifically mentioned swimming at Angkoul Beach in January with fine water quality despite the beach itself not being pristine. Kep's famous crab market was the other recurring highlight, with regulars recommending buying fresh crab straight from vendors who'll cook it to order with Kampot pepper. One seasonal note worth knowing: the region's solar salt fields, a nearby attraction, only work and look their best in dry season - during the wet months they're just flooded fields.

Forum posters describe February as a good time to visit Cambodia generally - somewhat cooler than the peak heat ahead but already warming up, and noticeably drier, with leaves dropping from trees and rice fields mostly harvested and dry. Posters do flag genuine dust as a byproduct of this dry stretch. Even within the broader November-February dry season, posters describe a common daily pattern of a sunny, pleasant morning giving way to more cloud by late afternoon, with a real chance of a passing shower or brief thunderstorm by evening - Cambodia's tropical climate means even the dry season isn't fully rain-free. Posters generally pair a Kep visit with nearby Kampot, treating the two coastal towns as a natural combination.