Kep sää — maaliskuu

March is inside Phu Quoc's dry high season - November to March on the strict reckoning, stretching to May on the generous one - and regulars call it a safe month: hot, sunny, blue sky, calm water. Our row gives 32.3C reading as 37C with a 29.4C sea. The island-specific advice is about which coast. The west is fine in March but is the side that turns rough and murky when the wind gets up or the wet season arrives; the east is more sheltered, and Khem Beach in its bay is the one they name for reliably clear, calm water. Our row still counts 14.7 precipitation days carrying only 50.7mm, which is the brief tropical shower rather than a wet month. The record: 24.2C nights, 11 hours of sun and a 21 kph wind.

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.