Kep Through the Year

Month by month: the two seasons, the crab and salt harvests, calm vs rough seas for the island boat, and when the holidays fill the coast.

What each month is really like in Kep — the two seasons, the crab and salt and pepper harvests, the sea conditions for the Rabbit Island boat, and when the holidays fill the coast. It's the pattern of past years, not a forecast for any one day.

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January

Peak dry-season weather: warm, dry and breezy, with usually calm seas for the Rabbit Island boat. Busy with Cambodian visitors — book ahead.

Weather: Coolest and driest month — warm days, low humidity, very little rain.
Prices: medium
Crowds: busy

The year at a glance

Month	In short
January	Peak dry-season weather: warm, dry and breezy, with usually calm seas for the Rabbit Island boat. Busy with Cambodian visitors — book ahead.
February	Still excellent — dry, calm water, and the pepper harvest beginning. One of the best months to be here.
March	Hot but dry, with calm seas for the island crossing. The Kampot-Kep salt and pepper harvests are at their peak.
April	Very hot. Khmer New Year brings Cambodian families to the coast — lively, but crowded and pricier, so book well ahead. Seas are still mostly calm.
May	Hot and humid, with the first afternoon storms. The salt harvest finishes before the rain. The island crossing starts to get choppy on stormy afternoons.
June	Green and quiet, but wet. Mornings are often fine and storms build later, so cross to Rabbit Island early in the day.
July	Low season: lush, cheap and calm on land, but the sea turns rough in storms — check the water before crossing to the island.
August	The wettest time of year. Fine for a quiet, cheap stay and fresh crab, but the island boat is least reliable now.
September	Wet but winding down. The rain eases toward month's end as the dry season approaches.
October	The monsoon winds down. Pchum Ben draws Cambodian families home and to the coast — busier around the holiday.
November	The weather turns lovely again: drier days and calmer seas. The Water Festival and the start of the cool season bring visitors back.
December	Peak season: dry, cool and calm. Kep hosted Cambodia's Sea Festival here in December 2023; the festival now rotates the coast each year, so check where it lands before planning around it.

Kep Through the Year

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January

Kep Through the Year

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January

To see how this week actually looks

The year at a glance