One of the most frequently asked questions from our guests is:
‘When is the best time to come to northern Thailand?’
There is no straightforward answer, nearly every single month of the year has some pros and some cons for visitors. Furthermore it depends on what your interests are. Are you interested in water sports, trekking, cycling, sightseeing or cultural experience?
We have prepared the chart below (click on it to enlarge) which illustrates temperatures, rainfall, pros and cons for visiting and a bit of advice for visitors over 12 months of the year. All weather information is from www.weatherbase.com where they collected it over 20 years.
It might just help you to pinpoint the best time to visit given your personal interests.
When to visit northern Thailand?
The chart is divided in three parts based on three seasons in Thailand.
Why visit northern Thailand during the cold season?
Cold season starts in November and lasts through February. The weather during these months is nearly perfect: clear skies, sunny and cool. We honestly couldn’t come up with many cons for visiting during this season, except for the fact that this is the main tourist season in Thailand. Expect crowds of tourists in popular areas and higher prices, especially in December and January.
Weather is great for walking around the city, trekking in the countryside and cycling. It is also warm enough during the day for water sports. By February water levels might drop quite low due to the lack of rain, and some watersports, such as river tubing and white water rafting might not be possible.
In November, Loi Krathong festival takes place, over a couple of days of festivities everyone lights flying and floating lanterns and skies and rivers are ablaze with light. It is a spectacular sight!
This is also rice harvesting season and a fun activity to join is manual rice thrashing. Useful for getting some anger out and also helping locals with hard work 🙂
If you are going into the mountains during the cold season, keep in mind that the higher you are, the colder it is. On the highest peak of Thailand, Doi Inthanon, night temperatures can be around 0 degrees Celsius. Bring warm clothes even if you are staying in the cities. Night temperatures in cities can be as low as 10 degrees Celsius or even 5 degrees Celsius, so you might be grateful for packing a warm sweater.
Reasons for visiting northern Thailand during the hot season
From cold season straight into the hot season! Hot season starts in March and ends by the end of May. As the name suggest, this is the hottest time in Thailand. There is not much rain during March and through the first half of April. First rains usually start in second half of April and continue through May which makes the temperatures drop slightly.
Apart from heat, a major con for visiting during this season are slash and burn agricultural practices of the hill tribes. They start burning woods to prepare fields for the season in mid-March and fires continue through first two weeks of April. Visibility during this time is poor and there is a lot of smoke in the air. We suggest wearing a surgical mask, especially if you have respiratory tract diseases, such as asthma for example. The mask will filter out the smoke from the air.
As in every season in Thailand, you should be well prepared for the sun. Especially during the hot season, make sure to use plenty of quality sunscreen, wear a hat and good sunglasses. Drink plenty of water, more than what you are used to. Four litters per day are recommended during the hot season.
There are some definite pros for visiting during hot season. In the middle of April the most important Thai festival, Songkran or water festival takes place. The festivities last three days and include personal cleansing, cleaning homes, ceremonial Buddha washing, and probably most fun of all – three full days of dawn to dusk water fights!
The most important Buddhist festival, Vesak or celebration of Buddha’s birth, takes place in May. You can join locals roaming up the mountain to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep for the better part of the night to reach the temple in the morning for main festivities.
Water levels during hot season are low and water sports such as river tubing, kayaking and white water rafting are not possible in most parts of northern Thailand. You can go bamboo rafting though.
Why visit northern Thailand during rainy season?
Rainy season is the longest season, starting in June and lasting all through October. This is a good time to visit the north of Thailand. Countryside is lush and green, temperatures drop a bit from the hot season and daily showers cool the heat. You should bring a raincoat with you and a pair of good, watertight shoes if you are planning on trekking in the countryside.
For photographers this is probably the most rewarding season. Skies are filled with different kinds of clouds and sun shines through the blank spots. Sunsets and sunrises in the mountains are spectacular!
This might just be the best season to visit if you are interested in traditions of local hill tribe people. Rainy months are the liveliest in hill tribe villages and in the fields. Fields are first ploughed for rice planting using water buffaloes, which is one of the most iconic postcard images from Thailand. After the fields are ploughed, workers swarm them and plant rice seedlings in flooded soil. If you bring rain boots, you can join them and plant some of the rice yourself!
Waterways are full to the brink and perfect for all water sports. Waterfalls are spectacular, thundering down the cliffs, perfect for a swim.
This is also the main fruit season and you will be able to buy a range of exotic fruits on the markets.
A lot of visitors worry about the rain during this season and it’s quite true that you might be unlucky and spend your visit in a raincoat, but mostly, during rainy season, you can expect a short shower or two during the days and a longer rainfall during the night. And you might even be lucky and not see the rain during your entire stay.
We hope that this overview was useful for those choosing the perfect time to visit northern Thailand. If not, please ask us anything you would like to know on this topic in the comments below. And we would also like to hear from those who visited Thailand during various months. Do you have any advice for first time visitors?
