Best Time to Visit Thailand

For those sun worshippers heading down to the southern islands, the most popular question we get here in Thailand is “What’s the weather like tomorrow?”

Seasons in Thailand

With exotic shorelines, lush islands, and stunning mountain peaks rounding out vibrant cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Southeast Asia is at its finest in Thailand. Instead of having four seasons, Thailand experiences three different seasons: hot, cool, and wet. Any time of the year is a great time to taste its spicy eats and fresh seafood, tour the gorgeous temples, and book some blissful massages. However, if you’re looking to stay away from the high temperature or crowds, it’s worth knowing when is this best time to visit Thailand.

Low season for tourist areas and Scuba diving in the South West of Thailand in places such as Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Phuket, Similan Islands, Khao Lak is between April and November. The reason? Well, they get hit by the Indian Monsoon blowing in from mainland India across the Indian Ocean or as it’s called locally The Andaman Sea and hitting all the west coast Thailand tourist areas. Of course, it doesn’t blow and rain every day and some days can be beautiful, but the oceans are generally rough and visibility is bad, so during this season, it is normally much better to stay on the east coast of Thailand in islands such as Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao.

The East Coast of Thailand has two wet seasons – the first being April to May and the second October to November which interestingly is the start and finish times of the Indian Monsoon hitting the west coast. 

There is a misconception that the islands in the southeast coast of Thailand are also in the same monsoon as the Andaman tourist locations – this is obviously not the case. Many tourists will benefit from heading to the southeast side of Thailand from May to November for better weather, better snorkeling, better diving, and most of all cheaper prices!

To Sum It Up

The perfect time to travel to Thailand is during the cool and dry months between November and the beginning of April, while the temperatures range from 28℃ to 35℃. Even so, the weather differs all over the country, so you can visit all year long.

In the southern regions, the weather varies between eastern and western coasts. The western coast is a lot more favorable during the winter season, while scuba diving and snorkeling will be at their very best.

The weather on the east coast of Thailand is good for most of the year. Rainfall rates are lowest in January and February, and highest in November.