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A small bay of rock and turquoise water on Phuket.Anton Zelenov · CC BY-SA 4.0

02The land

When to go

Bangkok and the north have three seasons. November to February is the comfortable stretch there, while Ko Samui in the gulf is wettest in November. March and April are hot, and May to October brings most of the rain.

  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December

  • The easier months · November to February: Bangkok’s December mean low is 23.2°C, and Chiang Mai’s January mean low is 15.7°C. Phuket’s January rainfall is 30.3 mm.

  • Heat before the rains · March and April: April’s mean high is 35.7°C in Bangkok and 36.7°C in Chiang Mai, and rain is still lighter than after mid-May.

  • The rainy season · May to October in the capital, with September the wettest month at 335.9 mm. On Phuket, September is 361.2 mm. On Ko Samui, November is 444.6 mm, outside this band.