Best Time To Visit Thailand | Season, Months, Scuba Diving Info

Best time to visit Thailand: Southeast Asia’s most popular and easily accessible travel destination is Thailand. 

Yet just because this tropical paradise is close to the equator doesn’t imply that it is always warm and pleasant there. 

The year’s weather fluctuates greatly, which causes both crowds and costs to change. Thailand’s seasons may be divided into three categories:

• High Season: November to March

• Two shoulder seasons exist April through June through October.

• Low Season: July to September

Thailand is a large nation that spans more than 1,000 kilometres from north to south, so circumstances may also vary depending on where you are. 

For instance, the monsoon season on the Gulf side starts in October, whereas the sunny high season on the Andaman coast starts in October. 

Read on to learn the optimum dates to arrange your vacation to Thailand before making reservations for your rainforest tree home and island boat tour.

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The Most Pleasant Seasons To Visit Thailand

Visit Thailand in the dry season, which begins in most of the nation in November and lasts through March or even into April and May, for the best weather. 

(The Lower Gulf, which contains the idyllic islands of Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, and Ko Tao, is a notable exception.) The Lower Gulf has the wettest months from October through December.

With typical temperatures in the mid-80s, clear, blue waters, the minimal possibility of rain, and stunning terrain that is lush from the previous monsoon season, November through February generally offer the coolest, most pleasant weather. 

This time of year is the busiest and most costly in Thailand since it coincides with the finest weather, important Thai holidays, and the Western Christmas and New Year holidays. 

If you plan your vacation for early November, you may be able to avoid the crowds.

As the weather becomes hotter in March and into April, this is a good time to go since the crowds have subsided from their height from November to February. 

When people have thinned out, there are many events, and summer rains are still a few weeks away, April is a fantastic month to focus even more.

The Most Affordable Times To Visit Thailand

Thailand is a reasonably priced vacation destination all year round, however low/monsoon season is when tourists may get the most savings on lodging, flights, and excursions (July through September). 

Understandably, travelling during the rainy season is risky. Rainfall may range from brief, intense bursts to days-long downpours that obstruct access to islands and boat service. 

Yet the low season offers fewer people and significant discounts for those who are adaptable and well-prepared.

Visit during the shoulder season (April, May, and June) when rainfall often takes the form of afternoon thunderstorms to split the difference. 

Many summer travellers arrive in July, while August is often overcast with frequent heavy downpours. The wettest and least populated month is September.

When To Visit Thailand For Festivals At Their Finest?

Very important are Thailand’s many festivals, which range from the early-spring fruit festivals to the late-November Lopburi Monkey Festival. 

Both Yi Peng, during which millions of rice paper lanterns are launched into the sky, and Loy Krathong, during which candle-lit baskets are submerged in water, are part of the cherished Lantern Festival, which is typically held in November. 

Loy Krathong is celebrated all around the nation, and Chiang Mai is the core of Yi Peng (tourists may participate with paid admittance, beginning at about $140).

Bangkok’s Chinatown transforms into a sea of tourists, worshippers, dragon dancers, and drummers during the Chinese New Year in January or February, all of whom are illuminated in crimson by firecrackers and hanging lanterns. 

The three-day Flower Festival in Chiang Mai, an amazing display of chrysanthemums and damask roses, is another significant festival that takes place in February.

The Water Splashing Festival, also known as Songkran, which takes place in mid-April, heralds in the Buddhist New Year with parades, parties, and performances in Chiang Mai and around the nation. Late September or early October marks the date of the Vegetarian Festival.

Thailand’s Finest Seasons For Scuba Diving

Thailand’s gorgeous marine national parks and world-famous underwater destinations draw divers from all over the globe. 

The whole of Thailand’s east coast may be dived all year round, but between November and April, when the waters are calmest and visibility is best, is the best time to visit Phuket, Krabi, the Phi Phi Islands, Ko Lanta, and Khao Lak—the entrance to the magnificent Similan and Surin Islands. From mid-May until mid-October, the marine parks at Similan and Surin are closed.

The Best Times To Visit Thailand’s Islands

A major delight of travelling in Thailand is taking a boat from one limestone island with a forest top to another. 

Although some southern Andaman resorts were even closed for the rainy season, rainfall predictions between May and October might put the kibosh on island enjoyment. 

Choose a period between late October (when the rains begin to taper off) and May or June to go around Phuket, the Phi Phi Islands, Ko Lanta, and other Andaman isles. 

A caution about Ko Lanta: During the rainy season, it is essentially shut off. While there are few lodging alternatives, you may be able to get there.

On the other hand, the idyllic islands of Ko Samui, Ko Tao, and Ko Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand have their wettest and windiest months from October to December.

The months of June and July are busy because many Australian and European students go to prominent Thai islands during their summer breaks to work and party.

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The Best Seasons To Visit Thailand’s National Parks

Check ahead: The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) of Thailand closes a number of national parks for varying periods of time during the year to assist ecological recovery, similar to the closures of Surin and Similan marine parks.

The Most Effective Hours to Buy In Thailand

If you go to Thailand, try to schedule at least one weekend in Bangkok so you may explore the mystifyingly huge Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is accessible to the general public on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Weekends are the ideal time to visit Chiang Mai’s night markets on Saturday and Sunday. 

Starting at Tha Phae Gate, the Sunday market pours along Ratchadamnoen Road, which is off-limits to traffic, jammed shoulder to shoulder-with food sellers, artisan kiosks, and massage stalls.