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Month 12 of 12

December

The clearest split of the year. Eight regions dry at once and the two Gulf islands in the heaviest of their rain.

In December, train in Krabi, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Bangkok. Think twice about Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Phuket.

December is the month the inversion is starkest. The Andaman coast, the upper Gulf, the central plains and the interior are all dry. The southern Gulf is in the heaviest part of its wet stretch. A December trip and a December trip are not the same trip, and the difference is one ferry.

The other half of December is crowding rather than weather. Phuket fills from here through February, and the camps, the rooms and the island fill with it, so a December arrival in Phuket without a booking is the hardest walk-in the calendar offers.

8 regions

Inside the dry window

The months the region prints as its own driest stretch. Comfortable rather than guaranteed, and in the busiest regions it is also the most expensive and the hardest to book.
Phuketภูเก็ต

Calendar

Andaman coast

Camps

7

Chiang Maiเชียงใหม่

Calendar

Inland north and northeast

Camps

5

Paiปาย

Calendar

Inland north and northeast

Camps

1

Bangkokกรุงเทพฯ

Calendar

Central and eastern

Camps

11

Krabiกระบี่

Calendar

Andaman coast

Camps

4

Pattayaพัทยา

Calendar

Central and eastern

Camps

4

Hua Hinหัวหิน

Calendar

Upper Gulf

Camps

4

Isaan (Northeast)อีสาน

Calendar

Inland north and northeast

Camps

1

2 regions

Inside the wet window

The months the region prints as its own wettest. Almost every camp trains under a roof, so this reads as heat, humidity and a quiet gym rather than as a cancelled session.
Koh Samuiเกาะสมุย

Calendar

Southern Gulf

Camps

3

Koh Phanganเกาะพะงัน

Calendar

Southern Gulf

Camps

4

The month either side

Dates that can move

Most trips can move by a fortnight and a fortnight is the difference between two of these pages. Both neighbours are worth reading before the dates are booked rather than after.
All twelve months

  • The month before

    November

    The interior comes good, the air is still clean, and the southern Gulf is the one place to stay away from.

  • The month after

    January

    The one stretch of the year when every coast and the whole interior are dry at the same time, which makes the decision about everything except the weather.