When to Go

Northern Thailand has three seasons. The region is hottest and driest from February to May. The rainy season is from June to October, with the wettest weather in September. Unpaved roads are often impassable at this time of year. The best time to visit is between November and March, when the days are warm, sunny, and generally cloudless, and the nights are pleasantly cool. (At higher altitudes, it can be quite cold in the evening.) Book hotel accommodations a month or two ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday periods and the Songkran New Year's celebration, in mid-April.