Visiting Thailand in May
Climate and weather guide
The wet season begins this month, so if you’re happy to brave the start of the showers, you can find fewer crowds and you’ll often have plenty of good weather between the downpours.
Beaches
If you’re looking for guaranteed sunshine, it’s a good time for a holiday in Thailand’s east coast islands, with better weather in the Gulf of Thailand – Ko Samui is a good bet this month, as well as spotting turtles at Ko Tao, relaxing on Ko Phangan or looking for pink dolphins at Khanom. The swells on the west coast are good for keen surfers too if you head to islands like Ko Lanta, although it’s rainier on this coast, and around Ko Chang and Ko Kood in eastern Thailand.
Central Thailand
Temperatures drop slightly in Bangkok after the worst of the heat in April, but the humidity starts to rise with the wetter weather. It’s quieter in the city if you’re planning to discover the capital’s modern side and its historic temples and palace, while you’ll also have to share the ancient cities of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai with fewer people. There isn’t much shade to protect from sun or rain, so go prepared though.
North Thailand
In the north of Thailand, the rain usually washes away the haze this month and transforms the scenery so the hills are greener and lusher. If you’re happy to dodge the occasional downpours, this can be a great month to get outdoors, before the rain turns all trails and paths into a sea of mud. Venture into the hills, where you can go trekking, bamboo rafting and visit a Karen village, or see the emerald-green rice paddies and valleys of Pai. It’s a little cooler but also wetter around Chiang Rai, and in Isaan in Thailand’s east, so while it’s possible to visit both, it’s not the best time of the year.
National Parks
The national parks are also bursting into new life after the first of the rains too. Khao Sok National Park is one of the wettest places in Thailand and somewhere you could find heavy showers year round, so it’s worth enjoying the rainforest scenery, elephant spotting and lack of crowds this month regardless.
Festivals: In Isaan, The Bung Ban Fai Rocket Festival marks the beginning of the wetter months, with huge numbers of rockets launched into the sky to encourage the rain to arrive, usually around the second weekend in May.
Best for: east coast beaches, exploring without the crowds, lush green rainforests and hill trekking
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