You’ve come to Thailand, to the beautiful paradise islands in the South, you’re expecting blue oceans, yellow soft sands, relaxed vibes and somewhat importantly a glowing yellow sun in the sky, beaming its warm rays onto your golden skin….But you are met with wetness, rain, lots of it, and it’s kind of cold brrrr….
Welcome to the beginning of rainy monsoon season in the South of Thailand!! To be honest, you can look everywhere on the internet and figure out the exact dates of rainy season but we’ll tell you now that it never comes when it’s ‘meant to’ and sometimes its early, then it will get hot, then it will come late AGAIN and carry on a bit here and there, and it floods sometimes too, but nothing extreme, just a bit of an annoyance.
The end months of the year coincide with our ‘Low Season’ as a tourist island here on Koh Phangan for obvious reasons, however, the high season also starts in the very last month of December...and this can be rainy too as we have seen and experienced in the last couple of years.
It is more likely that you will experience rain from now, all through to November and December but don’t let that put you off coming. In between the rainy days, there is some sun, although not as plentiful and reliable as other times of the year, you just have to be ready to jump up off your butt from your sleepy rain-induced coma to get up and enjoy the sunshine and heat whilst it lasts.
Be prepared to be patient during this time...
Rain and strong winds mean power cuts. After no rain during the hottest months, it means the dead branches have stayed on all of the trees so now we have a bit of windy weather they’re all coming off at once, resulting in branches falling on power lines and our electricity going down for a while.
It can happen at any time but we find that power cuts are more common in this weather so be patient with this.
Take this opportunity to get to know your dorm mates, play some games instead of scrolling through the internet or chill in a hammock with a beer and listen to the great sounds of the weather and crashing ocean waves.
Be aware of Travel Disturbances…
Keep track of your travel arrangements, if it is a big storm or heavy rain and high winds then it could be likely that ferries to and from the island will be cancelled or delayed.
Keep in touch with your travel agent or staff at the hostel as they may know, otherwise you may only find out at the pier.
Use common sense and if you’re concerned that the weather could affect your travel, make alternative arrangements to suit your plans.
Apart from it not feeling like that tropical paradise break you were maybe expecting, Koh Phangan is still a fun place to be during the rain. Parties will still happen as long as it’s not dangerous or flooded and what could be better than dancing in the the rain in the outdoor tropics with all of the beautiful people you will meet?!!
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