Tourists tend to avoid Southeast Asia in the monsoon months, for many expect it being rainy every day and all-day. They fear mosquito-born diseases and floods.
Well, in fact it’s not all that bad. Rainy season can be a very rich and beautiful time in the tropes. There are many more animals active, it’s all green around and it’s considerably cooler than in most of the dry season.
Another positive aspect of the monsoon season is the lack of tourism; prices drop, places are not crowded, life is more relaxed.
Besides it’s not raining all-day long. It’s mostly rather raining for an hour or two, or there is a shower coming down, while it afterwards might be sunny again or cloudy only. In north Sumatra, let’s say Bukit Lawang or at Lake Toba, one can almost set the clock for the afternoon rain, what starts usually around four o’clock. There it comes mostly as heavy pouring and continues over many hours, sometimes over the whole night. Next morning it’s clear and sunny again. One can be very active over most of the day outdoors.
As a rule of thumb one can say as closer one approaches the equator, as more rain is to expect.
Know…
This is only a part of the richly illustrated article ‘Monsoon in Southeast Asia’. Read here the whole article on Monsoon in Southeast Asia.
Keep yourself up-to-date
Check the list of recently published articles on a great variety of Southeast Asian themes. All of them are richly illustrated: Asienreisender
Asienreisender 