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The best time to visit Thailand away from the crowds and at a budget price

Simon Calder’s Travel

Despite the occasional downpour, there are plenty of reasons to visit Thailand from May to October – so pack your mac and sense of adventure, and get ready to see this spectacular country in a whole new light. From rejuvenated landscapes to rich cultural experiences, the rainy season reveals a side of Thailand that is often overlooked. And who knows? The off-season might just become your favourite time to visit.

Why you should visit Thailand in the low season

1. Go for the weather

This might have high-season purists spitting out their cha yen (iced tea) in horror, itching to inculcate would-be visitors with the well-worn wisdom that “summer is the hot, humid, rainy season.” And it is, but let’s face it, Thailand is hot all year around, with temperatures remaining in the early-to-mid thirties from January to December, fluctuating only by a few degrees.

Yes, it’s humid – we prefer “sultry” – from May to October, but you really won’t notice if you’re spending your days on the beach being fanned by a gentle sea breeze (or a palm frond, if you have the means). When you’re anywhere indoors, the air-conditioning is usually set to “Arctic blast” anyway.

For those who love nature’s drama, however, Thailand’s monsoon season is an experience in itself. The occasional rains, while heavy, are usually brief and refreshing, sweeping in to cool the air in the late afternoon, and washing the land with a shimmering sheen. The sight of nimbus clouds rolling over the Andaman Sea, the rumble of distant thunder, warm rain showering down upon you as you swim in bathwater seas – English drizzle, this ain’t.

2. It’s lush

Haew Narok waterfall in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand

Haew Narok waterfall in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

You call it the off-season, we call it the green season. Well, we don’t actually call it that, but we could, and we wouldn’t be wrong.

One of the most compelling reasons to visit Thailand in the low-season is the stunning transformation of its landscapes. The rains breathe life into the countryside, painting field and forest with chartreuse and absinthe greens, before giddily bedding down on rice paddies that stretch out like Gaia’s quilts.

Waterfalls reduced to trickles in dry months roar back to life, cascading past mossy rocks with renewed vigour, while mountains…

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