Breakfast at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp. You can spend the night in a bubble. [+] A glamping experience where you can interact with elephants.
christopher elliott
The conventional wisdom about traveling to Southeast Asia during the rainy season is that you should not travel during the rainy season. But that conventional wisdom is wrong, says Supratik Guha, general manager of Anantara Angkor Resort.
The rainy season from May to October is one of the best times to visit destinations like Cambodia.
“People find the rain a nuisance, but I think in a destination like this, it makes up for it,” he says. “When I drive into the countryside, I see so much greenery and rice planting, and it makes me feel really good.”
There are other great things too. Many American guests wait until November to come to Southeast Asia to avoid the rainy season, also known as the green season. However, if you visit during the rainy season (unfortunately the green season), you will find that there are very few crowds and the prices are 30-40 percent lower than high season prices.
I discovered it recently when I traveled to Southeast Asia during the monsoon season. The rainy season may be the best time to adventure in this region.
Anantara Hoi An seen from the Thu Bon River.
Allen Elliott
When is the monsoon season in Southeast Asia?
The monsoon season in Southeast Asia typically begins in May and ends in October. But it varies from country to country. In Thailand, the monsoon season lasts from July to October. In Vietnam, it is from May to November. And Bali’s rainy season lasts from November to April. However, it varies depending on your location within the country. For example, in Hoi An, a mountainous city in central Vietnam near Da Nang, locals say the monsoon season officially begins in September.
How bad is the rainy season in Southeast Asia?
It really depends on where you are. When I was in Bali in June, it rained for two weeks, even though it wasn’t technically the rainy season. This year, in Thailand in August, it was often sunny in the morning, and then it rained briefly but heavily in the afternoon.
It started raining in Cambodia in August, and it rained on and off throughout the rest of the day, but it was never heavy. It never rained in Vietnam in August, but the locals said they expected flooding next month. Again, with the weather these days, you never know what will happen. (Here’s a guide to planning a trip any time of year.)
A restaurant located at Anantara Angkor Resort. The hotel’s architecture is inspired by the local culture. [+] famous temple.
aiden elliott
It wouldn’t be Cambodia without a little rain.
Take Siem Reap, Cambodia, for example. On a typical day during the rainy season, the morning sky is clear and you can see a postcard-perfect sunrise over the temples of Angkor Wat. Clouds will increase as the day progresses, and rain will begin in the afternoon. But sometimes that’s not the case, says Grand Hotel d’Angkor spokesperson Cédric Laguerre.
“There is a sense that it never stops raining here,” he said one morning in August, pointing to the sky. “But the sun is right around the corner.”
Supratik Guha of Anantara Angkor Resort says the impact of the rain will be minimal. Before the government repaired Siem Reap’s roads, the roads would flood during heavy rains. However, now that a new drainage system has been put in place, flooding no longer occurs. A new airport is scheduled to open in October, further strengthening the region’s infrastructure.
Mr Guha said tourists who want the experience of a luxury boutique hotel and also benefit from Angkor Wat’s unique temples should consider visiting during the rainy season. His argument is very persuasive. Angkor His Wat just wouldn’t be the same without a drizzle of rain falling on its moss-covered ruins. And there’s something to be said for a little moisture and reliability.
Photographer Aiden Elliott’s waterway tour of Bangkok’s canals
christopher elliott
Vietnam: Waiting out the rain in Hoi An
At this time of year, the rainy season has not yet officially begun in Vietnam. However, the resort town of Hoi An, just south of Da Nang, is warm. Manhattan is like he’s August. It’s hot and humid, temperatures reaching triple digits.
We asked Ross Saunders, Vietnam Area General Manager of Minor Hotels, about the rainy season. As the monsoon season officially begins in September, the region is expected to experience heavy rains that can cause nearby rivers to flood. But the flood quickly subsides.
“It’s not that bad,” he says.
Visiting a hotel like Anantara Hoi An during shoulder season is a special experience. This luxury hotel is never crowded and you can always find a table at Hoi An Riverside Restaurant. There, you can experience authentic Vietnamese cuisine while watching boats with colorful lanterns plying up and down the Thu Bon River.
The town of Hoi An is a short walk from the hotel and features colorful Chinese temples and a market with shops selling clothing and souvenirs. During the summer, Hoi An comes alive in the early mornings and evenings, so if you want to have the place to yourself, try walking around the city after breakfast.
Sanders recommends visiting Vietnam in the summer because it’s cheaper and you can get more personal attention. And the locals seem genuinely happy to see you at this time of year when most tourists are at home.
View of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
christopher elliott
Bangkok’s biggest secret
The biggest surprise for me was Thailand, a place where the rainy season is legendary. Bangkok remained relatively dry in early August. It rained occasionally in the afternoon, but not as expected during the monsoon season. According to insiders, it can be relatively sunny from late July to early August, but I didn’t know that.
“Late August to September, that’s when things start,” said Four Seasons Bangkok spokesman Dan Schacter.
As a result, insiders say there are several weeks between the official start of the rainy season and the actual start of the rainy season, during which you can experience Bangkok with less rain.
One of the highlights of my visit was a boat tour through Bangkok’s canals. Depart from the pier at Anantara Riverside Bangkok and end at the newly completed Buddha statue at Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, where you’ll see a giant 230-foot-tall Buddha statue. From most parts of the city. The canals are fascinating ancient waterways, reminiscent of old Siam.
Rainy morning in the Golden Triangle – relatively quiet
I had the closest thing to a real monsoon experience in northern Thailand along the Laos-Myanmar border. The rain started early in the morning, before dawn. It was the worst rain I had ever experienced since I lived in Hilo, Hawaii. I spent a night at the Anantara Golden His Triangle, a luxury hotel with an elephant camp and stunning views of the Mekong River. Only this morning I couldn’t see the view.
But just after sunrise, the rain stopped like a switch and the rivers and smoke-covered mountains of Myanmar and Laos appeared in the distance. I asked the manager if this is a common occurrence during the green season. No, it looks like the rain will continue for much longer. But this year’s monsoon season has been drier, at least so far. August is also a great time to visit with elephants and save money, as hotels are “relatively quiet”.
Traveling to Southeast Asia during the rainy season is a bit of a gamble, but it can pay off in many ways. In places like the Golden Triangle, you can enjoy a bit of solitude along the path that follows the Luak River, one of the Mekong’s tributaries. You can have the spa all to yourself. You can walk with the elephants without feeling like you’re attending a press conference, with tourists taking photos all around you. In fact, now might be the ideal time to visit the area.
And the rain is like a character in a novel. It’s always there and adds reliability and a bit of unpredictability to the equation. That’s what turns an ordinary trip into an adventure. However, please bring a raincoat just in case.
