What is the Monsoon?

The word monsoon most likely comes from the Arabic word mausim, which literally means season.

The monsoon is the seasonal wind reversal. It is not the rain as commonly assumed. Rain is the byproduct of this wind. For half of the year, the wind comes from one direction and for the other half, it comes from the direct opposite direction.

From about mid April through October and into November a bit, the predominant wind direction on the Malay Peninsula is from the southwest. For the rest of the year, the wind shifts to coming from the northeast.

The western side of the Malay Peninsula—the side that has Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Tarutao—gets more rain during the summer months. The eastern side—the side with Ko Samui, Ko Pang Ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Chang—is drier during this time. The wind is coming from the southwest. The wind direction shifts in November and the seasons change. During the winter months, the eastern coastline of the Malay Peninsula gets less rain.

The tourist high season on the eastern side of the Malay Peninsula is from about November through the middle of April. This is the low season for tourism in the Gulf of Thailand side (Ko Samui).

The seas can get a bit bumpy on the western side of the Malay Peninsula during the summer months. We concentrate on Phang Nga Bay and Khao Sok during this time as they are both fairly protected.

Don't let a little rain prevent you from enjoying either side of the Malay Peninsula. Low season means cheaper prices on almost everything, less tourists, rainbows and awesome sunsets.

We promise you won't melt!