Climate

It’s important to check the weather before you plan your trip, as climate conditions in Lao PDR vary greatly throughout the year. As the weather significantly impacts motorcycle travel in Laos, we’ll try to give you a wider picture of what climate is like here.

Laos has three major seasons.

The wet season lasts from May or June to October. This season is very humid and very rainy. On the other hand, the country is remarkably lush and green for these months, and the sky produces beautiful cloud formations. September tends to get the most rain.

The dry season (or cool season) lasts from November to about March, though sometimes the rains don’t really get started until May or June. This period is the coolest period of the year and the lack of rain makes travel very easy. As this is the high season, room rates during this period will be the most expensive.

The hot season overlaps the other two and runs from March until about June, when the rains start in earnest. Temperatures rise and there are occasional rainstorms, though the weather remains pretty dry overall until May or June.

The best time to visit Lao will be whenever the climate will suit you the most. Road travel is possible even during the height of the rainy season (though some roads will be washed out and you may have to wait out a storm or two). The benefit of this season is that you’ll have the country largely to yourself and you’ll get to experience the intense green of new rice fields.

Temperatures are warm during the day and cool or even cold at night, during the winter (roughly November to February), so if a temperate, dry climate is what you want, that’s the best time to come. The good weather, however, will bring lots of other visitors and high room rates, so expect to rub shoulders with foreigners as often as you do Laotians during stays in large towns.