Best months to visit Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

[rwing93]

I know that January and February is high season but isn't it pretty crazy and crowded during these months? Which couple of months are the best without too much rain?

[khunPer]

May and June – i.e. right now – until mid July are the best months in my view, based on 15+ years experience, as the weather is fine, and it's low season, so not too crowded and fair prices for accommodation.

 

However, right now a lot is closed due to the Covid-19 situation and nationwide close down.

 

Avoid coming from mid October til mid January due to monsoon season, if you don't wish to gamble on the weather, which can be outstanding fine, or it can be two weeks of storm and rain. Commuting between islands, and between an island and mainland, might be impossible for some days during a monsoon storm.

[Tropicalevo]

My favourite months are February, before it gets too hot and with stunning sunsets, and September. Lower prices then and before the winter monsoon - usually but the seasons are not a 'given' anymore.

As KhunPer has said - a lot of places are closed and I am not sure that there will be a 'high' season for a while.

[RickG16]

2 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

I am not sure that there will be a 'high' season for a while.

 It  might even turn out that April / May is busier than usual as people go away later.

[phetphet]

February and March. Bear in mind that the next high season will probably not be as busy as previous ones due to COVID.

[Taco]

I always like September and October.  Fairly dry and very quiet.  Gonna be very quiet this year around then.  If your diving September should still be good but usually March on best diving. 

[GreasyFingers]

If you like to swim May-August as the wind is generally from the south. The other months, especially during the monsoon season the winds are on shore (east side) and blow in a lot of rubbish

[robertson468]

21 hours ago, khunPer said:

May and June – i.e. right now – until mid July are the best months in my view, based on 15+ years experience, as the weather is fine, and it's low season, so not too crowded and fair prices for accommodation.

 

However, right now a lot is closed due to the Covid-19 situation and nationwide close down.

 

Avoid coming from mid October til mid January due to monsoon season, if you don't wish to gamble on the weather, which can be outstanding fine, or it can be two weeks of storm and rain. Commuting between islands, and between an island and mainland, might be impossible for some days during a monsoon storm.

I have lived on this beautiful Island for over 15 years now and have never known a rainy season to extend from mid-October to mid-January.  It can be October and maybe November and of course it will be cooler then.  Seasons are now all over the place to be honest.  Not quite sure where KhunPer is living?

[stephenterry]

Avoid Koh Tao - it's known as death island for foreigners- Google it - run by the drugs mafia with no regard for Thai law. The last place in Thailand, I would even consider visiting.    

[khunPer]

17 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

I have lived on this beautiful Island for over 15 years now and have never known a rainy season to extend from mid-October to mid-January.  It can be October and maybe November and of course it will be cooler then.  Seasons are now all over the place to be honest.  Not quite sure where KhunPer is living?

Thanks for your comment, but if you read my post again, then you'll note that I say "...if you don't wish to gamble on the weather, which can be outstanding fine, or it can be two weeks of storm and rain...", i.e. between mid October and mid January, and that is plain true facts, also for you, if you have live here on Samui the same 15+ years and I...????

[Scouse123]

Try March 2028!

 

Maybe, by then they have got over the second wave of the virus after the first one that never hit.

[shy coconut]

3 hours ago, stephenterry said:

Avoid Koh Tao - it's known as death island for foreigners- Google it - run by the drugs mafia with no regard for Thai law. The last place in Thailand, I would even consider visiting.    

There it is......

 

Tens of thousands of people go there every year without incident.

It may well be ruled by gangsters and of course there was that awful

murder and subsequent bungled investigation a few years back, but

to fear going there because you think you'll be murdered is ridiculous.

 

 

[stephenterry]

2 minutes ago, shy coconut said:

There it is......

 

Tens of thousands of people go there every year without incident.

It may well be ruled by gangsters and of course there was that awful

murder and subsequent bungled investigation a few years back, but

to fear going there because you think you'll be murdered is ridiculous.

 

 

You've answered your own question as to why you should not visit Koh Tao. And BTW, there have been several suspected murders on that island in recent years never investigated or resolved. Avoiding the place is sensible  - go to one of the other islands instead. 

[khunPer]

38 minutes ago, stephenterry said:

You've answered your own question as to why you should not visit Koh Tao. And BTW, there have been several suspected murders on that island in recent years never investigated or resolved. Avoiding the place is sensible  - go to one of the other islands instead. 

Not "suspected murders", suspected deaths...

[dluek]

Agree with the khunPer that now is a good time. I've gone a couple of times in August and it was decent then too, with only a little rain. 

[Tmoney]

3 hours ago, khunPer said:

Not "suspected murders", suspected deaths...

No. Actual deaths, not suspected! Suspected murders is accurate. Get your facts straight

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, Tmoney said:

No. Actual deaths, not suspected! Suspected murders is accurate. Get your facts straight

Thanks for your reply. I however got my facts right, but it might depend of which new-sources one read, we might not read the same...????

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, Tmoney said:

No. Actual deaths, not suspected! Suspected murders is accurate. Get your facts straight

Fact.

There were a number of suspicious deaths. There was no evidence of murder. (Apart from the unfortunate couple.)

Koh Tao is a holiday island with lots of snorkelling, diving, drinking and taking of drugs. All can cause death.

Not all deaths are murder.

 

"Ko Tao is a small island of approximately 21 km² and receives over a 100,000 visitors per year."

 

[Tmoney]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Fact.

There were a number of suspicious deaths. There was no evidence of murder. (Apart from the unfortunate couple.)

Koh Tao is a holiday island with lots of snorkelling, diving, drinking and taking of drugs. All can cause death.

Not all deaths are murder.

 

"Ko Tao is a small island of approximately 21 km² and receives over a 100,000 visitors per year."

 

I totally agree. 

Where did I say there has been evidence of murder?

 

[stephenterry]

15 hours ago, khunPer said:

Not "suspected murders", suspected deaths...

Okay, several deaths that are suspected murders. Just Google it, FGS. The point is that several visitors in recent years have died in suspicious circumstances, without any investigation into the cause of death, which was covered up.  

Whether or not the death percentage of 100,000 visitors to Death island is minimal - go and tell that to their families, who have been unable to establish what happened and get closure.  

Edited June 11, 2020 by stephenterry
addition

[khunPer]

6 hours ago, stephenterry said:

Okay, several deaths that are suspected murders. Just Google it, FGS. The point is that several visitors in recent years have died in suspicious circumstances, without any investigation into the cause of death, which was covered up.  

Whether or not the death percentage of 100,000 visitors to Death island is minimal - go and tell that to their families, who have been unable to establish what happened and get closure.  

No, not murders, that's speculation, it's not facts. Mysterious deaths would be a better word, apart from the sad double murder that two Burmese boys were sentenced for.

 

The mysterious deaths, which there are 5-6 of, could also have been accidents – I think one body of a female free diver was never found, so rather missing case, expected to be drowned, but open for speculation – it's foreign media-articles beginning in Reddit, ThaiVisa og Lonely Planet, and later Samui Times, using the term "Death Island", spreading to major newspapers in Australia and primary Britain that created the horror stories, some of them repeated several times.

 

There are "mysterious deaths" among tourists all over Thailand, and also in numerous other countries.

 

Statically there are 0.64 death per 100.000 tourists (2016 count, where 228 tourists died), according to Department of Tourism. Koh Tao had 500.000 visitors which should statistically average count for about 3 death a year. The nationwide statistics shows that 41 percent of tourist-death are connected to water, 21 percent due to traffic, 16 percent due to health, and 7 percent suicide. The remaining 14 percent are counted as other incidents. In nationality Chinese (34%) is number one (and also the largest group of tourists), followed by French (8%), Brits (7%), Americans (5%), and Germans (4%).

 

Provinces with most tourist death are Chiang Mai as number one; Surat Thani, which includes Koh Tao, and also include Samui and Phangan, number two; Phuket number three; Krabi number four; and Chon Buri (including Pattaya) number five.

[stephenterry]

45 minutes ago, khunPer said:

No, not murders, that's speculation, it's not facts. Mysterious deaths would be a better word, apart from the sad double murder that two Burmese boys were sentenced for.

Thank you for your comprehensive responses apart from the above, which I dispute because the families of all those victims regarded them as suspected murders from the justifiable evidence they were able to compile at the time. Certainly not accidents. That's factual, including the woman free-diver who was alleged to be a journalist carrying out an investigation on the deaths. 

[cheapcanuck]

April and May

[baansgr]

On 6/11/2020 at 11:06 AM, khunPer said:

Thanks for your comment, but if you read my post again, then you'll note that I say "...if you don't wish to gamble on the weather, which can be outstanding fine, or it can be two weeks of storm and rain...", i.e. between mid October and mid January, and that is plain true facts, also for you, if you have live here on Samui the same 15+ years and I...????

2005 was from late October to New Year...nightmare of constant rain 24 hours a day. I remember people using pedalos on Chong Mong main road as the water was so deep, 7/11 flooded and giving away free damaged stock.

[Pilotman]

So OP, there you have it.  Any month between January and December, but you may well get murdered.  Hope this post was helpful for you?

By the way, I would avoid all the islands you mentioned altogether, too touristy, too many scams on the go and too much hassle getting there. Go to Koh Chang instead, lovely place and less murderers around. Go in December or January.  

[RickG16]

On 6/12/2020 at 11:04 PM, Pilotman said:

By the way, I would avoid all the islands you mentioned altogether, too touristy

Very ignorant thing to say. All three islands have their own personality, and very quiet spots as well as more touristy spots.