Best time to visit?

[mrblonde]

Am planning 3 (or maybe 4 weeks) in Thailand next year with my girlfriend, and we will be spending the majority of the time in Isaan.  Am thinking between September and December, is there a better time to visit, weather wise or to see any festivals?   Its only in planning stage at present so open to suggestions

Thanks in advance

[Squeegee]

That time of year will be cooler.

 

Good for the Loy Krathong festival. Isaan is a great place to experience it. My first Loy Krathong in Isaan was truly one of the most beautiful, magical nights of my life.

 

But

 

The "Bonfie" festivities are not to be missed if you can pick and choose your Isaan experiences....

 

Far and away from the Pattayas and Plazas are the true habitat of the katoey, bawdy dancing on a stage set up in a field surrounded by backed up pick-up trucks. A scaffold, another pick-up and six men is what it takes to place the rocket ready for launching.

 

This isn't pretty fireworks in the night sky, this is a huge rocket that will be fired into the clear blue sky, scoring a white line in its trail to some unknown destination, like a country road. They even quite literally have a penis festival way up north somewhere, but the bonfie festivities, though a tad more subtle in their fertility symbology, are all about good rains coming for the crops.

 

It's a family thing, a community thing, it's about the rural calendar, there will be locally made textiles, special delicacies quite possibly found nowhere else but that one province.

 

 

 

Having said that, as the shadows lengthen on the late afternoon and the families head home it could get seedy with a dangerous edge. Ya ba is alive and well in the village, as is lack of opportunity offset with boredom, face and frustration. A potentially wrong place at a wrong time, such is the nature of anywhere in the world.

 

For sunset and beyond you'll be wanting the end of the onion harvest (or local equivalent) where the village comes together for a big party, with a fair, local schools with their own stalls and the obligatory, rambling speeches.

Maybe there will be a Miss Village contest, flowers for every lady from her fans, her family and friends. Later the dancing pretties, but not too late, OK? Remember, there's no water in the morning around 6-7am because of all the shower-taking, but we'll be up with the chickens anyway.

 

[SantiSuk]

Weather gets successively cooler and drier as the year progresses towards New Year. September and October can be very wet (less so this year) and temperatures will probably be in the mid 30s degrees C during the middle 6 hours of the day with not much relief at night. December can get quite cool at nights (from a Thai perspective). Typically December has highs in the low 30s for the middle 4 hours of the day and goes down to the low 20s in the early evening until 9am with negligible rain - this year has been more wintry from an overcast sky and rain viewpoint. Even acclimatised expats get sucked into the culture of shivering around fires on some nights in late December and early January

 

If weather returns to normal patterns I would say the best months for Northern Europeans and US snow birds are December and November (equal) then October with September being the least favourite. Hotel rates can go up in resort areas and Bangkok from late November/early December, so overall I would plump for November.

 

Unfortunately most of the festival periods happen in the first 7 months of the year. However, Loy Khratong in November (search for the exact date in 2017) is a neat one night festival in most larger towns on a river or lake and there are Christmas night markets in the Xmas to New year period and New years Eve is celebrated with a few days of inebriation and family homecoming parties in the villages.
 

Written from the perspective of one who lives in the southern half of Isaan. The northern half is not dissimilar I believe but am happy to be nay-sayed by those living there. You can always find a few degrees lower in the most northerly provinces - particularly mountainous Loei in the last quarter of the year.

 

Edit: I like Squeegees post for flavour, but I thought that the rocket (bang fai in Southern Isaan speak, not bonfie) festivals all fall in the first 7 months of the year. I believe the Surin elephants festival also falls outside the OP's chosen timeframe as does the biggest festival of them all - Songkhran. He'll have a ball though at any time if he or his GF can tap into the local scene with a bit of planning. Squeegee is also spot on with the warning. The later stages of a festival night can turn nasty in the most inocuous of circumstances. I once ignored my then squeeze's warning to vacate a party ("we need to get out of here because rival gangs are turning nasty") and ended up seeing a dead body on the road in a local amphur town in Nakhon Phanom province

 

[Issangeorge]

November in Isaan has many festivals the Surin Elephant Festival, November 18 next year Loo Kratong November 4th next year. There are others also. I would plan on the last week if October through the third week of November. That way you will miss the rain, see the rice harvested, be around for some festivals, and miss the colder weather.

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[KhunBENQ]

Just joining: when we came as tourists we arrived in November, returned home before Christmas.

Only down-point: if the family does rice/sugar farming they might be busy with harvesting during the day.

So you are a bit more on your own (with GF).

Do plan some time away from the family (beach etc.).

But your GF will likely insist to leave from Isan directly (suitcase full of perishable goodies?).

 

And November is the most miserable month in central Europe

Be aware of the climate shock when returning home in December (assuming you come from a cold country).

 

[mrblonde]

8 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Just joining: when we came as tourists we arrived in November, returned home before Christmas.

Only down-point: if the family does rice/sugar farming they might be busy with harvesting during the day.

So you are a bit more on your own (with GF).

Do plan some time away from the family (beach etc.).

But your GF will likely insist to leave from Isan directly (suitcase full of perishable goodies?).

 

And November is the most miserable month in central Europe

Be aware of the climate shock when returning home in December (assuming you come from a cold country).

 

 

sorry Khun BenQ, I should of said, my girlfriend is English too (same as me), reading your post it looks like you thought she was Thai?

[mrblonde]

9 hours ago, Issangeorge said:

November in Isaan has many festivals the Surin Elephant Festival, November 18 next year Loo Kratong November 4th next year. There are others also. I would plan on the last week if October through the third week of November. That way you will miss the rain, see the rice harvested, be around for some festivals, and miss the colder weather.

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Thanks George, I think we will be doing a full 4 weeks (unsure of longest stay allowed on standard visa), so will look more into those dates and at those festivals.  Also open to suggestions of areas or towns to visit too.  That time of year sounds perfect from what you've described

[Rdrokit]

As other poster have said November and December have the best climate. One question. If your girlfriend is not Thai why would you be coming to Issan?

[KhunBENQ]

15 hours ago, mrblonde said:

 

sorry Khun BenQ, I should of said, my girlfriend is English too (same as me), reading your post it looks like you thought she was Thai?

Yep.

English girlfriend is a different scenario of course.

I am a bit blinded by the mainstream

 

[SantiSuk]

On 12/22/2016 at 11:57 AM, Rdrokit said:

As other poster have said November and December have the best climate. One question. If your girlfriend is not Thai why would you be coming to Issan?

Thai life outside beaches and beer bars?

[mrblonde]

On 22/12/2016 at 7:18 AM, KhunBENQ said:

Yep.

English girlfriend is a different scenario of course.

I am a bit blinded by the mainstream

 

 

Ahh no worries, and I'd imagine it is a bit strange an English couple asking about visiting Isaan.   I have another thread running about skin colour of westerners in Isaan on here too, as my gf is black and I was asking how she'd be seen or accepted in NE Thailand.  Everyones answers were as I'd thought so we cant wait to visit.   And have decided on late October/early November 2017 for a month.  

 

She wants to go back to Ayutthaya for a few days as we stayed right on the river, then head to Isaan

[mrblonde]

On 23/12/2016 at 2:18 PM, SantiSuk said:

Thai life outside beaches and beer bars?

 

Got it in one SantiSuk. I done the beaches and beer bars 10 years ago, and as a single guy loved it.  Returned this year with my gf and she loved everything Thai, so we are planning a month visit next year to the less commercial/touristy parts of the country.  

[Justfine]

On 22/12/2016 at 1:41 AM, mrblonde said:

 

Thanks George, I think we will be doing a full 4 weeks (unsure of longest stay allowed on standard visa), so will look more into those dates and at those festivals.  Also open to suggestions of areas or towns to visit too.  That time of year sounds perfect from what you've described

Best way is to drive as attractions are spread out.