Climate
Climate in Laos
Laos has a tropical monsoon climate in most of the country and temperatures are high most of the year. You can simply divide the Lao climate in two ‘seasons’: the dry season and the rainy season. In the mountains of Laos the temperatures are normally a bit lower and during the night time (and sometimes also during day time) in the period between October and February it might become quite cold over there.
Dry Season
Roughly between October/ November and April. In October and November it might still rain sometimes but after that it gets more and more dry. Green and wet fields and forests turn into dust in some areas at the end of the dry season and forest fires might be seen. April and May become very hot but between November and January temperatures sometimes drop and during night time you might need an extra blanket… November to March is a pefect time to visit Laos but all year round the country offers you nice scenery, even when it’s raining.
Rainy Season
This season roughly lasts from May to October. Things get more wet during this time and the dry fields turn into green and lively fields again after the first rain. Frogs get active again and free concerts of hapy frogs (and other animals who like making noise) are heard all over the country. Sometimes it only rains for half an hour a day but other days and periods it might rain non-stop for days. The nature is unpredictable and Lao nature is no exception to this. Traveling in Laos might become more difficult (especially in mountainous areas) because of floodings and landslides but it might also become more of an adventure to get from A to B. It is still perfectly possible to reach most of the areas of Laos during this time of the year but if you go more ‘off the beaten track’ be prepared for wet feet, mud and longer traveling times. A very nice aspect of this season is that colours seem to become more bright, some animals get more active, waterfalls become huge and tourists are not to be seen in huge numbers (although even in the dry season this is not the case in most Lao places). Some guesthouses and hotels will lower the prices and others might close for a while during the rainy season.