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!
