End of monsoon in northern Southeast Asia means time to do some travel planning. When rainy season ends, the low season also finishes, and the dry season, which is also the tourist high season, begins. If you want to snag a travel bargain for a Southeast Asia dry season trip you need to do it soon. If you’ve already booked your flights, but haven’t booked hotels, then you really need to book those now before rooms go and prices increase.
Those grey clouds you see above the tropical gardens at The Slate Phuket Resort on Thailand‘s popular island destination of Phuket… well, on this sunny Sunday in Siem Reap, I’m looking at similarly ominous clouds move in right now – despite being blessed with a clear blue-sky morning. I might be jumping at the cracks of thunder and sitting in the darkness in a couple of hours.
October is an odd month weather-wise here in the tropics. We’re nearing the end of monsoon in northern Southeast Asia and in a month the rainy season – or ‘green season’ as we wet season-lovers like to call it – will end, and with it the regular rain that keeps the countryside so lush and gorgeous. In the meantime, anything is possible, from completely rain-free days to relentless downpours and flooding.
October is also the month when those who haven’t yet planned their end of year holiday in Southeast Asia start to panic, sit down to do some trip research, and freak out when they find that their favourite Bangkok riverside hotel or Phuket beach resort is booked solid, and that Siem Reap boutique hotel they’ve been dreaming about is also full.
So sit down today and make a plan today. If you’re considering coming to Cambodia for the Siem Reap Water Festival in late November, then you really need to book a Siem Reap hotel right now.
End of Monsoon in Northern Southeast Asia Means Time for Travel Planning
Over the last week, I’ve suddenly been getting queries about bespoke itineraries and questions from readers planning to spend their end of year holidays here in northern Southeast Asia, or mainland Southeast Asia, as it’s also called – in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Here’s why.
Northern Southeast Asia or Mainland Southeast Asia
It’s almost the end of the monsoon season, also called the rainy season, wet monsoon and green season, in northern Southeast Asia, also called Mainland Southeast Asia. By the time December arrives it will be dry and ‘cool’ – cool for this part of the world, anyway, with an average temperature in Cambodia of a very comfortable 25-26°C or 77-78°F.
As magic as the monsoon season is for those of us who live here, most people simply don’t want rain to fall on their holiday, especially at the end of the year when many people are dreaming of doing little more than lie by a pool or on a beach with some good books and good company.
The not-so-surprising thing: everybody wants to book their Southeast Asian holiday during the Christmas-New Year week – the busiest and most expensive time of the year to travel in Southeast Asia. For many people, the Christmas-New Year period is the only time that they can get off work, especially our North American friends, and they, like the Europeans, are also looking for a sunny escape from their chilly winters.
Last high season, Southeast Asia saw the largest increase in tourists of any region in the world, a 10% growth according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (the global average was 6%), with most travellers arriving between the Christmas-New Year period and April. Although we certainly didn’t feel it living here, Cambodia, along with Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, apparently saw double-digit growth.
But as the Christmas-New Year period is the busiest week of the year in Southeast Asia’s holiday destinations, especially those destinations with sunshine, beaches and stunning swimming pools, the best hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia’s most popular destinations are already fully booked. (Here in Siem Reap, for example, Viroths Hotel is already full).
That means it’s going to take more time to find a boutique hotel or beach resort that’s special, that’s not insanely over-priced, let alone affordable accommodation in Southeast Asia.
Travel the week before Christmas-New Year and you’ll still find hotels in Southeast Asia with availability that won’t be ridiculously over-priced, along with some holiday bargains. But you really have to book soon, as everyone is starting to plan their northern Southeast Asia trips for the tourist high season right now.
If you can go even earlier and travel at the end of monsoon in northern Southeast Asia, so at the end of November – and then spend your Christmas-New Year period at home – you’ll find even better travel deals than you will a week or two later when prices skyrocket and some hotels and resorts will only allow multi-night stays with compulsory gala dinners for Christmas and/or New Year’s Eve.
Travel at the end of the dry season in April – although it’s scorching hot (Cambodians call March and April ‘summer’) and is definitely the month for beach lovers looking for fast tans – and you’ll find some fantastic end of season holiday deals on hotels, package holidays, tours, and cruises, such as this Southeast Asian cruise, offered by Luxury Escapes.
Southern Southeast Asia or Maritime Southeast Asia
So what about southern Southeast Asia? The countries closer to the equator, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor, Borneo, Brunei, Christmas Islands, and Cocos Islands, have their own monsoon seasons. For the countries south of the equator the weather is the opposite to what it is here in northern Southeast Asia. Things are a bit more complex in Malaysia and Singapore.
Malaysia
Malaysia experiences two monsoon seasons: the southwest monsoon, from April to September, which affects western Malaysian, and the northeast monsoon, from October to March, which hits the eastern part of the Malaysia, and is the wetter of the two. Some tropical resorts on islands such as Tioman close and ferries stop running, while on the other side of the peninsula, on Penang and Langkawi it’s business holidays as usual.
What many travellers don’t realise is that the weather is similar in Southern Thailand, which borders Malaysia. On the Andaman side, on Southern Thailand’s west coast, where Phuket, Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands are located, the southwest monsoon from April to October means a lot of rain. Southern Thailand’s east coast and islands in the Gulf of Thailand, such as Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, however, are wettest from September to November.
Although oddly enough, the weather doesn’t seem to be a factor for travellers heading to Thailand as much as it does travellers to Cambodia and Laos. While tourists stay away during the rainy season in Cambodia and Laos, they just keep going to Thailand year-round, rain or no rain.
Singapore
The weather in Singapore, being so close to the equator, is different again and complex. While Singapore is also affected by monsoons, the city-state has fairly uniform temperatures, high humidity and rain year-round. While locals are aware of the subtle variations from month to month, tourists wouldn’t notice and are generally unfazed – probably because they’re not going to Singapore to spend their time on the beach or by a pool.
Indonesia
Winter is well and truly monsoon season or wet season in Indonesia. It gets incredibly wet and rainy, even on the Indonesian island of Bali, which remains bewilderingly popular, especially for Christmas-New Year, and especially with Australians. Indonesia and Bali are the last places I’d recommend you go over the festive season.
So why do I encourage travellers to visit Cambodia during monsoon yet I discourage Indonesia and Bali travel during the rainy season? Because of the high chance of flash flooding and severe mudslides on Bali, especially around Ubud, and other parts of Indonesia that we just don’t experience in Cambodia.
Insider Tips for Booking End of Year Holidays in Southeast Asia
Here are our insider tips for booking high season travel in Southeast Asia, based on 15 years living in Southeast Asia.
Start Researching Now
All good trip planning starts with research. Why not begin browsing our site for inspiration, ideas and information? We have plenty of stories, guides and itineraries for Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, including Bali and Yogyakarta.
You can trust that our advice is accurate, authorative, informed (and opinionated) as we live in Southeast Asia and are continually travelling the region for our work as food and travel writers.
Update 9 December 2025: if you’re travelling to Cambodia and Thailand for the upcoming high season see our post on Is It Safe to Travel to Thailand and Cambodia? An Explainer on the conflict on the border area. The situation escalated yesterday, but it shouldn’t affect your travel plans as tensions are focused on the border. It’s still important to stay informed. We’re monitoring the situation and will update that post as things change.
Money No Object? Travel for Christmas-New Year
If money is no object, then go for it! The peak travel week of Christmas-New Year is popular for good reason. Christmas in Southeast Asia really is lovely, with the grand hotels festooning their facades with Christmas decorations and holding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day brunches, lunches and dinners with Christmas trees, carol singers, and Santa Claus.
And the weather the week of Christmas-New Year is generally the coolest of the year and absolutely gorgeous, especially in northern Southeast Asia as it is the best time of year weather-wise – sunny and dry, with glorious balmy days and cool evenings. You’ll actually need to pack a cardigan or light jacket for the evenings and early mornings.
On a Budget? Avoid the Christmas-New Year Week
But if you’re on a tight budget, then you’ll want to give the Christmas-New Year week a miss. Travel before or travel after Christmas-New Year, if you don’t need to take your holidays over the busy and expensive period. The weather will still be lovely the rest of December, January and February.
The best hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia will still have some rooms, you’ll just have to search a little longer. And it’s cheaper than travelling during that peak tourist period.
Book Your Flights Now
Once you decide when you’re travelling to Southeast Asia, book your flights as soon as possible. We’ve been using booking.com for flights, which is powered by Kayak, as we like to do everything on the same site whenever possible.
We use the site for booking hotels but you can also book rental cars on booking.com. Plus, as I said, it’s powered by Kayak, one of the oldest and most popular flight search engines around.
Book Your Accommodation Very Soon
Once you book your flights, you really need to book hotels, resorts or villas as soon as possible, as it’s just going to get more expensive as the weeks pass and the closer it gets to Christmas-New Year, and the best hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia run out of rooms.
Browse our guides to accommodation in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Battambang, Ho Chi Minh City, Central Vietnam, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Luang Prabang, Singapore, Bali’s Seminyak, Yogyakarta, and Yangon. We only writes about hotels that we’ve tested and inspected. And we’re always adding new hotel guides and hotel reviews.
Book a Holiday Package for the Best Deal
There are quite a few sites that offer package deals including hotels, transfers, some meals, and perks such as welcome drinks or a bottle of wine. For instance, we love Luxury Escapes as they offer ‘luxury for less’ deals (some thousands of dollars lower than you’d normally pay) and best price guarantees (if you see a better price elsewhere they’ll match it).
They also offer the opportunity to ‘buy now book later’ (you can grab an offer while it’s available, but select dates later); and 7-day ‘change of mind’ refunds (you can cancel within a week if you change your mind, no questions asked). Not all of those are available on all offers, though, so read the fine print (see below).
Be Aware of Peak Period Blackout Dates
When you find a hotel, resort or package you love, read the fine print before you get too excited and start making other plans. Most discounted holiday deals aren’t offered during that Christmas-New Year period, typically from 24 or 25 December until around 2 or 4 January. Rules differ for each property so read the fine print so you’re not in for a shock when you actually book.
Look Out for Peak Period Holiday Surcharges
Again, read that fine print before you get too excited about a brilliant package holiday or hotel deal you spotted. Non-refundable surcharges are often added during those blackout dates over the Christmas-New Year week and other especially busy periods and holidays.
Book Car Rentals Next
If you’re planning on doing some driving in Southeast Asia book a rental car next. Driving is easy in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. We’ve driven all over Thailand updating travel guidebooks and there’s some lovely driving to do.
We once picked up a rental car in Koh Samui, then drove to Phuket (car ferry part of the way) and back up to Hua Hin, and that was a fabulous part of the country to drive. We also loved road-tripping in Thailand’s northeastern Isaan region and from Chiang Mai up to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle.
Book Tours and Activities Soon
As with flights and hotels, tours and activities also fill up over the high season. We love Get Your Guide for booking tours and activities, such as cooking classes, street food tours and guided walks. The site is also a great place to book VIP airport immigration fast-track services, book airport transfers, buy city passes, and book private tour guides.
Also, make sure to book tickets for shows or concerts you want to go to, as these also sell out over the busiest period. For instance, in Siem Reap, it’s essential to buy tickets for Phare Cambodian Circus and the Sacred Dancers of Angkor well in advance. The Siem Reap circus is so popular they add a second show a night on some days during high season, but these can also sell out.
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Image courtesy of Luxury Escapes.
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