Are you trying to decide whether to brave the rainy season in Laos or skip it in favor of another destination? We asked ourselves the same question before our trip!
When planning a trip to Laos (or Southeast Asia in general), one of the first things you will notice people talking about is the weather: there is a “dry season” (also the high season), and a “wet season”, when the monsoon rains come.
Sometimes you’ll also see travelers note a “hot season”, when the air is (even more) humid, and temperatures are at their highest.
Some resources suggest avoiding travel during the rainy season in Laos, and some argue that it has minimal impact.
Ultimately, we found that backpacking Laos during the wet season was more challenging than what we experienced when traveling in Thailand or Cambodia during their rainy seasons.
This was partly luck, partly because of the different levels of infrastructure between the countries, and partly because of exactly what we wanted to do while we were there.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that we wouldn’t recommend traveling during the rainy season in Laos–but we recommend proceeding with caution.
Here are the questions we suggest asking yourself before booking a trip to Laos in the monsoon season!
Table of Contents
When is Laos’ Rainy Season?
Typically, the best time to visit Laos is considered to be from October to April, during the dry season.
For Laos, the wet season generally runs from May to the end of September… and our August trip meant that we were visiting right in the middle of Laos’ rainy season.
If you’re considering a trip to Laos in May, June, July, August, or September, then this blog post is for you!
6 Questions to Ask Yourself About the Rainy Season in Laos
How long is your trip to Laos?
Part of dealing with the weather while traveling is simply luck. It could be perfect… or it could be awful.
However, if you’re visiting Laos for 3 weeks, you’re less likely to spend your entire trip doused in rain than if you go for 6 days.
Are you traveling to more than one country in Southeast Asia?
If you’re planning to visit countries other than Laos, you’ll have the option of moving on to the next one if the weather is unbearable.
The more flexible your plans are in general, the more likely it is that it’s worth risking a trip to Laos during the monsoon season.
Are outdoor activities a big part of why you’re visiting Laos?
For us, the big draw of Laos was its nature.
While the jungles were pretty, the rivers and waterfalls were muddy and flooded, and the famed turquoise water and tranquil environments were nowhere to be found.
The famous Blue Lagoon near Vang Vieng, for example?
Definitely not blue:
Are you planning to use buses and shuttles to navigate Laos?
By far, our scariest moment in Laos was during our minibus trip from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng.
Our driver spent (no exaggeration) 17 minutes negotiating a 200-yard section of a flooded dirt road… on the edge of a very steep cliff.
Everyone on our bus was anxious–including, I believe, the driver.
As I update this blog post several years later, I have to say that I still believe this is one of the most dangerous moments we’ve ever encountered in our 50+ countries of travel.
Do you mind being caught in the rain while sightseeing?
While we were in Luang Prabang, most days had a short rain shower in the afternoon, and we were able to enjoy the city more or less normally (minus the Kuang Si Waterfalls and Tat Sae Waterfalls being flooded and brown as opposed to idyllic and teal).
Meanwhile, in Vang Vieng, the skies opened up and threw down so much water we looked like we had come out of a swimming pool.
During our brief stay in Vientiane, the rain stayed away entirely.
There’s no predicting exactly what your trip will look like, but if you don’t want to risk ending up soaked, it may be best to reschedule.
Are you traveling Laos on a budget?
There’s no denying that we got some excellent deals on hotels in Laos, and I’m guessing that is partially because of the wet season.
It seemed like every other hotel was running a promotion to fill its rooms, and as a result, we stayed in some of the nicest places we checked into during our RTW trip!
That included a few 4-star hotels that we normally wouldn’t have considered, simply because the price difference between them and more budget-friendly places was too small to pass up.
Was traveling during Laos’ rainy season worth it to us?
At the end of the day, I am glad that we didn’t skip out on traveling during the rainy season in Laos. We learned a lot, and we had some truly great days there.
The weather did impact our trip more than the afternoon rains in Thailand or Cambodia, and we probably would not go back to Laos during the wet season again, instead focusing on trips during the ideal time to visit Laos (October to April).
While the actual rain was an issue on occasion, the biggest downsides for us were the less enjoyable outdoor activities and that the inter-city minibus transportation felt very unsafe, especially in the mountains.
The next time we visit Laos, I’d like the roads to be clearer, the sun to be shining, and the natural highlights–including adventure activities like motorbiking the Bolovean Plateau and rock climbing–to be at their best.
For those reasons, we’ll personally stick with the more traditional best time to visit Laos from now on!
Read More About Visiting Southeast Asia
If you found this blog post about visiting Laos during the rainy season helpful, we’d love to continue to be part of your travel planning here on Our Escape Clause!
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Hey Kate, we are planning a 6ish month trip through SE Asia from the end of May. Do you have any recommendations of a route to take during the rainy season? I hadn’t given it much thought previously but Laos during this time doesn’t sound ideal! If the weather is going to have a negative impact I’m open to travelling a different region e.g South America. Any input would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Hi Jade!
Your trip sounds amazing! As for rainy season, the great thing about Southeast Asia is that the rainy season varies pretty dramatically–for example, Indonesia’s rainy season takes place during Thailand’s dry season and visa versa. So over 6 months, you should be able to avoid the worst of rainy seasons if you want. We were really only impacted by it in Laos–Thailand was fine, though we chose Koh Tao over other islands in part for the better weather, and Cambodia was fine during rainy season as well.
If you have your heart set on Southeast Asia, I personally wouldn’t change regions based on managing rainy seasons over such a long trip.
Hope that helps a tiny bit!