As most Southeast Asia countries have a dry and wet climate with three basic seasons, including Laos. When you having a Laos tours, you are usually warm and sunny most of the year
The rainy or wet season runs from May to October. Hot and humid with plenty of rains are the most characters of this season. But rains often happen quickly for a few hours every few days instead all day rains.
Dry season runs from November to April or early May and can be divided into two sub-seasons: cool season and hot season. Cool dry season is from November to February, which is the most comfortable time to visit Laos, especially in November and December. And the hot dry season is from March to April or early May when the country is in its hottest and very dry weather.
Best time to visit Laos
The best time to visit Laos is between November to February when it rains the least and is not too hot. During this period, the day time temperatures are agreeably warm, evenings are slightly chilly and the countryside is green and lush after the rains.
As for the mountainous Northern provinces, it is not bad to go to there in the hot season mainly from March to May. You’d better not go to the southern Laos from March to May for the temperature will break to the 40s in the day-time and nights will be hot too. If you intent to travel by river, rain season will be the best choice.
All in all, the best time to visit Laos is depending on what you are expecting to see and what kind of weather you like.
Vientiane
Vientiane is the capital of Laos, having a tropical climate marked by wet and dry seasons. In fact, Vientiane is a tourist destination that can be visited at any time of the year, due to its temperature averaging around 20°C and 30°C during the who year. Without months that have high or low temperatures, tourists can enjoy a full time of the beauty of Laos. The best time to visit Vientiane is from October to March, with a comfortable temperature from 17°C to 30°C, as well as sunny days. The rainy season is from May to September. If you don’t want the rains to interrupt your travel plan, avoid this time.
Luang Prabang
Climate in Luang Prabang is similar to Vientiane, with two distinct seasons. The dry season runs from November to May with a average temperature of 27°C while wet season from May to October. During the rainy season, torrential rainfall usually occurs. The best time to visit Luang Prabang is from October to March, when the temperature is relatively comfortable to stay and humidity is also comfortable. However, if you are fine to travel during the wet weather, you will see the picturesque Luang Prabang after the rainfalls and with less crowd.
Vang Vieng
Tourists who come to Vang Vieng usually will go caving, rock-climbing, rafting and kayaking. So, the wet season from May to September is not good for tourists to come. During the wet season, the water in Nam Song River will fill up and flow up faster, making the pathways to be slippery and dangerous when caving and rock-climbing. However, the dry season from November to March is the best time to visit Vang Vieng, when the weather is good and the temperature is cool.