Weather and when to go to Laos

If you are looking for Lao weather information to plan your next trip, please read our article carefully.

Laos generally has a laid-back climate, with no coastline to bring troublesome storms. The weather here is generally more affected by altitude and topography, with a cooler mountainous north and a steamer delta-plain south. Laos has a sub-tropical climate in the center and south, with a more temperate climate in the mountainous north. The average temperature is around 29^oC although this can drop in the cooler months to about 15 – 20^oC. There are two basic seasons. The rainy season which runs from May to October is characterized by downpours lasting a few hours every few days or so. The dry season runs from November to April or early May, and is subdivided into 2 distinct sections, November to February is the cool dry season, and March to April is the hot dry season.

January and February is a very pleasant time of year in Laos, with dry conditions throughout the country. The main cities are comfortably warm, with average temperatures around 25°C and the lower-lying southern plateau is warmer still, closer to 29°C. In the northern mountainous regions the evenings, in particular, will be cold, so make sure to bring some warmer clothing.

Laos in a sunny day

Things start to heat up in Laos in March and April. It will be hot and dry across the whole country, and further to this farmers will start “slash and burn”, an agricultural practice used to burn the remaining leaves and un-used plant life leftover from the harvest. Laos New Year also falls in April and is always a riot of color.

From May to September is Laos' wet season, and it is also known as the green season as the wetter weather brings lovely green landscapes all over the country. It will be hot across the country, and in particular humid in the south. As the rain won't last all day every day, there will still be clear skies at times and it's still a great time to travel.

The weather will start to turn itself around by October as the rains begin to ease off and the dry season approaches. The whole country is lovely at this time of year, and whilst there is still a small chance of showers and temperatures are a little lower than other months, it is still by no means cold with temperatures averaging 24-26°C.

November is the first month of the cool and dry season and an excellent time to visit the whole of Laos. The rains will well and truly have passed, but the rural areas will still be very green and lush. The rivers will be high so boat rides are ideal at this time of year, and temperatures are warm except for the northern highlands where it will start to feel cooler.

December is a great month for Laos with minimal rain, warm temperatures and lots of sunshine. The northern highlands can get quite chilly at night, but otherwise it’s incredibly popular to travel in this month.