Koh Lanta in December to March, Compared With Phuket, Krabi and Koh Phangan

Which is the best place from December to March?

For rain, Koh Lanta is the safest of the four across January to March as a whole, and the equal of Phuket in February. Koh Phangan, on the Gulf side, only competes in March. December is a shoulder month on all four. Here is Lanta's year, so you can see where the dry window ends:

Averages 2015-2025 · Source: Open-Meteo, CHIRPS · How we measure

The dry stretch is short: January to March, then April (117 mm) turns back toward the rain. The table puts the four places side by side, one month at a time.

For the other months of the year, the Lanta and Krabi pair is in Krabi and Koh Lanta weather by month, and the Gulf pair in Koh Phangan and Koh Samui best time.

Where to be next: your month-by-month route, $19

A route for your months with a leave-by date for each stop, a backup, and the seasonal traps on your path. Drafted from 11 years of weather data, every number checked against it, in your inbox within 48 hours. Not included: visas, insurance or bookings.

See a sample plan Get my plan, $19

How does Koh Lanta compare month by month?

• December: 88 mm on about 8 days, 29°. Phuket (80 mm) is close, Krabi has 98 mm. Koh Phangan has 286 mm.
• January: 54 mm on about 4 days, the driest of the four. Phuket has 73 mm, Krabi 79 mm and Koh Phangan 154 mm.
• February: 23 mm on about 2 days, level with Phuket. Krabi has 38 mm, Koh Phangan 86 mm.
• March: 43 mm on about 3 days. Phuket has 45 mm, and Koh Phangan has the lowest rain at 41 mm on about 2 days.

Is December worth it on Koh Lanta?

Not for settled weather. Rain on Lanta is down to 88 mm, but it still falls on about 8 of 31 days, and about three quarters of the sky is cloud, against 58 percent in February. Travel sites call it peak season; in our data it is mixed. We hold no crowd, price or sea data, so we cannot say how busy it is. For the three coasts in December see Thailand in December.

Which is cooler, and which is hotter?

Lanta sits between the other places. Its high goes from 30° in January to 32° in March. Krabi is warmer in the day (33° in February, 34° in March), Phuket about 2 degrees cooler than Krabi, and Koh Phangan the coolest by day (28° in February) and the warmest by night. For a room without air conditioning, March is the test month on every one of them.

What about humidity and cloud?

Humidity falls with the rain on Lanta: 81 percent in December, 76 in January and 71 in February, then 72 in March. Koh Phangan stays at 77 to 80 percent all four months, so it feels stickier in the dry weeks even when it is no wetter. Cloud tells the same story: Lanta is at 69 percent in January and 58 in February, Phangan at 63 and 49. In February and March the Gulf island has the clearer skies, even in February, when it still has more rain (86 mm against 23 mm).

Why is the Andaman coast the usual winter pick?

Because the dry months arrive earlier. Lanta and Phuket are already down to 54 mm and 73 mm in January, while Koh Phangan is still at 154 mm and only reaches 86 mm in February. By March the gap is closed, and Phangan has the lowest rain of the four. So the choice is about timing: for the first half of the winter go to the Andaman coast, and for March move to the Gulf if you want the clearest sky. Do not expect the same on either side in November or December, when the Gulf coast is the wetter side.

What should a long stay pick?

• January to February, dry and not too hot: Koh Lanta, or Phuket if you want a bigger town.
• March: Koh Phangan or Koh Lanta, both under 45 mm. Krabi is the hottest.
• Whole winter in one place: Lanta is the steadiest of the four from January to March, with the fewest rainy days in the Andaman pair.
• December: wait until January, or choose Phuket or Lanta over the Gulf.

This is a weather view only. It does not cover ferries, rent, internet quality or the sea state.

Which place for which month?

• Koh Lanta

  23 mm in Feb2 rain days in Feb32° high in Feb

  The steadiest from January to March. Chips show February.

  Suits: january to March in one place, a quieter island

• Phuket

  23 mm in Feb2 rain days in Feb31° high in Feb

  Ties Lanta in February (23 mm) A bigger town with more to work from.

  Suits: february, or January with a town around you

• Krabi

  59 mm in Mar5 rain days in Mar34° high in Mar

  The hottest of the four in March (34°) More rain than Lanta in every month from December to March.

  Suits: anyone who wants the heat, with air conditioning

• Koh Phangan

  41 mm in Mar2 rain days in Mar29° high in Mar

  Gulf coast: wet until January, then the clearest skies. Lowest rain of the four in March (41 mm)

  Suits: march, once the Andaman is warming up