A Guide to Visiting Krabi in November: The Back End of Rainy Season! Thailand

When I put together my Krabi itinerary, most places online will say that November is the start of dry season in Krabi. If truth be told, the rainy season in southern Thailand is now stretching more into the back end of November, into December. Here’s what it was like for me when I visited Krabi in November (Koh Lanta, Ao Nang, Railay and Phi Phi Islands).

Krabi In November

☀️Weather | 🚤Day Tours | ☔️What To Pack | 🌧️Would I Recommend November?

The Weather in November

Quick Stats During My 2 Week Trip

• 🌥️Weather: Most days were cloudy
• 🌅Sunsets = 1
• ☔️Days of constant rain = 3.5
• ⬆️Highest real feel temperature = 39c
• ↕️Average day time temperature = 31c
• ⬇️Average low temperature at night = 21c
• ☀️Sunrise: 6.20am
• 🌙Sunset: 6pm

For the most part, it was cloudy for almost every day of my trip. This did mean that I only saw ONE sunset the whole time, despite being on beaches that were perfectly faced for sunsets…the clouds just had other ideas. 

I did have 3 days of solid rain in Ao Nang, it pretty much rained all day and night and didn’t stop. There was then another afternoon while in Phi Phi that it was a torrential downpour for around 3 hours. 

It was still hot though. The average high was around 31c and the average low at night time was 22/23c. Even when it rained, it was still hot. On the handful of occasions when the sun did come out, I was ROASTING. The sweat literally poured out of me and the real feel temperatures were hitting 38/39c.

On a couple nights I ended up getting dehydration headaches, I was drinking water constantly (from bottles, not tap!) but when you sweat, you are getting rid of the salts and all the good stuff.

I had packed some rehydration salt sachets that I mixed up with some water and then I was fine. It’s worth chucking some in your bag, alternatively you can get a version from 7/11 too.

Day Tours

Unless you just plough on with plans, there’s not really a huge amount to do in Ao Nang in the rain. Massage, swimming and hiding in restaurants were the main options. I did a couple of my hikes still, to make the most of slightly lower temperatures, but I got soaked.

Boat Trips

When I was booking my day trips, a couple of them said they only run if they reach minimum numbers, which can be hard when you’re a solo traveller. I didn’t have anything to worry about though, Despite it being the back end of rain season, they tours were still running full. (This was noted on the 4 Islands Tour from Koh Lanta via long tail boat).

My second main day trip was the Phi Phi Islands tour from Ao Nang. Again it was full. We lucked out with the weather at Maya Bay Beach as the sun came out and it looked absolutely beautiful. BUT, from there it all kinda went downhill. It down-poured for the rest of the tour. 

Honestly I thought our speed boat was going to get shipwrecked. It was getting absolutely battered by waves and people were screaming and one woman started crying.

It did have a canopy roof…however our guides said it wasn’t waterproof…it was only for sun protection, so of course we got even wetter. One guy even put his towel over my head because I seemed to be sat until a particularly leaky section.

Honestly, 0/10 would not recommend doing a boat trip if it’s forecast to rain. The Anadam Sea is meant to be rough at the best of times and it certainly lived up to that.

If you are booked onto a snorkel tour, the rougher water does make it harder. It’s best to wear a life vest, even if you can swim, otherwise the water all goes down the snorkel tube. Rain can also make visibility a lot less, so you aren’t going to see as much.

Hiking

I also did the East Railay Viewpoint climb after the 3 rainy days in Ao Nang. This does make the route harder as it’s muddy and slippery. Most people were coming back down with muddy orange hands, legs, shoes and clothes.

It’s also like clay so is a nightmare to get out. I went straight into the sea to wash off afterwards but my black sandals were still orange for days. It’s well worth doing, just take extra care after it rains.

What to Pack When Visiting Krabi in November

I swore by my Teva sandals. Tevas are a bit like flip flips but they have Velcro backs on them. If I had just packed flip flops I would have been slipping out for them and it would have made doing some of the hikes like Monkey Trail pretty hard going. 

Some of the paths flooded too, so at least then I could just walk through the water. I did try to be careful though because obviously you can’t see what’s ‘under’ the flood, so it’s best to be cautious.

I packed a poncho, but it was a bit of a waste of time. Because it was still around 30c, I ended up just steaming up underneath it. So the outside was wet with rain and the inside was wet with sweat. Gross, but true. I ended up ditching it.

I stayed in hotels while in Thailand and all my rooms had umbrellas that I could use for free. I ended up just using these, it was much more comfortable that wearing the poncho.

Would I Recommend Visting Krabi in November?

I think I would have preferred to push my trip back slightly later in to December or even earlier in the year, like January, February time. I still had a great time, but I would have liked to have done a couple more boat trips if the weather was better.

But on the other hand, on the days when the sun did appear, it was extremely hot, so the clouds did bring some respite from the heat.

In November the majority of businesses are open for the season again, prices are still reasonable but then you are risking it with the weather. Especially if you plan to do beach or water based activities.

I had some flexibility in my itinerary so I was able to shuffle round a couple of the things I wanted to do, until the rain cleared up. If you have less time, in the different locations, you may not be able to do this.

Of course with weather, it can change, this was just based on MY experience visiting these locations November into December.

Other Krabi Posts You May Enjoy!

Ao Nang

• 🏖️A Complete Guide To 8 Ao Nang Beaches in Krabi Thailand
• 🚤Ao Nang or Railay Beach Thailand? (& How To Get From Ao Nang to Railay)
• 🏝️A Guide To Phra Nang Beach In Railay Thailand!
• 🍲A Guide To Visiting The Ao Nang Night Market – Krabi, Thailand (with prices)
• ☸️Visiting the Mountain Buddha Temple Ao Nang | Thailand

Koh Lanta

• 🚐How To Get From Koh Lanta to Ao Nang Thailand | The Easiest Way!
• 🏖️A Guide To Klong Dao Beach & Saladan Koh Lanta | Thailand

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Last Updated on April 22, 2024