Thailand in the rainy season: what to pack for heat, downpours and temples

The story

It’s four in the afternoon in Bangkok and the sky turns from white to charcoal in about ten minutes. The street food vendors know what’s coming; they pull their plastic sheets over the woks. Then the rain arrives, warm and so heavy that the street becomes a river in minutes.

You duck into a convenience store with a dozen other people and wait. Your shirt, a quick-dry one, is damp but not soaked. Your sandals don’t mind the puddles. Forty minutes later the sun is out, the pavements are steaming, and the city carries on as if nothing happened. This is the rainy season: not days of gray drizzle, but a daily downpour, then heat and light again.

The next morning you visit the Grand Palace. At the entrance, a guard sends back the person in front of you: shorts and a sleeveless top aren’t allowed. You’re wearing light long trousers and a T-shirt, and you have a thin long-sleeved shirt in your bag. You put it on, leave your shoes at the temple door, and walk in.

A few days later, in Chiang Mai, the rice fields are an unreal green. In the evenings, mosquitoes find the gap between your trousers and your socks, and you’re glad you packed repellent, because the rainy season is also dengue season.

Then you fly to Koh Samui, on the Gulf coast, where June is one of the drier months. The sea is calm, the sky is blue, and you’re the only one who packed a dry bag for the boat trip. Your phone thanks you.

What to pack

Pack for heat, water and modesty in the same bag.

Clothes

Light, quick-dry tops. Cotton takes forever to dry in the humidity.
Light long trousers or a long skirt, and a thin long-sleeved shirt: temples ask for covered shoulders and knees, and they also help against mosquitoes.
A sarong or scarf, useful for temples, beaches and air-conditioned buses.
Swimwear.
Fewer clothes than you think: laundry is cheap and fast almost everywhere.

Shoes

Sandals that can get wet and dry fast.
Light shoes that slip off easily for temples, where you take them off at the door.

For the rain

A light packable poncho or rain jacket; a compact umbrella for the city.
A waterproof phone pouch and a small dry bag for boat trips.

For health

Insect repellent with DEET or picaridin, especially in the evenings.
Sunscreen and a hat: the sun is strong between showers.
Oral rehydration salts and something for an upset stomach.

Documents, money and tech

Passport, and a copy.
Cash in baht for street food, markets and taxis; cards work in malls and hotels.
A plug adapter if needed, and a power bank.

Good to know

Weather: from June to October, Bangkok ranges from about 25 to 34 °C (77 to 93 °F), with short, heavy showers most afternoons.
Which coast: the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi) gets rough seas in the rainy season. The Gulf islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao) are drier until about October.
Temples: cover shoulders and knees and take off your shoes. The Grand Palace in Bangkok enforces its dress code at the door.
Plugs: Thailand’s sockets take types A, B, C and O, at 220 V. Most two-pin plugs fit; check the voltage of anything that isn’t a charger.
Money: Thai baht (THB).
Entry: fill in Thailand’s digital arrival card online in the days before you land, and check whether your passport needs a visa.