Best time to visit Brazil, Cambodia and Thailand

Three countries, three completely different calendars. Getting the month right matters more than getting the hotel right — it decides whether you photograph a temple in clear light or from under an umbrella.

Brazil: December to March is summer

Rio's summer runs December to March: hot, humid, alive, with beach culture at full volume and short violent afternoon storms. Carnival falls in February or early March and doubles accommodation prices for the week around it.

April and May are the quiet sweet spot — still warm, far cheaper, sea still swimmable. June to August is Rio's winter, which means 22–25°C, cooler evenings and the clearest views from Corcovado. January is the classic choice if you want the city at full intensity, which is why our Brazil departure sits there.

Cambodia: November to February

The dry, cooler season runs November to February, with comfortable mornings, clear sunrises at Angkor and the highest visitor numbers of the year. March to May is the hot season and regularly passes 35°C, which changes how much temple walking anyone can do.

June to October is the green season: lush, dramatic, moats full, prices lower, and rain that usually arrives as a heavy late-afternoon burst rather than an all-day wash-out. Photographers often prefer it.

Thailand: cool season, hot season, green season

November to February is the cool dry season across the whole country and the easiest time to travel. March to May is hot, and in the north the burning season can leave Chiang Mai hazy through March and early April.

May to October brings the southwest monsoon — mornings are often clear, storms come in the afternoon, and the landscape in the north is at its greenest. Early May, before the rains settle in, is a genuinely good window, with warm weather and pre-peak pricing.

The general rule

Shoulder months — April–May in Brazil, October–November in Cambodia, May and November in Thailand — deliver most of the good weather at a fraction of the crowding. If you can only travel in peak season, buy your timed entries early and start your days before the tour buses.