For example maybe you want to do a jungle trek in the northern hills of Chiang Mai then a dive trip in the south. The favourite time for many visitors to Chiang Mai is in winter between November and February when temperatures drop to a pleasant cool. The bright sunshine and clear blue skies along with the abundance of flowers, means that the city is at her prettiest for visitors.

With the southern monsoon building up however, many of the dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand are not suitable to dive around winter time. In contrast, the west coast peak dive season coincides with this winter break so if it was a trek/dive holiday you wanted then you would be best to choose Krabi, Phuket or any of the other west coast dive destinations for your holiday.

So although Thailand is an all year round holiday destination it really does depend on where you want to dive to find out the best time to dive in Thailand. Maybe that is a perfect excuse to visit the Land of Smiles many times, to dive and visit the variety of locations on offer at different times of the year. Although the best time to visit Chiang Mai maybe November to February it can be equally beautiful in the monsoon season with full rivers and lush jungles, if you get some nice weather for the day that is. But such trips are worth the gamble in my opinion, do you agree?

Songkran falls in the hottest (+40°C or +100°F) time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season and with the coming of the rains Thai people become generous with their water and start throwing it about a bit, a lot in fact. Everyone will be armed with the latest pump action water pistols and walk the streets just soaking everyone else. Pick up trucks will be jammed full of people surrounding a large water butt and as the truck drives past bowls of water are tossed from the container onto everyone. Home owners on popular routs will have their own water butts outside their homes or it some cases a garden hose and drench each other and passersby.

As fun as this all sounds it is also tradition to visit and pay respects to family and elders. Many Thai people celebrate Songkran by visiting the local Wat for prayers and to give alms to the monks. It is also a time of year to clean out the household shrine to ask for good fortune in the coming year. Many of he cities and local villages will parade the most important Buddha images through the streets giving everyone a chance to ritually bath the image for luck. On the whole Songkran to Thai people is no different to other cultures really. They make New Year resolutions to be better people, they cleanse their homes for a better future and promise the following year will be better. The only difference between their celebration and that in the UK is they have fun.

What started as gently pouring water over peoples hands has grown into one huge street water fight. If you are lucky enough to be in Thailand at this time of year then don’t take your camera out unless its protected. Don’t wear your best Prada or Gucci you bought in Pratunam market, just get yourself an UBER pump action water pistol and have some of the best fun since you grew up.