Weather
    Thailand is a tropical country so it is never cold during the day. However, at night in the winter, the temperature can drop to zero degrees at high elevations. Every ten years or so there is a little snow on the mountain tops. But, even on the coldest of nights, by 10 a.m. the next day it will be at least 15 degrees Celcius and by mid afternoon it will be warm enough to wear shorts and a T-shirt.
    There are three seasons, the hot season, the rainy season and the cool season. The hot season is from late February until July, the rainy season is from July until October and the cool season is from November until mid-February. The best time to visit is the cool season but the rainy season is also a good option for all the plants are lush green, tropical fruits are in abundance, the air is crystal clear so views are stunning, prices at hotels and guest houses can be negotiated for up to 50% off the high-season rates and you will see fewer foreigners. For some activities like mountain or road biking the rainy season is welcome as the cloud cover keeps the temperature down and the afternoon rains cool things off. The hot season is unpleasantly hot and an air conditioned room or a swimming pool is a welcome respite.
    Chiang Rai has the coolest weather in the country as the city is located at over 350 m. elevation. Mornings are almost always comfortably cool. One negative aspect of Chiang Rai is that during the cool and hot seasons it rains very little and farmers burn their fields, villagers burn their trash and grass is burned to clear fields. This makes the air quality poor and the views which are spectacular on clear days are lost to the haze. Tourists are encouraged to write to the Tourist Authority of Thailand in Chiang Rai and complain about this as your complaints are the only way the situation will change. Their mailing address is 448/16 Singhaklai Rd., A. Muang, Chiang Rai 57000. The phone number is 053-744-674/5. The e-mail is tatcei@loxinfo.co.th or tatchrai@tat.or.th.