Things to Do in Koh Tao in November

Q: Is Koh Tao safe for solo travelers in November?

Koh Tao scores 7.6/10 for solo-traveler safety (see /research/solo-safety/). The main added risks this month are wet-road scooter crashes and rough sea crossings, not crime, so take songthaew taxis on the hill roads and follow the ferry crews' instructions.

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Stay in Koh Tao in November

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November is Koh Tao's wettest month, and it isn't close. The northeast monsoon sits over the Gulf of Thailand, and the 5-year Open-Meteo record shows 336mm (13.2 in) of rain spread across 23 days, with daytime highs reaching about 27.5°C (82°F) and nights barely cooling, holding near 25.4°C (78°F). The air in Mae Haad feels thick and smells of wet laterite and diesel from the pier. Ferries from Chumphon and Surat Thani get cancelled when swells build, and on the east coast, Tanote Bay and Ao Leuk turn to churning grey surf.

The island doesn't shut down. Sairee and Mae Haad sit on the west coast, out of the monsoon wind, so on many days the water off Sairee Beach stays calm enough to swim even when longtails on the east side stay tied up. Dive schools keep running Open Water courses through the month, and these are the quietest classes of the year, so instructors often teach 2 or 3 students instead of a full group of 4.

The famous offshore pinnacles tend to disappoint after heavy rain, and whale sharks rarely show up. If diving Chumphon Pinnacle is the point of your trip, come between March and May. If you want a cheap room in Chalok Baan Kao and a quiet stool in Sairee, and you don't mind reading through a four-hour downpour, November still works.

Why visit in November

Dive schools in Sairee and Mae Haad run their smallest Open Water classes of the year in November, so students often get an instructor's full attention in the confined-water sessions.
Loy Krathong night brings candlelit banana-leaf floats onto the shallows at Sairee Beach, and Thai families from Mae Haad village outnumber backpackers at the waterline.
The west-coast dive sites at Twins, White Rock and Japanese Gardens sit behind Nang Yuan Island and stay sheltered from northeast swell on most days.
The sea holds near 28°C (82°F), so a 3mm shorty is plenty even on grey mornings.

Worth knowing

Rain tends to arrive in long, heavy spells of 3 to 6 hours, often running from overnight into mid-morning, rather than the 30-minute bursts of the southwest monsoon.
Lomprayah and Seatran catamarans from Chumphon can be delayed or cancelled when Gulf swells build, and visitors sometimes lose 1 to 3 days waiting for a sailing.
Runoff and plankton cloud the water at Chumphon Pinnacle, Sail Rock and Southwest Pinnacle, and the whale shark encounters of April and May are rare now.
The steep dirt tracks to Tanote Bay, Ao Leuk and Hin Wong turn to slick red mud, and the Koh Tao clinics see a steady stream of scooter injuries.

Best for

Think twice if

Weather measured 28° / 25°C 336mm rain · 23 rainy days · 79% humidity rains perceptibly ~5.3h/day · 51% of mornings dry

Crowds low

Pack Pack quick-dry synthetic shirts and shorts, a light hooded rain shell and grippy strap sandals for the muddy lanes between Mae Haad and Sairee. Skip cotton, because it stays damp for days in this humidity.

November brings the peak of the northeast monsoon to the Gulf of Thailand: rain usually comes in long overcast spells, and the clear afternoons between systems can have a sharp, washed look. Temperatures barely change between noon and midnight. Towels and swimwear rarely dry, and the concrete lanes of Sairee stay damp and slippery for days at a time. The monsoon usually starts to weaken in the last week of November, ahead of a much drier December.

Seasonal caution

Heavy monsoon rain. Monthly totals sit well above the 200mm (7.9 in) threshold, and multi-day storms can flood the low road behind Sairee Beach and the lanes around Mae Haad pier.
Tropical storms. Late-season depressions sometimes cross the Gulf in November: Typhoon Gay made landfall in Chumphon province on 4 November 1989, and the Thai Meteorological Department still issues small-craft warnings that halt Koh Tao ferries.
Rough crossings. When the Thai Meteorological Department reports 2 to 3 metre (7 to 10 ft) waves in the upper Gulf, sailings to Chumphon, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui run late, turn rough or get cancelled.

Year-round climate

Averages from the last 5 years.

Monthly climate averages for Koh Tao
Month	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)
Jan	27	25	20
Feb	27	25	76
Mar	28	26	33
Apr	29	27	80
May	29	27	189
Jun	29	27	120
Jul	29	26	172
Aug	28	26	145
Sep	28	26	192
Oct	28	25	275
Nov	28	25	336
Dec	27	25	135

Holidays and festivals in November

When is Loy Krathong in 2026?

24 November 2026

Loy Krathong is a major cultural celebration in Koh Tao. In 2026 it falls on 24 November 2026.

Best things to do in November

Open Water dive certification in a small group

diving

A 3 to 4 day PADI or SSI course from a school in Sairee or Mae Haad, with pool or shallow confined-water sessions followed by 4 open-water dives at sites like Twins and White Rock.

November is the island's quietest month, so groups shrink and instructors have room to slow the pace for nervous first-timers.

Booking tipBook 2 or 3 days ahead rather than weeks, as most Sairee and Mae Haad schools have open slots, and it pays to compare 2 or 3 of them in person first.

Loy Krathong on Sairee Beach

culture

After dark, Thai residents and visitors launch krathong floats of banana trunk, banana leaf, flowers and incense sticks into the shallows, and small lantern-lit stalls set up along the sand.

The festival follows the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month, so it falls in November or late October.

Booking tipBuy a banana-trunk krathong from a Thai vendor in Mae Haad that afternoon, as local environmental groups on Koh Tao push hard against foam and plastic floats.

West-coast fun dives at Twins, White Rock and Japanese Gardens

diving

Two-tank morning trips to the sheltered sites around Nang Yuan Island, with hard coral gardens, parrotfish and resident blue-spotted rays at 5 to 18 metres (16 to 59 ft).

These sites stay divable when the northeast swell shuts down the east-coast and offshore sites, so the whole dive fleet concentrates here in November.

Booking tipTake the earliest boat of the day, because wind and chop usually build after midday during the monsoon.

Clear-morning hike to John-Suwan Viewpoint

hiking

A short, steep scramble over granite boulders at the southern tip near Chalok Baan Kao, with views over Shark Bay and Chalok Baan Kao bay.

After an overnight storm, the rain-scrubbed air can reveal Koh Phangan roughly 40km (25 mi) to the south, a view that dry-season haze often hides.

Booking tipGo before 9am, and skip it on the same day as heavy rain, because the boulders turn slick.

Snorkelling at Nang Yuan Island

snorkelling

A longtail ride from Sairee to the three linked islets, where a sandbar joins shallow coral on both sides.

Nang Yuan's west-facing reef sits out of the northeast wind, which means calm November mornings can bring clear, glassy water.

Booking tipNang Yuan bans plastic bottles and charges a landing fee, so pack a refillable metal bottle and bring cash.

Muay Thai training in Mae Haad and Sairee

fitness

Morning and afternoon pad-work and conditioning sessions at the island's roofed Muay Thai gyms.

The covered rings give you somewhere rain-proof to be on a monsoon afternoon, and November classes run small enough that trainers can give one-to-one corrections.

Booking tipWalk in and try a single drop-in session before committing to a weekly pass.

What to eat in November

In season: fruit

Som-o (pomelo)
Thailand's pomelo harvest runs through late autumn, so island fruit sellers peel the pink segments to order and pack them with a chilli-salt-sugar dip.

On menus now

Kaeng lueang (southern yellow sour curry)
The fiery turmeric-and-tamarind fish curry of Chumphon and Surat Thani provinces is at its best on a cool, wet night in Mae Haad, served with plain rice and a plate of raw cucumber.

Street food peaks

Khao tom (Thai rice soup)
Thai stalls near Mae Haad pier ladle out rice soup with pork or prawns, ginger and fried garlic from early morning, and on a rainy November day it is what the ferry crews eat.

What to drink

Nam khing (hot ginger tea)
Thai cafes in Chalok Baan Kao brew sweet, sharp ginger tea, and after a two-dive morning in a damp wetsuit it warms you in a way iced coffee cannot.

Regular events in November

Loy KrathongFree

This Thai festival honours the water goddess Phra Mae Khongkha, with floats released on the sea at Sairee Beach and Mae Haad after dark.

Full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month, which falls on 24 November in 2026

Full Moon Party, Haad Rin, Koh Phangan

The famous all-night beach party on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach sits a 1 to 2 hour boat ride south of Koh Tao, and party boats and night ferries run from Mae Haad.

On or around the November full moon, with the exact night sometimes shifted around Buddhist holy days

Half Moon Festival, Baan Tai, Koh Phangan

A jungle-clearing electronic music party near Baan Tai, held twice a month and reached by combining a Koh Tao ferry with a taxi across Koh Phangan.

Around each half moon, roughly a week before and after the full moon

Best places this November

Sairee Beach
beach
The island's longest beach runs for roughly 2km (1.2 mi) and faces west, away from the monsoon wind, so it has the calmest swimming water on Koh Tao in November. On the occasional clear evening, the sunset over Nang Yuan breaks through the cloud.
Sairee
Nang Yuan Island
island
Three islets joined by a white sandbar off the northwest coast, with sheltered western reefs that anchor both snorkelling trips and the fun-dive boats this month.
Sairee
John-Suwan Viewpoint
viewpoint
A granite-boulder lookout above Shark Bay and Chalok Baan Kao, best on the crisp morning after a night storm.
Chalok Baan Kao
Mae Haad pier and village
town
The ferry hub and the island's Thai commercial heart, with rice-soup stalls, pharmacies, ATMs, and the ferry ticket offices you will rely on when schedules change.
Mae Haad
Chalok Baan Kao Bay
bay
A shallow, south-facing bay that escapes much of the northeast swell, lined with Thai-run guesthouses offering some of the island's lowest November rates.
Chalok Baan Kao
Freedom Beach
beach
A small cove below John-Suwan Viewpoint on the southwest tip, often calm enough for a swim when Tanote Bay on the far side is closed to boats.
Chalok Baan Kao

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20-litre dry bagLongtail rides to Nang Yuan and scooter trips from Mae Haad to Chalok Baan Kao regularly end in a soaking, so carry a dry bag for your phone and passport. Shop
Anti-seasickness tabletsThe Chumphon crossing can turn rough in monsoon swell, and island pharmacies sometimes run short when a storm-delayed boat finally sails. Shop
DEET insect repellentStanding rainwater after multi-day storms breeds Aedes mosquitoes, and dengue cases across southern Thailand usually climb late in the rainy season. Shop
Zip-lock bags and silica gel packetsCameras, dive computers and phones fog up and corrode in the constant damp of a Sairee bungalow. Shop
HeadlampStorms can knock out power across parts of the island for a few hours, and the unlit lanes above Chalok Baan Kao go dark early. Shop
Refillable metal water bottleNang Yuan Island bans plastic bottles, and the island's refill stations save you from buying single-use bottles all month. Shop
Travel insurance with a travel-delay clauseA cancelled ferry can trigger a missed domestic or international flight, and that clause is what covers the rebooking.

Insider tips

When the east coast is blown out, the whole dive fleet moors at Twins and Japanese Gardens, so book the 6am or 7am boat to reach the moorings before the crowd.
Book your ferry off the island for a morning sailing, because Gulf swells usually build after midday in the monsoon and the late Lomprayah boats get cancelled more often.
Check the marine forecast on the Thai Meteorological Department site, tmd.go.th, before paying for any boat. If it shows a small-craft warning, change your ticket before the Mae Haad office builds a queue.
Walk into a guesthouse in Chalok Baan Kao and ask for the low-season room rate for a week. In November, Thai owners often beat the booking-site price for stays of 7 nights or more.
For Tanote Bay or Ao Leuk, take a songthaew pickup taxi from Mae Haad rather than a scooter. The drivers know which hills are passable after a storm.

Avoid these mistakes

Booking the last ferry off Koh Tao for the day before an international flight from Bangkok. Leave a buffer of at least 2 nights, because November sailings are the least reliable of the year.
Renting a scooter on the first day and taking it down the wet track to Tanote Bay. Rain-slicked concrete and red mud cause more November injuries than anything underwater.
Taking a Koh Phangan party-boat trip for the full moon without a confirmed return. Night boats back to Mae Haad can be cancelled in bad swell, leaving you stranded on Haad Rin.
Paying extra for an offshore Chumphon Pinnacle trip in November. Book the sheltered west-coast sites and save the pinnacle for a return trip in the spring.

Practical tips for November

Lomprayah and Seatran run the main high-speed routes from Chumphon, and their ticket offices at Mae Haad pier handle rebooking when a storm cancels sailings, so keep your paper ticket. Some resorts on Tanote Bay, Ao Leuk and Hin Wong cut services or close outright for the monsoon, so email ahead before booking anything on the east coast. Dive schools still run every day, but the sites on offer depend on the morning weather check. Carry cash: card machines and ATMs can go down with the power during storms. On Loy Krathong night, dress modestly if you join Thai families releasing floats, and keep your float away from the moored dive boats. Tipping dive instructors and boat crews is customary on Koh Tao, and low-season crews depend on it more. Wikivoyage's Koh Tao pages cover ferry routes (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Koh_Tao#Get_in) and island transport (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Koh_Tao#Get_around).

FAQ

Is November a good time to visit Koh Tao?

For beaches and offshore diving, no. It ranks last of the 12 months because the northeast monsoon is at full strength. For a cheap, uncrowded Open Water course on the sheltered west coast, it can work, as long as you build spare days into your ferry plans.

What is the weather like in Koh Tao in November?

November is warm and wet day and night, with more rain than any other month on the island's calendar. Expect long grey spells, damp clothes and short windows of clear sky, though the rain usually starts easing in the last week, ahead of December.

Is Koh Tao crowded in November?

No. Sairee Beach and the Mae Haad restaurants are at their quietest of the year, with real crowding limited to the sheltered dive moorings near Nang Yuan on mornings when the east coast is closed.

Do ferries to Koh Tao run in November?

Yes, most days, but storms can delay or cancel sailings from Chumphon, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui for a day or more. Book morning boats and never schedule a same-day connection to an international flight.

Is Koh Tao safe for solo travelers in November?

Koh Tao scores 7.6/10 for solo-traveler safety (see the TTDI Solo-Safety Index). The main added risks this month are wet-road scooter crashes and rough sea crossings, not crime, so take songthaew taxis on the hill roads and follow the ferry crews' instructions.