Covers Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Bali, Palawan, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zanzibar, with visa and park rules checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
October is the hardest month to pick a Thai island, and the closest race on any of our Thai lists. It is the month the two coasts hand over their rainy seasons. The southwest monsoon is ending on the Andaman side, home to Phuket, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. The northeast monsoon is starting on the Gulf side, where Koh Samui sits.
Averaged over the month, Samui is a little drier and wins at 6.36 out of 10, with 84°F (29°C) highs, an 87°F (30°C) sea and 9.0 inches (228 mm) of rain. Phuket is 0.05 points behind. Every island here gets more rain in October than in any month on our January or February lists, so set your expectations for a wet trip, whichever you choose.
Score = 55% this month's weather + 45% the island's other five factors. How we score
| # | Island | Score | High °F | Sea °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koh Samui | 6.4 | 84 | 87 | 9.0 |
| 2 | Phuket | 6.3 | 84 | 85 | 11.5 |
| 3 | Koh Lanta | 6.0 | 86 | 86 | 13.1 |
| 4 | Koh Phi Phi | 5.6 | 84 | 86 | 11.5 |
1Samui wins October by 0.05 points, the narrowest margin on any of our Thai lists. Its weather score is 6.4, with 9.0 inches of rain, 84°F highs and an 87°F sea, the least rain of the four. That average hides a turn: the Gulf coast's heaviest rain usually starts around mid-October, and Samui's own page calls October a poor month. Book it for early October. Chaweng 4-stars ran $58 to $84 on our two dates.
2Phuket is a whisker behind. Its October weather score is 5.9, with 11.5 inches of rain, 84°F highs and an 85°F sea, as the southwest monsoon winds down. Its strengths are the year-round ones: 8.5 for things to do, which helps on rainy days, and cheap rooms, $32 to $76 for a Patong 4-star on our dates. If your trip runs into late October or November, it is the better pick. Respect the red flags on the west coast.
3Lanta is third. Its Krabi data shows 13.1 inches of October rain, the most of the four, with 86°F highs and an 86°F sea, for a 5.9 weather score. The southwest monsoon is easing, but the west-coast beaches can still be rough and many boat trips do not run. Its own page recommends it from November to April, so a late-October arrival is the earliest sensible one. Rooms are cheap: 4-star from $52, 3-star from $8.
4Phi Phi ranks last with Phuket's October weather, a 5.9 with 11.5 inches of rain, 84°F highs and an 86°F sea, and lower scores for things to do (5) and value (6.8). The good news is that Maya Bay reopened on October 1, 2026, at $12 (400 baht) per foreign adult. Crossings from Phuket's Rassada Pier take 1 to 2 hours and can be cancelled in rough seas. Plan a day trip or one night, with a spare day.
In this guide
Each island's October score is 55% its October weather score and 45% its year-round score for beaches, things to do, access, value and crowds, with 0.4 points off for islands our pages rate as worth it only for some travelers. Rain carries the most weight in the weather score. The method is on how we score islands. Weather is read at gateway airports: Phi Phi shares Phuket's data and Lanta uses Krabi's.
Our weather numbers are monthly averages, so they cannot see that October changes from its first half to its second. That matters more this month than any other.
The Thai Meteorological Department dates the southwest monsoon from about mid-May, with rain on the southern west coast peaking in September. Island pages and boat operators treat it as easing around mid-October. That is the Andaman coast's rainy season.
The northeast monsoon runs from about mid-October to mid-February. On the Gulf coast it brings Samui its heaviest rain from about mid-October to early December, with the southern east coast's peak running November to January.
So in early October, Samui is still in its long drier season and the Andaman side is still wet. By late October the picture is reversing. In our data, Samui's weather score falls from 8.1 in September to 6.4 in October and 6.0 in November, while Phuket's rises from 5.9 in October to 6.5 in November. Phuket ranks first again from November, as our December page shows.
If you are flexible, look beyond Thailand. Bali's drier season runs from about April to October; see our Bali page and the world October ranking.
We price every island on two dates, January 13 and July 14, 2027, so October is not priced directly. The cheapest well-reviewed 4-star hotels on Kayak ran $58 to $84 in Chaweng, $32 to $76 in Patong, $52 to $84 on Lanta and $86 to $187 on Phi Phi Don, taxes and fees in.
Phi Phi trips that land at Maya Bay add $12 (400 baht) per foreign adult if the fee is not included. For more value picks, see the cheap islands ranking.
There are no US nonstops to Phuket, Samui or Krabi. Phuket connects through Bangkok, Singapore, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Seoul, Hong Kong and Taipei; Samui through Bangkok on Bangkok Airways or Singapore on Scoot.
Entry rules changed just before this season. Since September 15, 2026, US citizens get a 30-day visa-free stay, down from 60, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Your passport needs 6 months of validity, and you must file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within 72 hours before arrival. A proposed $13 (450 baht) entry fee was not being collected on October 20, 2026. See our passport rules guide.
Transfers from the main beaches, lunch and entrance fees are included.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Lunch and snorkel gear are included; the national park fee is only included if you pick that option. Expect a crowded, fast day; Maya Bay closes for August and September.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Pickup, guide, kayak and lunch are included; calm water, good for beginners.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
It is one of the weakest months in our data: all four islands score between 5.9 and 6.4 for weather, with 9.0 to 13.1 inches of rain. Go if the dates are fixed, choose Samui early in the month and Phuket late in the month, and plan for some wet days.
On the monthly average, Samui by a hair: 6.36 against 6.31, with 9.0 inches of rain against 11.5. In practice, Samui is the better bet in the first half of October and Phuket in the second, as the two monsoons hand over.
The southwest monsoon eases around mid-October, after a rainfall peak in September. The Andaman coast's dry, calm season runs from about November to April.
Its heaviest rain usually falls from about mid-October to early December, with the southern east coast's rainfall peak running November to January. That is the reverse of Phuket.
Yes. It closes every year from August 1 to September 30 and reopened on October 1, 2026. It can still close for a day or two in rough weather, and foreign adults pay $12 (400 baht).
Further reading
