Isan Weather in September

Hi there, I’m looking to travel outside Europe in September, and my first thought was to return to Thailand. Unfortunately, what I’m reading about the weather isn’t encouraging—Indonesia seems like the better option this season. Sulawesi is really tempting, but the budget is higher. Since I’ve already been to Thailand in July a few years ago (it was overcast but with little rain), this time I’d love to explore Isan and then do some volunteering at Elephant Nature Park before ending with a few days by the sea. Do you think this is a good idea, or should I postpone it? I love sunshine, even if it’s not constant, and I’ve had enough of rain and gray skies back in Belgium 😅 Thanks so much! 🙏

September and October are generally the months to avoid. There are big variations depending on the year and the region—especially the region, for countries that span 1,500 to 2,000 km from north to south.

Still, at least nature is green and there are far fewer tourists. The temperature and humidity in the air don’t make you feel the rain and overcast skies the same way. Up to you to decide.

Hi,

For Sulawesi, it's the airfare that's more expensive to get there, but once you're on the ground, costs aren't higher than in Thailand. For Manado and Makassar, you don’t have to fly via Jakarta or Denpasar first—there are flights from Singapore. For Makassar (but not Manado), you can also fly AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur.

the weather (...) this time I’d like to explore Isan (...). Do you think it’s a good idea or should I postpone it?

Isan: great idea, but most people don’t go there for its few tourist sites—they go to wander through its rural countryside and villages with no fixed plan, which might not be much fun in the rain. Could you postpone your trip until November?

Thanks for your reply! I think I’ll head there later—it’s too uncertain right now.

Hi,

I’ll see if I can reschedule because, yeah, in the rain it’s less fun 😉

I’ve booked my tickets to Denpasar, and I’m heading to Sulawesi. I’m waiting for confirmation from Booking—I’ve never had this happen before. They must be waiting for confirmation from Singapore Airlines to validate my tickets I looked into flying directly to Makassar, but it ended up being more expensive (even with AirAsia) than stopping over in Bali. I figure there’s still a way to escape the tourist crowds there... And I’m not obligated to visit Bali—I could explore another island instead (Borneo? Though that’d mean a lot of flying since there’s no direct flight between the two islands, Lombok? Flores?)

Thanks so much for your reply,

Sigrid

Bali, I could also visit another island (Borneo? But that would mean a lot of flying since there’s no direct flight between the two islands

Maybe you didn’t look hard enough? In September, I see: DPS-Palangka Raya 4x/week on Lion Air, DPS-Banjarmasin 3x/week on AirAsia and daily on Lion Air, DPS-Balikpapan 3x/week on Garuda, 4x on AirAsia, and daily on Lion Air, DPS-Pontianak 3x/week on Super Air Jet, and even DPS-Kota Kinabalu 3x/week on AirAsia if you feel like heading to the Malaysian side of the island.

nothing’s forcing me to visit Bali

True: I’ve passed through without stopping before and didn’t regret it. I’m sure others have done the same.

Borneo? (...) Lombok? Flores?

Choosing between these three islands will depend on the total length of your trip and how much time you want to spend in Sulawesi (at least 3 weeks from north to south if you’re moving quickly). For example, crossing Flores will take more time than Lombok.

Thanks for your reply! 😊

I wasn’t clear—when I said no flight between the two islands, I meant between Sulawesi and Borneo 😅

My flight’s finally confirmed, so I’ll look into all this more thoroughly (I’ve got 25 days total there).

when I said no flights between the two islands, I meant between Sulawesi and Borneo

There are still plenty of options here: from Makassar, daily (even twice-daily) flights on several airlines to Balikpapan, daily flights to Banjarmasin and Palangka Raya (Lion Air), as well as non-daily flights to Balikpapan from Manado, Palu, and Mamuju...

(I’ve got 25 days total there).

So if you’re planning to cross Sulawesi from north to south or vice versa, it’d be really unreasonable (if not impossible) to consider adding a second island to your trip.

Thanks! I’ll focus on Sulawesi and a little bit of Bali—that’ll be enough 🙂