Background information for travel in South East Asia with All Points East

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errno: 1054error: Unknown column 'INR' in 'field list' Background information for travel in South East Asia with All Points East

The Climate

Laos and Northern Thailand have a continental, tropical climate possessing 3 distinct seasons: dry and cool from Nov. to Feb., a dry, hot season from March through to May and a rainy season lasting from June to Oct. Temperatures vary considerably during the year with April averages often in the 40’s, whilst winter temperatures in the mountains may drop to below zero.

Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia display equatorial weather patterns with little monthly variation in temperatures and rainfall occurring throughout the year.

Borneo Almost a waste of time adding a chart for Borneo's equatorial climate, since it would suffice to say it's hot and sticky all year round! Temperatures hardly change and precipitation, apart from a pronounced drier season from January to April, remains fairly constant.

Sri Lanka Complex geography makes for complex micro-climates on this small island but generally speaking temperature and rainfall vary little apart from a dry season from December through to February.

South Vietnam and Cambodia. Temperatures remain high throughout the year with a distinct rainy season arriving in May and usually lasting through to October by which times large expanses of the region are covered by the annual floods and we use boat travel a lot.

North Vietnam. Whilst much cooler than the south, the heaviest rains also occur from May to Oct. As with Laos, winter temperatures in the mountains can be surprisingly low and snowfalls aren't unheard of.

Yunnan. Yunnan province covers a wide climate range - southern patterns are more similar to Laos whilst up on the Tibetan Plateau at 3,000m temperatures can be cool in summer and very cold, but dry in winter. Kunming, (aka the City of Eternal Spring) and Central Yunnan have mild, pleasant all year round weather patterns.

General Weather, with the complex geographical conditions of SE Asia is unpredictable. You'll see downpours in the middle of the dry season and clear blue skies during the monsoon. Every season has advantages when choosing when to visit: winter is cooler, the rainy season lush and richer in flora and fauna, whilst the hot season is the ‘quietest’ time of year as well as being flowering period for many of the spectacular trees, shrubs and orchids.

Itineraries
We have taken every care to ensure that the details in our brochure are correct at the time of writing. Please note that itineraries may need to be altered at the last minute due to weather conditions or other factors beyond our control. Rest assured that any alterations we make will be in the best interests of an enjoyable and safe tour.
An updated itinerary including any changes from the printed version will be sent to you for acceptance or otherwise prior to departure.

Please note that All Points East is not liable for extra expenses incurred due to forced changes in itinerary for reasons beyond our control

What to bring?
Detailed 'what to bring' lists are available for each tour. Please ask our office for an e-mail or postal copy or simply download it from our web-site by going to the relevant tour page and clicking on 'what to bring'. Note a simple answer to the above question is “as little as possible” – bear in mind that most items you may forget are available locally and for a fraction of the price.

Insurance
It is a condition of booking that all persons travelling with us take out adequate personal insurance for the full period of travel. We offer a competitively priced, fully comprehensive insurance policy through PJ Hayman Ltd of which details are available on request.

Health regulations
There are no compulsory immunizations for EU or US citizens for any of the destinations included in our brochure. The following vaccinations are recommended: hepatitis A, polio, tetanus and typhoid. Your GP can advise on the above. If you are considering anti-malaria pills we recommend consulting a specialist. A yellow fever jab is required if coming from an infected area.

Financial security
All Points East is holder of Air Traffic Organiser's License (ATOL) No. 5318, granted by the Civil Aviation Authority of the UK. All holidays and flights mentioned in the brochure are thereby fully protected so in the unlikely event of our insolvency the CAA guarantees full reimbursement and completion of any ongoing travel arrangements. For further information please consult the ATOL web-site at www.atol.org.uk.

Passports
All visitors must possess a 10 year passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of return.

Visas
Note there may be exceptions to the general info below below and regulations can change frequently so please check at the relevant embassy(ies) prior to departure.

Thailand: Most EU & US citizens are not required to obtain visas prior to arrival for a stay of up to 1 month and will receive a 30 day visa free of charge upon arrival in Thailand. Regulations may change for nationals of some of the newer EU member states so please check with your embassy. For stays of over a month a 60 day visa can be obtained from any Thai consulate.

Malaysia: a 60 day visa is issued free of charge to all US and EU citizens upon arrival in Malaysia.

Laos: a 15 day visa will be obtained for you by your All Points East tour-leader upon your arrival in Thailand or at the Lao border itself. 2 passport sized photos and approx. $50 are required. The process takes from 2 – 3 days during which time you will not have access to your passport.

Cambodia: 30 day visas are issued on arrival at Phnom Penh or Siem Reap airports. You will need 1 passport photo and $20. For land crossings visas are required in advance. E-visas for certain entry points can also be obtained at this site - click here

Sri Lanka: 30 day visas are issued freee of charge upon arrival at Colombo Airport.

Vietnam: Visas must be obtained before arrival in Vietnam and are available from your nearest Vietnamese embassy at £40 (c. $60). If you need any help with your visa please do not hesitate to contact us.

Note: Non EU or US citizens should consult the relevant consulate for visa regulations for any of the above countries. All Points East is not responsible for problems occuring due to incorrectly obtained, or failure to obtain, relevant information prior to departure.

Please find below climatic charts for all the regions we visit.

Northern Thailand

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	29	13	10
February	32	14	10
March	35	18	20
April	36	22	55
May	34	24	150
June	32	24	150
July	32	24	185
August	31	24	220
September	31	23	280
October	30	22	12
November	30	19	40
December	29	14	15

Southern Thailand

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	31	23	40
February	32	23	35
March	33	24	60
April	33	24	130
May	32	25	270
June	31	25	240
July	31	25	220
August	31	24	235
September	30	23	295
October	31	23	290
November	31	23	180
December	31	23	80

Vientiane/Laos

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	28	14	10
February	30	17	20
March	33	19	30
April	34	22	100
May	32	23	280
June	32	23	300
July	31	23	270
August	31	23	280
September	31	23	300
October	31	21	110
November	28	18	20
December	27	15	10

Phnom Penh

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	30	20	10
February	32	22	10
March	34	24	30
April	35	25	80
May	34	25	120
June	33	25	150
July	32	25	170
August	32	25	150
September	30	25	210
October	30	24	250
November	30	23	110
December	30	22	40

Hanoi

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	20	13	10
February	21	14	20
March	23	17	30
April	28	20	80
May	32	23	200
June	33	26	230
July	33	26	320
August	32	26	340
September	31	24	250
October	29	22	100
November	25	18	30
December	22	15	10

Ho Chi Minh City

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	32	22	10
February	32	22	5
March	33	24	10
April	33	26	40
May	33	26	210
June	33	25	310
July	31	25	290
August	31	25	270
September	31	24	340
October	31	24	260
November	30	23	110
December	30	22	40

Kuala Lumpur

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	31	22	170
February	32	22	210
March	33	23	260
April	33	23	200
May	32	24	120
June	32	23	125
July	31	23	140
August	31	23	200
September	31	23	250
October	31	23	270
November	31	23	220
December	31	23	10

Yunnan/ Kunming

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	15	2	12
February	17	4	12
March	21	7	17
April	24	10	23
May	25	14	82
June	24	17	177
July	24	17	212
August	24	16	203
September	23	14	122
October	20	12	77
November	17	7	37
December	15	33	12

Borneo/Kota Kinabalu

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	30	23	105
February	21	23	73
March	32	23	51
April	32	24	114
May	32	24	216
June	32	24	280
July	32	24	263
August	32	24	270
September	31	24	285
October	31	24	346
November	31	23	302
December	31	23	242

Colombo

Month	Maximum temperature centigrade	Minimum temperature centigrade	Average rainfall mm.
January	30	22	89
February	31	22	69
March	31	23	147
April	31	24	231
May	31	26	371
June	29	25	224
July	29	25	135
August	29	25	109
September	29	25	160
October	29	24	248
November	29	23	315
December	29	22	147

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