Xishuangbanna has two seasons: wet (May to October) and dry (November to April). The dry season is the obvious time to visit — clear skies, warm days around 25°C, cool nights, and the rivers low enough for easy travel. The wet season is hot, humid, and broken up by tropical downpours, though the rain is rarely all-day and the forest is at its greenest.
The signature event is the Dai Water-Splashing Festival in mid-April (Songkran), when the streets of Jinghong fill with locals throwing water at each other for three days straight. Book accommodation well ahead — this is the busiest period of the year. The dragon-boat races on the Lancang in June and the autumn full-moon festivals in October are smaller but also worth catching.