Ten places in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Gulf ranked by how warm their winter days are. The top four average 32°C or more from December to February.
We ranked each place by its average daytime high from December to February in its weather service's monthly averages, warmest first, with ties going to the drier place. Rain over the same three months sits beside it, because the dry season is drier in some places than others.
The warmest pick, at 33°C by day, with 143 mm of rain all winter. Take a longtail to Railay, which no road reaches, and use Ao Nang as the base for day trips to the Phi Phi islands.
An island off Malaysia's northwest coast and a UNESCO Global Geopark, at 32°C by day and driest in February. Swim at Pantai Cenang, then ride the SkyCab cable car up Gunung Mat Cincang.
At 283 mm, most of it in December, Penang is the second-wettest pick, so January and February are the months to come. George Town is a UNESCO site, and its hawker stalls are the reason most people stay.
The driest pick by far: about 17 mm of rain all winter at 32°C. Choose quiet Palolem in the south or busier Anjuna in the north, and give a morning to the churches of Old Goa, a UNESCO site.
Vietnam's largest island sits in the Gulf of Thailand, so it is dry in winter while the centre coast is wet. Days hold at 31°C; Sao Beach, on the southeast coast, has the softest sand.
The gateway to Palawan, at 31°C, with most of its 261 mm of winter rain in December and February the driest month. Book the Underground River, a UNESCO site, ahead, and island-hop Honda Bay.
Not a beach but the best season for Angkor: 31°C days and about 42 mm of rain over the winter. Buy a multi-day temple pass, see Angkor Wat at sunrise, and save Ta Prohm for the quieter late afternoon.
The southwest coast's dry season, at 30°C, though December still brings most of the winter rain. Walk the ramparts of Galle Fort, a UNESCO site, at sunset, and swim at Unawatuna, a short ride east.
The Gulf's winter is mild, not tropical: 26°C by day and 31 mm of rain. See the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the morning, walk the Mutrah Corniche at dusk, and take a boat to snorkel the Daymaniyat Islands.
The coolest pick, at 26°C by day, and winter is the one season the city is pleasant outdoors. Swim at Kite Beach, spend an evening in the desert, and time a December visit for the Dubai Shopping Festival.
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