Best time to visit Bangladesh: weather and seasons by month

The country has three practical seasons: a dry, cool winter from November to February; a hot pre-monsoon spring in March and April; and a long monsoon from roughly May or June into early October. Winter is the travel season everywhere. The monsoon floods a large share of the delta each year, and the Sundarbans closes to visitors in the breeding season, roughly June to August.

Use the table as a first filter, then check your specific region: the north-east hills around Sylhet and Srimangal are wetter for longer, and the south-east coast has its own cyclone windows.

Bangladesh is small but not uniform. The central delta (Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi) has the classic pattern: dry and pleasant in winter, hot with hail and wind storms (kalbaishakhi) in April–May, wet from May to September. Dhaka's air is among the world's worst from December to February, so plan outdoor sightseeing for mornings.

The north-east hills (Sylhet, Srimangal) are one of the wettest regions in Asia, with flash floods from April and green tea gardens after the rains. The south-east coast and hills (Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati) are best from November to March, with cyclone seasons April–May and October–November; hill districts need permits. The south-west delta (Khulna, Sundarbans, Bagerhat, Kuakata) follows the same winter window, and Sundarbans trips run October–March.

Prices track the weather. December is the peak: domestic tourists travel for Victory Day and the year end, and Cox's Bazar and Sylhet fill up. November and January sit just below that, with the same dry weather and medium prices. March and October are shoulder months with lower prices but real weather risk.

May to September is the cheapest stretch, with low prices and low crowds, because it is also the wettest and hottest. If you travel then, keep plans flexible, expect flooded roads in the delta and north-east, and treat river and forest trips as weather-dependent. See the full cost breakdown on the travel costs page.

Two events matter more than weather. Ramadan (roughly 8 February – 9 March 2027) closes or screens daytime restaurants and makes traffic worst before sunset; Eid al-Fitr (around 10 March 2027) and Eid al-Adha (around 17 May 2027) send millions out of Dhaka, with transport sold out a week before and after. Book long-distance buses, trains and flights early around those dates.

Other dates to know: Bishwa Ijtema near Dhaka in January jams roads north of the airport; Language Martyrs' Day on 21 February closes central Dhaka from midnight; Pohela Boishakh on 14 April brings processions and fairs; Durga Puja falls in October.

If you want the Sundarbans, the coast or the hills, pick late November to February and book forest permits and hill permits ahead. If you want the cheapest trip and can accept rain, go May to September and keep a buffer day on each side of any long journey. If your dates are fixed by work or family, match the region to the month: the north-east is greenest after the rains, the coast is best in winter, and Dhaka is workable year-round if you start early and avoid the worst air months.

Whatever you choose, treat every journey as twice as long as it looks, and read your own government's travel advice before booking. Compare months side by side with the best-month picker.