When is the best time to go to Sumatra?

When is the best time to go to Sumatra? Here's some information to help you in your decision:

  • In July, the weather is good across more than 42% of the territory of Sumatra
  • The best months to go to Medan are February, March, April and June
  • On average, it is hot all year round in Medan
  • The rainiest months in this city are May, August, September, October, November and December
  • Tanjungpinang is the city with the best climate, with good weather 9 months a year
  • The sea temperature is suitable for swimming all year round in Banda Aceh


Where and when to go based on the weather?

Bangka-Belitung Islands
Pulau Bangka, Pulau Belitung...

July, August, September and October
30°C to 32°C°C
7 to 19 days
29°C to 30°C
January, February, March, April, May, June and November
29°C to 32°C°C
12 to 26 days
29°C to 30°C
December
30°C to 31°C°C
21 to 26 days
30°C

Central of Sumatra
Padang City, Dumai, Bukittinggi...

July
29°C to 34°C°C
10 to 16 days
30°C
January, February, May, June, August, September, October and December
28°C to 34°C°C
8 to 24 days
29°C to 31°C
March, April and November
28°C to 33°C°C
16 to 27 days
29°C to 30°C

North of Sumatra
Medan, Banda Aceh, Pematangsiantar...

February
26°C to 33°C°C
7 to 23 days
29°C to 30°C
January, March, May, June, July, August, September and October
25°C to 35°C°C
5 to 28 days
29°C to 31°C
April, November and December
25°C to 34°C°C
12 to 29 days
29°C to 31°C

Riau Islands
Batam, Tanjungpinang...

February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October
30°C to 32°C°C
6 to 16 days
28°C to 31°C
January, November and December
30°C to 31°C°C
13 to 20 days
28°C to 30°C

South of Sumatra
Palembang, Bengkulu, Bandar Lampung...

June, July, August, September and October
30°C to 35°C°C
6 to 15 days
28°C to 30°C
May, November and December
30°C to 33°C°C
14 to 22 days
29°C to 30°C
January, February, March and April
30°C to 33°C°C
13 to 25 days
29°C to 30°C

To get all the information about the climate and weather on the island of Sumatra for a specific month, click on the corresponding link below:

Sumatra in january Sumatra in february Sumatra in march Sumatra in april Sumatra in may Sumatra in june Sumatra in july Sumatra in august Sumatra in september Sumatra in october Sumatra in november Sumatra in december


Best time to travel to Sumatra by cities

Chargement en cours
Bangka-Belitung Islands Bangka-Belitung Islands Central Central North North Riau Islands Riau Islands South South

See full list of cities


Temperatures and rainfall on the island of Sumatra

On these 3 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of Sumatra and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Medan, Palembang, Banda Aceh, Bandar Lampung and Bengkulu, as well as the month-by-month sea temperature for coastal cities.


Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons on the island of Sumatra

Find out when Sumatra has its high tourist season (the period when the influx of tourists is highest) and off-peak tourist season using our data and figures.

Tourist seasons on the island of Sumatra

The months with low numbers of tourists are: January, February, March, April, May, June, October and November. The number of visitors to Sumatra is high in: July, August, September and December.

  • Very low season on the island of Sumatra: January, February, March, April, June, October and November.
  • Low season on the island of Sumatra: May.
  • High season on the island of Sumatra: September.
  • Peak season on the island of Sumatra: July, August and December.

Figure: Visitor index for Sumatra month by month




Where to go on the island of Sumatra?

This table allows you to see the maximum temperature for each city and our opinion on the weather month by month (see colour legend below the table).

Cities jan.feb.mar.apr.mayjun.jul.aug.sep.oct.nov.dec.
Medan32°C33°C34°C34°C34°C34°C34°C34°C34°C33°C32°C32°C
Palembang32°C32°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C34°C35°C35°C33°C32°C
Banda Aceh30°C31°C31°C31°C32°C32°C32°C32°C32°C31°C30°C30°C
Bandar Lampung31°C31°C32°C32°C32°C32°C31°C32°C32°C32°C32°C32°C
Bengkulu30°C31°C31°C31°C31°C31°C30°C31°C30°C31°C30°C30°C
Bukittinggi28°C29°C29°C29°C30°C30°C30°C30°C30°C29°C28°C28°C
Dumai31°C32°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C32°C31°C
Gunungsitoli (Pulau Nias)29°C30°C30°C30°C30°C30°C29°C29°C29°C29°C29°C29°C
Jambi City31°C31°C32°C32°C33°C33°C33°C33°C34°C33°C32°C31°C
Padang City28°C29°C29°C29°C30°C29°C29°C29°C28°C28°C28°C28°C
Pematangsiantar28°C29°C30°C30°C30°C31°C31°C31°C30°C30°C29°C29°C
Batam30°C31°C32°C32°C32°C31°C31°C31°C31°C32°C31°C30°C
Berastagi25°C26°C26°C26°C27°C27°C27°C26°C26°C26°C25°C25°C
Bukit Lawang32°C33°C34°C34°C34°C35°C35°C34°C34°C33°C32°C32°C
Bukit Tigapuluh National Park31°C32°C32°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C32°C31°C
Calang30°C31°C31°C31°C31°C31°C31°C31°C30°C30°C29°C30°C
Gunung Leuser National Park31°C32°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C33°C32°C32°C31°C
Kerinci Seblat National Park29°C30°C30°C30°C30°C30°C29°C29°C29°C29°C29°C29°C
Lac Maninjau28°C29°C29°C29°C30°C30°C30°C30°C30°C29°C28°C28°C
Lake Toba (Danau Toba)25°C26°C26°C26°C27°C27°C27°C26°C26°C26°C25°C25°C

Legend:

good weather

tolerable weather

bad weather

very bad weather


About Sumatra

What can I do on the island of Sumatra?

Beaches / swimming

Nature and countryside

Culture and heritage

Sports

Family travel

Crafts / shopping

Gastronomy

Nightlife



Is this weather information for Sumatra reliable?

Climate data for Sumatra has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for Sumatra allows us to determine the average for each month in Medan, Palembang, Banda Aceh, Bandar Lampung, Bengkulu, Bukittinggi, Dumai, Gunungsitoli (Pulau Nias), and 37 other cities.

So yes: this data is reliable except in cases of temporary climate disruption in the region.

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