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 40% 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


Annual weather on the island of Sumatra

For information about the climate and the weather city by city on the island of Sumatra for a specific month, click on the corresponding line below:

January 67°F to 90°F
12 to 27 days*
February 65°F to 92°F
7 to 25 days*
March 67°F to 94°F
8 to 28 days*
April 67°F to 94°F
10 to 28 days*
May 67°F to 94°F
10 to 27 days*
June 65°F to 95°F
6 to 20 days*
July 65°F to 95°F
5 to 19 days*
August 65°F to 94°F
6 to 23 days*
September 67°F to 95°F
6 to 22 days*
October 67°F to 95°F
9 to 25 days*
November 68°F to 92°F
13 to 28 days*
December 67°F to 90°F
14 to 29 days*
* weather varies across the country

Best time to travel to Sumatra by cities

Chargement en cours
Medan

Medan

The best months to go to Medan are february, march, april and june.

Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh

The best months to go to Banda Aceh are january, february, march, june, july, august, september and october.

Bukittinggi

Bukittinggi

The best months to go to Bukittinggi are january, may, june, july, august, september, october and december.

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, Banda Aceh, Bukittinggi, Gunungsitoli (Pulau Nias) and Jambi City, 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, April, June and November. The number of visitors to Sumatra is high in: March, May, July, August, September, October and December.

  • Very low season on the island of Sumatra: January and April.
  • Low season on the island of Sumatra: February, June and November.
  • High season on the island of Sumatra: March and September.
  • Peak season on the island of Sumatra: May, July, August, October 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.
Medan90°F92°F94°F94°F94°F94°F94°F94°F94°F92°F90°F90°F
Banda Aceh86°F88°F88°F88°F90°F90°F90°F90°F90°F88°F86°F86°F
Bukittinggi83°F85°F85°F85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F83°F83°F
Gunungsitoli (Pulau Nias)85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F85°F85°F85°F85°F85°F
Jambi City88°F88°F90°F90°F92°F92°F92°F92°F94°F92°F90°F88°F
Palembang90°F90°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F94°F95°F95°F92°F90°F
Pematangsiantar83°F85°F86°F86°F86°F88°F88°F88°F86°F86°F85°F85°F
Bandar Lampung88°F88°F90°F90°F90°F90°F88°F90°F90°F90°F90°F90°F
Bengkulu86°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F88°F86°F88°F86°F86°F
Dumai88°F90°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F90°F88°F
Padang City83°F85°F85°F85°F86°F85°F85°F85°F83°F83°F83°F83°F
Batam86°F88°F90°F90°F90°F88°F88°F88°F88°F90°F88°F86°F
Berastagi77°F79°F79°F79°F81°F81°F81°F79°F79°F79°F77°F77°F
Bukit Lawang90°F92°F94°F94°F94°F95°F95°F94°F94°F92°F90°F90°F
Bukit Tigapuluh National Park88°F90°F90°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F90°F88°F
Calang86°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F86°F85°F86°F
Gunung Leuser National Park88°F90°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F92°F90°F90°F88°F
Kerinci Seblat National Park85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F85°F85°F85°F85°F85°F
Lac Maninjau83°F85°F85°F85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F83°F83°F
Lake Toba (Danau Toba)77°F79°F79°F79°F81°F81°F81°F79°F79°F79°F77°F77°F

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, Banda Aceh, Bukittinggi, Gunungsitoli (Pulau Nias), Jambi City, Palembang, Pematangsiantar, Bandar Lampung, and 37 other cities.

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

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