Best time to go to Sumatra for a perfect weather and where to go?
Find the very best time to visit Sumatra from average weather conditions in many locations like Bukit Lawang or Tanjungpinang, below.
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
Where and when to go based on the weather?
Bangka-Belitung Islands
Pulau Bangka, Pulau Belitung...
Central of Sumatra
Padang City, Dumai, Bukittinggi...
North of Sumatra
Medan, Banda Aceh, Pematangsiantar...
Riau Islands
Batam, Tanjungpinang...
South of Sumatra
Palembang, Bengkulu, Bandar Lampung...
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
Bangka-Belitung Islands 
Central 
North 
Riau Islands 
South 
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, March, April, May, June, September and November. The number of visitors to Sumatra is high in: February, July, August, October and December.
- Very low season on the island of Sumatra: January, March and April.
- Low season on the island of Sumatra: May, June, September and November.
- High season on the island of Sumatra: February, August and October.
- Peak season on the island of Sumatra: July 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. | may | jun. | jul. | aug. | sep. | oct. | nov. | dec. |
| Medan | 90°F | 92°F | 94°F | 94°F | 94°F | 94°F | 94°F | 94°F | 94°F | 92°F | 90°F | 90°F |
| Palembang | 90°F | 90°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 94°F | 95°F | 95°F | 92°F | 90°F |
| Banda Aceh | 86°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 88°F | 86°F | 86°F |
| Bandar Lampung | 88°F | 88°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 88°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F |
| Bengkulu | 86°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 86°F | 88°F | 86°F | 88°F | 86°F | 86°F |
| Bukittinggi | 83°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 85°F | 83°F | 83°F |
| Dumai | 88°F | 90°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 90°F | 88°F |
| Gunungsitoli (Pulau Nias) | 85°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| Jambi City | 88°F | 88°F | 90°F | 90°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 94°F | 92°F | 90°F | 88°F |
| Padang City | 83°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 86°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 83°F | 83°F | 83°F | 83°F |
| Pematangsiantar | 83°F | 85°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 86°F | 86°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| Batam | 86°F | 88°F | 90°F | 90°F | 90°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 90°F | 88°F | 86°F |
| Berastagi | 77°F | 79°F | 79°F | 79°F | 81°F | 81°F | 81°F | 79°F | 79°F | 79°F | 77°F | 77°F |
| Bukit Lawang | 90°F | 92°F | 94°F | 94°F | 94°F | 95°F | 95°F | 94°F | 94°F | 92°F | 90°F | 90°F |
| Bukit Tigapuluh National Park | 88°F | 90°F | 90°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 90°F | 88°F |
| Calang | 86°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 88°F | 86°F | 86°F | 85°F | 86°F |
| Gunung Leuser National Park | 88°F | 90°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 92°F | 90°F | 90°F | 88°F |
| Kerinci Seblat National Park | 85°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| Lac Maninjau | 83°F | 85°F | 85°F | 85°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 86°F | 85°F | 83°F | 83°F |
| Lake Toba (Danau Toba) | 77°F | 79°F | 79°F | 79°F | 81°F | 81°F | 81°F | 79°F | 79°F | 79°F | 77°F | 77°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, 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.