High season runs November to March and is dry, clear and about as reliable as Thailand gets. Mornings are pleasant, humidity is at its lowest, and the long lines at Erawan and Hanuman World hand you the views you came for without any haze in the way. What you pay for that is company, because this is when the parks are fullest and the popular pickup rounds sell out, so booking a day or two ahead stops being optional. Anyone travelling between Christmas and mid February should book earlier than feels necessary.

April and May are the hot season, which means the quietest courses and the hottest backs. At most parks ziplining is not strenuous, since you are hanging in a harness rather than working, but walking and climbing between platforms in 35 degree heat is another matter entirely, and a physical course like Jungle Xtrem in April becomes a serious undertaking. Take the 08:00 or 09:00 round and drink more water than seems reasonable and it is a perfectly good time to come.

Then there is green season, roughly May to October, which is our own favourite. The jungle is properly green instead of dusty, the parks are quiet, and the rain bears very little resemblance to what people picture when they hear the word monsoon. What Phuket actually gets is heavy bursts, usually later in the afternoon, so book a morning round and most days you will not see any.

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