I am moving to Hong Kong for a year with my job. Whilst there I want to make the most of it’s location. In particular I’ve always wanted to visit the Philippines. When is the best time of year to visit? Derrick Mitra, Reading

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: There are two very distinct seasons in the Philippines, global warming permitting that is. The wet season is from May to October, and the dry season runs from November to April.

The dry season is the best time to visit. You’ll get lots of clear sunny days, and although the humidity is always pretty challenging in the Philippines, at won’t be anywhere near as bad as it is in the wet season.

The coolest months are generally January and February, when daytime temperatures can dip to an extremely pleasant 25 degrees.

Many people travel to the country in the wet season and still have a great holiday. The rain tends to fall in short sharp bursts, usually in the early evening, and isn’t an Indian style deluge. However, the wet season is also typhoon season. On average the country is hit by about five or six typhoons, and effected by another 15. They can strike as early as May, although more likely the first typhoon will occur in June or July.

A direct hit by a typhoon can of course wreck any trip, but even being in the area of such a big storm can cause considerable disruption to your plans. Roads tend to get washed out and domestic flights are cancelled. The backlog on the latter can take several days to clear.

As ever though, there is an exception to the rule, and in the Philippines, it is Siargao and Mindanao. These islands, plus others that face northeast don’t suffer from the same split seasons, and in fact have their greatest rainfall between November and March.

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