Best Time To Visit Mauritius

May to September is the dry season and it is mild rather than cold. Days sit in the mid-twenties, nights drop to about 16°C in July and August, and humidity is low.

This is the best window for hiking Le Morne and Black River Gorges, and the cheapest stretch outside the cyclone months. More on May, June, July and September.

December to April is hot, humid and wet. January and February are the hottest months at about 29°C, and the summer months carry most of the year's rain.

The central plateau takes well over half again as much rain a year as the coast, so inland is markedly wetter whatever the month. December is peak season, filled largely by Mauritians on holiday. More on December.

The cyclone season runs January to March. A direct hit is uncommon in any given year, but the season brings the heaviest rain, the highest humidity and the possibility of a few days indoors.

It is also the cheapest time to come and the greenest the island looks. If your dates are fixed here, take the flexible fare and watch the forecast in the week before you fly. More on January and February.

The trade winds blow onto the east coast, so it is cooler, windier and wetter than the rest of the island. Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce feel breezy even in a calm week.

The west and north-west are the calm, dry side, so Flic en Flac, Grand Baie and Trou aux Biches are the safer choice in winter and in the windy July and August stretch. The centre, around Curepipe, is three to five degrees cooler and much wetter than either coast.

February or March: Maha Shivaratri, the largest Hindu festival outside India. Tens of thousands walk in white to the sacred lake at Ganga Talao, and it is the most striking thing to witness on the island. In 2026 it falls on 15 February.

January or February: Chinese Spring Festival in Port Louis
February or March: Thaipoosam Cavadee, the Tamil festival
1 February: Abolition of Slavery Day
12 March: Independence Day

• Beaches and the lagoon: April to December, best October and November
• Hiking Le Morne and Black River Gorges: May to September
• Kitesurfing and windsurfing: May to September, and the east coast
• Diving: October to April, when the water is clearest and warmest
• Maha Shivaratri at Ganga Talao: February or March
• Warmest sea: January to March, inside cyclone season
• Cheapest: January to March
  Busiest: December, with local holidaymakers
• Calm side of the island: west and north-west
  Windy side: east