The question we are asked more than any other is when to come. The honest answer is that it depends on what you want from the water, because the islands have two seasons and each one suits a different kind of trip.
December to April: the dry season
The north-east monsoon brings steady sunshine and light winds. The sea is flat enough for small boats to reach the outer sandbars, and underwater visibility often passes 30 metres. Daytime temperatures sit around 30°C and barely change at night.
This is the season for:
- Sandbank evenings, which need calm water and a clear horizon
- First-time snorkellers, who do better without swell
- Stargazing, since cloudless nights are the rule
It is also the busiest time of year. Villas for late December and February are usually taken four or five months ahead.
May to November: the wet season
The wind swings round to the south-west and brings rain, mostly as heavy showers that pass within the hour. Some days are grey from start to finish, and a boat trip will occasionally be moved.
In exchange you get emptier islands, prices that are noticeably lower, and plankton blooms that draw manta rays and whale sharks into the channels. Many of our hosts take their own families out in September for that reason.
The weeks we like best
If your dates are flexible, look at late November and the second half of April. The weather is mostly settled, the crowds have not arrived or have just left, and the reefs are quiet.
Whatever you choose, tell us what matters most to you. We would sooner move you by a fortnight than have you arrive in the wrong week for the thing you came to do.
