Some destinations are just gorgeous year-round, but when is the best time to go to the Maldives to make the most of the weather in this dream destination? Whether your goal is to relax with perfect sunshine, or you’d ideally like to skip peak season to avoid crowds, planning in advance is important ahead of a trip as big as this.
Chances are, you want to go the the Maldives because you’ve seen how truly beautiful it is. Dotted like ink blots in the clear, tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is an archipelago made up of more than 1,000 islands, 200 of which are inhabited. Historically a honeymoon destination, the best hotels in the Maldives have shifted the destination up a gear, opening it up further to the realms of solo travel and multi-generational holidays. Between the consistently hot weather, unspoilt sandy beaches, high-design hotels and award-winning restaurants, it’s hard to find fault with this small but mighty contender for winter sunshine.
But there’s no denying that it’s a bucket list destination for many, so it’s understandable that you’d want to plan as much as possible to find the perfect time to go. Here’s what you need to know.
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When is the best time to go to the Maldives?
There’s no bad time to visit the Maldives, but few places offer such a perfect antidote to the UK’s long, dark winters. It really does have it all: upwards of eight hours of sun per day, average temperatures of around 28°C, an ocean teeming with wildlife and some of the smartest hotels in the world.
For many, the best time to visit the Maldives is December to April, as that’s dry season, with little rain and low humidity leading to bright blue skies, cloudless days and still, balmy evenings. Wet season starts in May and ends in October, with considerably more rain and occasionally strong winds. For scuba divers and snorkellers, visibility is particularly good during the dry season, too, as a result of currents flowing from the northeast (the eastern atolls enjoy the best visibility, with whale sharks and manta rays most commonly spotted between August and November).
