The best time for a holiday in Seychelles

Seychelles is a little piece of heaven here on earth. They are located about 930 miles east of Africa in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Seychelles is beautiful all year round, but spring and autumn are the best times to visit because there are fewer people and the weather is almost perfect.

The archipelago consists of 115 small islands known for their soft, white sand beaches, clear waters, and unique wildlife. It’s a great destination if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a while. You can be as busy or as relaxed as you like in this peaceful setting.

Some of the best activities include snorkelling and diving, searching for wild giant tortoises, and hiking tropical trails through the lush jungle. You can also relax on the beach and enjoy the food and culture of the area.

Don’t get me wrong, the Seychelles are like no other place in the world. They have a laid-back island feel and a distinct African influence.

Of course, if you want to come for a Seychelles wedding, you first need to know when the best time to go is. As with most island destinations, there is no bad time to visit Seychelles, but some months are better than others.

The weather in Seychelles

Seychelles is just south of the equator, so the weather there is fairly stable and predictable all year round. There are no real seasons either. In its place, the year is split between a wet and dry season.

The wettest months of the year are January and February, but it also rains frequently from November to February. Tropical rains are also frequent in the other months of the year, but they usually do not last long.

December to April is the warmest time of the year, but temperatures are fairly stable throughout the year. It is rare for temperatures in Seychelles to drop below 24 °C or rise above 33 °C. For this reason, it can get warm, but the cool sea breeze makes it pleasant and comfortable.

Because of their location in the world, the large cyclones that form in the Indian Ocean do not normally hit Seychelles. It is very rare for a major storm to hit the islands, which proves that they are a safe and pleasant place to visit almost all year round.

Even though the weather is nice most of the time, the so-called low seasons are the best time to visit Seychelles. In April and May, the warmer and wetter weather has just passed, while in October and November, it has not yet started. Therefore, the islands are in a very pleasant state, which makes it easy to explore them.

There are not so many tourists during these months, so the beaches, restaurants, and other attractions are less crowded. It’s also much easier to book a hotel room, tour, or activity holiday then, and you might even save some money.

Image source

Image source

Seychelles has nice weather all-year-round

If you want to avoid crowds, you should avoid Seychelles in July, August, December, and January. At these times, thousands of people come to the islands to soak up the sun. Some of the smaller, more remote islands in Seychelles are not yet as crowded, but the more popular areas are busy at these times. See also our selected list of Seychelles honeymoon hotels.

Seychelles’ best time to do things

Seychelles is a tempting place to visit at any time of the year. The low season is just as nice as the high season, depending on how well you can handle the hot weather. When planning your trip to Seychelles, it’s important to think about what you want to do there. For every activity, there are good and bad times to do it.

Seychelles’ best time for diving and snorkeling

The best time to go scuba diving in Seychelles is during the months between the two monsoons that make up the weather there. During the changes in the monsoon, there is no wind in Seychelles.

So, the conditions are perfect for diving, and you can see well. Do you want to go scuba diving in Seychelles and see as much as you can of the underwater world? The best times to travel than are from the end of March to the middle of May and from the middle of September to the middle of December.

You can snorkel at any time of the year. During the stormy months of May to September, you should go to beaches with offshore reefs. There, the very high waves are less likely to hit you, so you can snorkel and swim safely.

The best time to swim in Seychelles

Even when it’s raining, you can still enjoy a nice beach vacation in Seychelles. Outside of the rainy season, the southeast trade wind makes the currents in the Indian Ocean a bit stronger.

So, the sea is rough and the waves are high, especially on the beaches that face southeast and get a lot of wind. If you swim at a beach with a reef out in the water, you don’t have to worry about anything and can just enjoy the waves.

From May to October, the best time of the year to swim in a calm sea, you should go to beaches facing north or west. They are less affected by wind and make it possible to have a dreamy beach vacation during the busy season.

When is it best to surf and windsurf in Seychelles?

Surfers and windsurfers would rather take a vacation when there is no wind, while divers would rather go on vacation when there is no wind. The wind is what makes the waves just right. So, the best time to go to Seychelles for surfing and windsurfing is from May to September, which is the high season for tourism.

When is the best time to sail in Seychelles?

If you like to sail, you can do it in Seychelles all year long. Many sailors don’t like the months when there’s no wind as much. If you’re one of them, the best time to sail is between May and October.

When is the best time to fish in Seychelles?

Do you fish as a hobby or for a living and want to do what you like to do while on vacation in Seychelles? Then, between October and April, fly to the dream islands in the Indian Ocean. At this time of year, the weather is just right for fishing.

When is it best to go hiking in Seychelles?

From May to September, when it’s windy, are the best months for hiking. During the rainy season, you can still go hiking, but it’s a bit harder because it’s humid and hot like a tropical rainforest.

How the trade winds affect the weather

The trade winds that sweep over the Indian Ocean have a direct impact on the weather in Seychelles. From November to March, these winds come from the northwest. They make the weather warmer and more humid. From May to October, the winds change direction and blow from the southeast, bringing cooler weather.

The trade winds from the south have another effect on the island that travelers should be aware of. When the winds are stronger, a lot of seaweed washes up on some beaches due to the waves.

This goes so far that some of the most popular places for tourists are sometimes closed. Most of the time, it’s not too hard to find another beach to soak up the sun, but it’s important to know that this can happen before you go.

Seaweed only shows up at certain times of the year

The tropical trade winds in Seychelles not only change the seasons but also move the seaweed. Although stranded seaweed is natural and harmless, it can ruin otherwise beautiful coastal landscapes and make swimming a little unpleasant, so its seasonal location can have an impact on where you choose to stay.

From May to September, the cooler and drier southeast trade winds bring rough seas to the southwest of Mahé and seaweed to the south coast of Praslin.

From October to April, on the other hand, the calm, warm north-west trade winds leave seaweed on the beaches of Praslin’s Côte d’Or, while the waves and currents are strong on the north-west coast of Mahé, for example at Beau Vallon. The long coasts of Praslin are more likely to accumulate algae than the bays of Mahé and La Digue.

As the weather becomes increasingly difficult to predict, it is important to remember that distances on these islands are short. If your nearest beach is covered in seaweed due to the wind, it is not difficult to get to other beaches that do not have seaweed.

When is the best time for a holiday in Seychelles?

April, May, October, and November are the best months to visit Seychelles. From November to March, the north-westerly trade winds are hot and humid, but from April to October, the south-easterly trade winds are cooler.

These months are a transition between the two types of wind. If you travel during these months, the weather is warmer and more suitable for sunbathing, wildlife watching, and diving.

Regardless of the time of year you visit the islands, the average temperature is around 30 °C. However, if you visit the islands in spring and autumn, you will avoid the large crowds of tourists that come in December, January, July, and August.

April to May

When the humid trade winds from the northwest give way to the dry winds from the southeast, Seychelles enjoys warm, mild weather. Temperatures range from 27 °C to 32 °C, and rain is slightly less frequent than in autumn and winter. As the tourist season has not yet started in summer, hotel prices are lower.

June to September

During these months, especially July and August, the weather is cool and dry, and many people visit Seychelles. If you want to visit Seychelles in summer, you should book your accommodation at least a few months in advance and be prepared to pay high season prices.

You can expect the most popular places on the islands to be visited by many people, but the beaches will be empty and quiet.

October and November

If you don’t mind getting a little wet, you should visit Seychelles after the high season. This way, you save on hotel and flight costs and have more options. Although rain showers are more frequent then, you can still expect beach weather with highs around 80 degrees.

December to March

When the northwesterly trade winds kick off the rainy season, the humidity rises and it rains more often, but that doesn’t stop people from coming to the islands in late December and early January.

During the winter holidays in Seychelles, hotel and flight prices can rise, so book a few months in advance to get the best deal and ensure you can stay.

Conclusion

With an average daily temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, Seychelles is visited by tourists and wedding couples from all over the world all year long. Because of the monsoons, the weather in Seychelles is warm and tropical. May to October is the best time to visit Seychelles.

Because of the southeast trade wind, it is windier and rains less on the islands in the Indian Ocean. This makes it less humid. Depending on what you want to do and how much money you want to spend on your trip, the low season in Seychelles is between November and April.

For example, diving is better during the transition months when there isn’t much wind. Also, trips during the rainy season are usually cheaper than trips during the dry season. Choose when you want to fly to the dream islands of East Africa, and have a great time!