Guide XLVI — Seasons — Seychelles
Best Time to Visit the Seychelles: North Island and the Inner Granitics
Two monsoons, no cyclones, and a shoulder season most visitors miss. When to take North Island and the granitic inner islands, month by month.
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Two monsoons, and the two calm months between them
The Seychelles has no true off-season, only two wind directions. The northwest monsoon runs November to March: warmer, wetter, calmer seas on the southeast-facing coasts. The southeast monsoon runs May to September: drier, breezier, better for sailing, with more seaweed on the windward beaches.
April and October are the turning months, and they are the best of the year — light winds, glassy water and visibility of 30 metres on the granitic reefs. The islands sit outside the cyclone belt, so the wet season carries no storm risk of the kind the Caribbean lives with.
Month by month
| Period | Conditions | Sea | Indicative nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| December–February | Hot, humid, brief heavy rain | Calm on southeast coasts | USD 2,500 – 12,000 |
| March | Rain easing, warmest water | Settling | USD 1,800 – 6,000 |
| April | Still, clear, the best diving | Glassy | USD 2,000 – 7,000 |
| May–September | Dry, breezy, cooler nights | Choppy on windward shores | USD 1,500 – 6,500 |
| October | Winds drop, visibility peaks | Glassy | USD 2,000 – 7,500 |
| November | Warming, occasional showers | Calming | USD 1,800 – 6,500 |
What to weigh besides the weather
Seaweed
The southeast monsoon pushes sargassum onto windward beaches between May and September. Private islands rake daily; public beaches do not always.
Wildlife
Hawksbill turtles nest October to February and hatch through the wet season. Whale sharks pass in August to October.
Festive weeks
Christmas and New Year sell out earliest of anywhere in the Indian Ocean and are quoted on stand-alone minimums, usually seven to ten nights.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best month to visit the Seychelles?
- April or October. Both sit between the two monsoons, with the lightest winds, the calmest sea and the best underwater visibility of the year.
- Does the Seychelles have a rainy season?
- Yes — the northwest monsoon from November to March brings the year's heaviest rain, usually as short intense showers rather than sustained bad weather. The islands sit outside the cyclone belt.
- When is the cheapest time to visit the Seychelles?
- June and the first half of July, and again in late January and early February after the festive period clears. Private-island rates in those windows commonly sit 25–40% below the December peak.
- Is North Island worth it?
- It is one of a handful of genuinely single-guest-group private islands in the Indian Ocean, with eleven villas and a rehabilitated ecosystem. It is priced accordingly, and it books furthest ahead of anything in the archipelago.
Editorial note & limitations
Weather figures are long-run seasonal averages and rates are indicative planning figures assembled from resort-market research and connected partner inventory in September 2026, not quotations. Festive weeks are quoted separately by the partner holding those dates.