Weather in Mauritius. When is the holiday season?

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Mauritius is located at the southernmost latitude, in the Tropic of Capricorn. This provides the island with a warm climate, which almost doesn’t change depending on the season. The year in Mauritius is conditionally divided into summer (wet season) and winter (dry season), but the temperature difference between them is not too great. The seasons differ only in the amount of precipitation. Therefore, it is important to know when is the best time for relaxation in Mauritius, and can the cyclone season interfere with your vacation? I talk about the weather in Mauritius by months to understand when it is better for you to go to Mauritius. 

When is the best time to visit Mauritius? Seasons and weather by months

When is the best time to visit Mauritius?

Fun fact: Mauritius hotels accept holidaymakers all year round, and there is no consensus about when exactly the holiday season is in Mauritius. The island almost always enjoys a comfortable temperature, but you can adjust your arrival time depending on what you are going to do on the island.

Summer months are more suitable for swimming in the sea, winter months for active tourism. It should be noted that winter and summer in Mauritius fall on completely different months than in Europe:

  • The winter season is the period from May to October (with an average temperature of +22 ºC on the coast).
  • The summer season is the period from November to April (with an average temperature of +27 ºC on the coast).

In the central part of the island, it is always 3-5 ºC colder than near the coastline.

December-January in Mauritius are the peak season, but they also coincide in time with the cyclone season.

The optimal periods are March-June and September-November – and the humidity is not too high, and the temperatures are suitable for any type of holiday. At the same time, prices for hotel accommodation are reduced in May-June and September, so these months can be doubly favorable.

🔝 Don’t Miss: 10 Tips for Finding the Best Accommodation for Your Holiday in Mauritius

When is the holiday season in Mauritius

One of the days in February on the west coast of Mauritius

The water temperature in Mauritius averages around +26 ºC, rising a couple of degrees in summer and falling down to +23 ºC in winter. Sometimes, under particularly unfavorable conditions – for example, under the influence of anticyclones – in winter it drops up to +20 ºC, which should be taken into account when planning a trip. The least optimal in this case will be the coldest month of the Mauritian winter – July.

When planning a holiday in Mauritius, pay attention to which part of the island the hotel is located in:

  • The western and northern parts of the island are usually warmer and drier – primarily because they are protected by mountains from the winds blowing from the east. In winter, in these parts of the island, there are more favorable conditions for a beach holiday, but in the summer months it can be a little too hot here.

Mauritius in December and January: is it worth planning a New Year on the island?

December-January in Mauritius are the peak season, but they also coincide in time with the cyclone season. It sounds scary, but it’s actually not so bad: you just need to choose the right coast for your holiday.

In winter, there is always less rainfall in the west of the island than in its eastern part. Moreover, I advise the north-west of Mauritius for the New Year holidays. These are the beaches of Trou aux Biches, Grand Baie, Pereybere beach, Mont Choisy and others.

It is sad to admit but Le Morne beach – on one of the best beaches of the island – is not so good place for a vacation at this period. There will be a little bit more rainy due to the Le Morne Brabant mountain.

The air temperature in December and January on the island of Mauritius fluctuates between +29-31 ºC in coastal areas, sometimes rising to +34 ºC. Water warms up to +27 ºC.

Cyclone season in Mauritius

The official cyclone season in Mauritius lasts from November 1st to May 15th, but in fact the strongest cyclones hit the island in January and February. However, they practically do not interfere with vacationers. Strong winds practically do not reach Mauritius, and showers rarely last longer than a couple of hours. At the same time, the weather can fluctuate very much from place to place – you can have rain, but in a couple of kilometers there will no longer be any signs of it.

Weather in Mauritius. When is it better to relax on the island

In the center of the island there is a downpour with a thunderstorm, and on the coast – the sun

Also, the weather situation changes from year to year, so it can be difficult to predict whether you will fall under a tropical downpour and how many days of sunshine awaits you. In any case, the likelihood that bad weather will completely spoil your vacation is considerably small.

Thunderstorms on the island usually begin after 2 pm, so it is worth planning your swimming sessions in the sea and relaxing outside the four walls in the first half of the day. It also makes sense to settle in the western part of the island during the cyclone season – here it rains less often, and it ends faster.

Really strong cyclones hit Mauritius every 5 years, and dangerous cyclones even less often. I was lucky to be on the island during Cyclone Emnati in 2022. This cyclone received the highest hazard class on the cyclone scale – 4th. The hotel staff asked for food and water supplies for the next two days. It was impossible to go outside due to strong gusts of wind up to 200 km/h and heavy rain.

In some parts of Mauritius there were waves 7-10 meters high. My hotel was in the first line on Mont Choisy beach, but there were no such waves. Here are some photos from the cyclone:

Weather by months in Mauritius

To plan your holiday more carefully, it is important to find out what the weather will be like in Mauritius in the month in which you decide to go to the island. Below you can find out the weather in Mauritius by months, look at the temperature of water and air, and decide when is the best time for you to go on vacation to Mauritius in 2024.

Mauritius in January

January in Mauritius brings with it even hotter weather and even more rainfall. In the west of the island, the cyclone season is slightly less pronounced than in other parts of it, but even here there is very high humidity and the risk of falling into heavy rain. At night, the hotel rooms are very stuffy, so you have to turn on the air conditioner.

The air temperature in Mauritius in January fluctuates between +29-31 ºC in coastal areas, sometimes rising to +34 ºC. The water warms up by about one degree compared to December – its average temperature is +27.4 ºC.

Mauritius in February

February in Mauritius is the peak of the cyclone season and does not please vacationers with good weather. It is during this month that you can expect the heaviest precipitation and the highest humidity. First of all, the central part of the island suffers from showers. There is much less rain on the coast.

The water temperature in Mauritius in February reaches +28 ºC, and the air temperature is kept at the January level.

Monthly weather in Mauritius

Flic-en-Flac beach in the second half of February

Mauritius in March

The weather in Mauritius in March is generally similar to the weather in February – precipitation is still plentiful and the humidity is high. The water temperature also remains the same. But in terms of air temperature, some relief is noticeable, although insignificant.

The best area for a holiday in Mauritius in March is the northwestern part of the coast, which includes Flic-en-Flac beach, Grand Bay, Mont Choisy, Trou aux Biches. Here, precipitation is two to three times less than in other parts of the island.

What is the weather like during March in Mauritius

Early March in Mauritius. Enjoying a glass of cool wine with a view of the downpour

Mauritius in April

It is in April that a noticeable turning point in the weather occurs in Mauritius. The first two weeks of April are still considered part of the cyclone season, during which afternoon showers can be expected, but in the second half of the month their probability decreases significantly. The water temperature is still high, around +27.2 ºC, and the air temperature drops to a comfortable level of +27–28 ºC by the end of the month. At night, you can expect the temperature to drop to +20–21 ºC.

Mauritius in May

May is a great month to visit Mauritius. Rains sometimes fall, but they stop very quickly and cannot ruin your day. Moreover, they mostly take place in the mountainous areas of the center of the island, so there is nothing to worry about on the coast.

The sunniest weather awaits you on the west coast, and the warmest sea is on the northern coast, where the water temperature in May sometimes exceeds +27 ºC. The average air temperature in these two regions will be kept at +28 ºC. In the south of the island, it is about a degree lower, and another degree lower in the east.

Mauritius in June

If you go to Mauritius in June, the weather is sunny and warm, especially on the west coast. But keep in mind that it is in June that winter comes into its own on the island, so in some areas of Mauritius it can be windy and cool. Due to the winds on the southern and eastern coasts, daytime temperatures can average +24–25 ºC, and drop down to +14 ºC at night. In the north and west of the island, the air temperature will be a couple of degrees higher.

As in May, the warmest water in Mauritius is off the northern coast. Here it can exceed +27 ºC. In other parts of the island, swimming will be somewhat colder, especially in the south.

What you need to know about holidays in Mauritius

It’s hard to believe that the color of the water in the photo is real and not photoshopped until you see it with your own eyes.

Mauritius in July and August

The weather in July and August in Mauritius is the coldest and the most windy of the year. These months here are the height of winter. Due to constant winds, it is July and August that are considered the best months for windsurfing in Mauritius. What kind of travel insurance to choose for a trip to Mauritius?

Mauritius windsurf insurance

If you are not a fan of windsurfing, then you can choose one of the hotels on the west coast near the Flic en Flac beach for accommodation. There the wind blows less.

Here, as in the north of the island, the air temperature during the day is about +25–26 ºC. In other areas of Mauritius, it is colder, up to +18–22 ºC in the center of the island.

The water temperature during these months will drop along the entire coast, and if in early July you can hope for +24.2 ºC, then at the end of August it can drop to +23.2 ºC.

Mauritius in September

The weather in Mauritius in September is still cool, but the wind subsides significantly, especially in the second half of the month. There is also very little precipitation, so September can be considered the height of the dry season.

In the west and north of the island, the daily air temperature will rise to a comfortable +27 ºC. In the south, it is somewhat cooler – an average of +25 ºC, in the east the temperature is even a degree lower.

Unfortunately, the water temperature in Mauritius in September is almost the lowest of the year. It only slightly exceeds +23 ºC. But despite this, September is considered one of the most favorable months for holidays in Mauritius.

Mauritius in October

October in Mauritius is considered the sunniest month, so you should take care of sun protection. But protection from the rain is unlikely to be needed: as it shares the title for the driest month of the year with September. The air temperature in Mauritius is steadily growing and by the end of October it begins to reach + 25–28 ºC, depending on the area. The water in October also warms up a little and reaches a temperature of +24.2 ºC.

Mauritius in November

November is very favorable for holidays in Mauritius. The weather in November is still sunny and slightly windy, although the humidity is already starting to rise. From the middle of the month, heavy rains begin to fall in the mountainous regions, and by the end of November they spread to the entire island. Therefore, if you are planning a trip inland, it is better to come in the first two weeks of November.

It is hottest in November in the north of the island – the air temperature can reach up to +30 ºC. It is also quite hot on the west coast, but in the east it is quite pleasant +27 ºC. The water temperature fluctuates around +25–25.5 ºC.

Mauritius in December

The weather in Mauritius in December is warm and humid, and it will be especially hot during the day in the northern and western parts of the island, where the air temperature can reach + 32–33 ºC. Usually it stays around +28–31 ºC on the coast, falling to +20 ºC at night. The water temperature in Mauritius in December changes little and averages +26.6 ºC.

In early December, short showers can be expected. By the end of December, precipitation intensifies and becomes longer.

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Hello!
My name is Tatiana, and I am glad to see you in my Mauritius travel guide.
For more than 12 years I have been traveling and creating travel guides to different countries. For the first time I got to Mauritius in 2018. I got inspired by the island so much that I decided to create this guide.
I personally visited all the places described on this site. Photos and texts are also taken and written by me. I update articles regularly to keep them up to date.
I hope you’ll forgive any errors or awkward phrasing, as I am not a native English speaker.