Maldives by month
Twelve months, five measures
The rainfall calendar and the price calendar are not the same calendar. This is where they diverge.
Photo by Asad Photo Maldives on Pexels
The short answer
What is the best month to visit the Maldives?
February is the driest month in the Maldives, at about 38mm over 3 days at Malé, and November the wettest at about 231mm — not September, which most guides name. September is the cheapest month and late December the most expensive. Late March balances the two best.
Most Maldives calendars say the same thing: dry season November to April, wet season May to October, book the dry one. The baseline climate record does not support that. November records the year's highest rainfall and December the second highest, while both are priced as dry season. September, which almost every guide names as the wettest month, records a third less rain than November and carries the year's lowest rates.
Each month below is set out against the same five measures, so the comparison is real rather than rhetorical. For the season-level decision — which monsoon, and what you are buying with it — start at best time to visit the Maldives, and for the traditional calendar behind the monsoon names see Maldives seasons explained.
The whole year on one table
| Month | Rainfall | Rain days | Sea | Price | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 114mm | 6 | 28°C | Peak | Busiest |
| February | 38mm | 3 | 28°C | Peak | Busy |
| March | 74mm | 5 | 29°C | High | Moderate |
| April | 123mm | 9 | 30°C | High | Moderate |
| May | 219mm | 15 | 30°C | Low | Quiet |
| June | 167mm | 13 | 29°C | Low | Quiet |
| July | 150mm | 12 | 28°C | Shoulder | Busy |
| August | 176mm | 13 | 28°C | Shoulder | Busy |
| September | 198mm | 15 | 28°C | Low | Quiet |
| October | 194mm | 15 | 29°C | Low | Quiet |
| November | 231mm | 13 | 29°C | Shoulder | Moderate |
| December | 218mm | 11 | 28°C | Peak | Busiest |
These are Maldives Meteorological Service baseline normals for Malé (Hulhulé), the central-atoll reference station. The archipelago runs roughly 800km north to south across the Equator, and the far southern atolls receive materially more annual rain on a calendar that runs closer to the opposite of this one. If your shortlist sits in Addu Atoll, read the monthly figures here as a central-atoll baseline rather than a forecast for your resort.
Every month, in full
January
Dry season (Iruvai) · Peak · 114mm
January is dry-season Maldives at the year's highest prices. Malé averages 114mm of rain over about six days, highs near 30°C and a 28°C sea. The festive surcharge runs to roughly 7 January, so the first week costs far more than the last three. February is drier and cheaper; January's advantage is school holidays, not weather.
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02February
Dry season (Iruvai) · Peak · 38mm
February is the driest month in the Maldives: about 38mm of rain over three days at Malé, against 231mm over thirteen days in November. Highs near 30°C, a 28°C sea and the year's clearest water. It carries peak pricing but no festive surcharge, which makes it the best weather-per-pound month of the dry season.
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03March
Dry season (Iruvai) · High · 74mm
March is the second-driest Maldivian month — about 74mm of rain over five days at Malé — with highs rising to 31°C and a 29°C sea. Peak-season rates hold through early March and soften toward the end of it, which makes the last ten days the best combination of dry-season weather and falling price in the year.
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04April
Transition · High · 123mm
April is the Maldives' warmest month — highs near 31.7°C and a 30°C sea — and the month the dry season ends. Rainfall rises to about 123mm over nine days at Malé, nearly double March's rain days. Early April still behaves like dry season at softening prices; late April does not.
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05May
Wet season (Hulhangu) · Low · 219mm
May opens the wet season: about 219mm of rain over fifteen days at Malé, against April's 123mm over nine. Rates fall 30-50% from peak and Hanifaru Bay manta season begins. Rain arrives as short heavy showers, not overcast days — which is why May is the wet month most travellers underestimate.
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06June
Wet season (Hulhangu) · Low · 167mm
June records about 167mm of rain over thirteen days at Malé — less than May's 219mm over fifteen — at broadly similar wet-season rates. Manta season is running, southern and central surf breaks are consistent, and islands are quiet. On the normals, June is the better-value half of the early wet season.
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07July
Wet season (Hulhangu) · Shoulder · 150mm
July has the lowest rainfall of any wet-season month: about 150mm over twelve days at Malé, below June's 167mm and May's 219mm. Northern-hemisphere school holidays firm rates above the May-June floor without reaching peak. Good weather odds for the wet season, at the wet season's least attractive price.
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08August
Wet season (Hulhangu) · Shoulder · 176mm
August records about 176mm of rain over thirteen days at Malé, slightly wetter than July and drier than September. Northern-hemisphere school holidays keep rates firm through the month. Hanifaru Bay manta season is at its peak, which is the strongest reason to accept August's price over September's.
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09September
Wet season (Hulhangu) · Low · 198mm
September carries the lowest rates of the year at many Maldivian resorts, for about 198mm of rain over fifteen days at Malé. That is 22mm more than August and 33mm less than November. Islands are at their quietest and manta season is still running. It is the biggest discount in the calendar.
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10October
Wet season (Hulhangu) · Low · 194mm
October holds close to September's floor rates for about 194mm of rain over fifteen days at Malé — marginally less than September. Manta season is in its final stretch and islands stay quiet. It is the last genuinely cheap month before rates climb through November toward the festive peak.
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11November
Transition · Shoulder · 231mm
November is the wettest month in the Maldives on the baseline record: about 231mm over thirteen days at Malé, more than September's 198mm. Rates are already climbing toward the festive peak. The last week improves as the northeast monsoon establishes, which is the part of the month worth booking.
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12December
Transition · Peak · 218mm
December splits in two. Until about the 14th it is pre-peak: about 218mm of rain on the month's record but improving conditions, at rates below the festive level. From roughly 15 December the surcharge lands and can more than double a nightly rate, with compulsory gala dinners on top.
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