At a glance
When is the best time to visit the Maldives?
For the driest, sunniest weather, January to March. The Maldives Meteorological Service describes two seasons: the dry north-east monsoon from January to March and the wet south-west monsoon from mid-May to November, with December and April as the changeover months. It is warm every month.
The Maldives lies across the equator, so the question is never temperature. Malé's average high moves only between 30.4 °C and 31.9 °C through the year, and its nights between 25.5 °C and 27.1 °C[1]. What changes is rain, wind and sunshine, and they follow the two monsoons[2].
The meteorological service puts the warmest period in March and April, up to the arrival of the south-west monsoon in mid-May. It also notes that rainfall increases from north to south: the southern atolls receive the most in a year, the northern the least[2].
How wet and sunny is the Maldives each month?
Malé averages 38 mm of rain in February and 245 mm in October. Days with rain rise from three to six a month in the dry season to 13–15 in the wet months, and sunshine falls from 288 hours in March to 204–230 hours a month from May to December.
Malé (Hulhulé) and Addu (Gan) by month, 1991–2020, and arrivals in 2025
| Month | Malé high / low (°C) | Malé rain | Days with rain | Sunshine | Addu rain | Arrivals, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30.6 / 26.0 | 87 mm | 5.5 | 258 hours | 204 mm | 214,863 |
| February | 31.0 / 26.3 | 38 mm | 3.2 | 264 hours | 79 mm | 214,091 |
| March | 31.6 / 26.8 | 49 mm | 4.5 | 288 hours | 121 mm | 203,468 |
| April | 31.9 / 27.1 | 127 mm | 8.5 | 260 hours | 173 mm | 198,322 |
| May | 31.5 / 26.6 | 238 mm | 15.0 | 223 hours | 243 mm | 135,614 |
| June | 31.1 / 26.4 | 146 mm | 12.9 | 211 hours | 144 mm | 141,772 |
| July | 30.8 / 25.9 | 198 mm | 13.7 | 212 hours | 198 mm | 186,738 |
| August | 30.7 / 25.9 | 193 mm | 13.0 | 229 hours | 196 mm | 192,058 |
| September | 30.5 / 25.7 | 214 mm | 15.3 | 208 hours | 224 mm | 149,563 |
| October | 30.5 / 25.7 | 245 mm | 15.2 | 230 hours | 244 mm | 190,445 |
| November | 30.4 / 25.5 | 236 mm | 14.2 | 204 hours | 235 mm | 195,127 |
| December | 30.4 / 25.6 | 212 mm | 12.0 | 215 hours | 226 mm | 224,455 |
Climate: WMO climatological normals 1991–2020 for Hulhulé (Malé) and Gan (Addu City, in the far south), submitted by the Maldives Meteorological Service[1]; days with rain are days with at least 1 mm; figures rounded. Arrivals: tourist arrivals to the Maldives by month, Maldives Bureau of Statistics[4].
The south is wetter even in the dry season. Addu, in the far south, averages 204 mm of rain in January against 87 mm in Malé; its driest months are February (79 mm) and March (121 mm), and March is its sunniest[1].
Rain in the Maldives usually comes as showers that do not last long, with sunny spells between, the meteorological service says[2]. Even in the wettest months Malé averages more than 200 hours of sunshine[1].
What weather should you plan around?
Wind and sea more than rain. The meteorological service warns that the onset of the south-west monsoon brings a few days of strong winds, that rough seas can interrupt ferries between islands, that thunderstorms are most frequent in April, and that swell surges, known locally as udha, happen almost every year.
- Strong winds: a few days of strong south-westerly to north-westerly winds usually come with the start of the south-west monsoon; strong winds also occur in the north-east monsoon, mostly in the central and northern atolls[3].
- Rough seas: they can interrupt ferry services between islands[3], so leave some slack between an island transfer and an international flight.
- Thunderstorms: possible all year, most frequent in April[3].
- Swell surges (udha): almost annual, worst when high swell meets spring tides[3].
The meteorological service's awareness page describes these hazards in more detail, and its forecasts are the ones to check in the days before you travel.
When is the Maldives busiest?
From December to April. The Maldives counted 2,246,516 tourist arrivals in 2025; December was the busiest month, with 224,455, and May the quietest, with 135,614, followed by June. Visitors from the UAE came most in June, July and August.
Arrivals track the dry season and the northern winter: every month from December to April brought close to 200,000 or more visitors in 2025, and May and June about two-thirds as many[4]. The quietest months were May, June and September; July, August, October and November each brought between 186,000 and 196,000[4].
Visitors from the UAE follow the Gulf summer instead. Of 18,360 arrivals from the UAE in 2025, the most came in June (3,275), July (2,653) and August (2,132), the wet season, and the fewest in January (515)[5].
How do the UAE school holidays line up with the Maldives?
Winter break, 14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, falls at the changeover to the dry season and in the busiest month. Spring break, 5 to 11 April 2027, falls in the warmest, stormiest month. The October mid-term and the summer holidays are in the wet south-west monsoon.
UAE school breaks in 2026–27, and the Maldives at the same time
| UAE break | Dates | In the Maldives |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-term | 12–18 October 2026 | South-west monsoon; Malé's wettest month on average (245 mm) |
| Winter | 14 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Changeover to the dry season; December was 2025's busiest month |
| Spring | 5–11 April 2027 | Warm changeover month; thunderstorms most frequent |
| Summer | From 3 July 2027 (school ends on 2 July) | South-west monsoon; about 13–15 days with rain a month in Malé |
UAE dates from the Ministry of Education's calendar for schools that follow it[8]; check your own school's dates. Maldives: WMO normals[1], seasons and hazards[2][3], arrivals[4].
The Maldives is five hours ahead of GMT, according to its official tourism board[6], and the UAE four[7], so the Maldives is one hour ahead of the UAE.
Entry requirements for the Maldives depend on your passport, and we do not restate them. Maldives Immigration is the official source, and our visa desk can check your case.
Questions travellers ask
What is the best month to visit the Maldives?
For dry weather, February or March: Malé averages 38 mm and 49 mm of rain, and March has the most sunshine of the year, 288 hours[1].
When is the rainy season in the Maldives?
The south-west monsoon, which the Maldives Meteorological Service dates from mid-May to November[2]. Malé averages 146–245 mm of rain a month in that period[1].
Is it worth going to the Maldives in the wet season?
It can be: rain usually falls as showers with sunny spells[2], Malé still averages more than 200 hours of sunshine a month[1], and May and June are the quietest months for arrivals[4].
Is the weather different in the south?
Yes. Addu, in the far south, is wetter than Malé in most months, including January (204 mm against 87 mm)[1], and the meteorological service notes that rainfall increases from north to south[2].
Do I need a visa for the Maldives?
It depends on your passport, and we do not restate visa rules. See Maldives Immigration, or ask our visa desk.
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991–2020 (NCEI Accession 0253808), station files Hulhule_43555.csv, Gan_43599.csv — WMO Member Nations (Maldives Meteorological Service), via NOAA NCEI. Accessed 29 September 2026
- [2]Climate Of Maldives — Maldives Meteorological Service. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [3]Awareness — Maldives Meteorological Service. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [4]Table 10.9: Tourist arrivals and tourist bed-nights by month, 2020 - 2025 — Maldives Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Yearbook of Maldives 2026. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [5]Table 10.13: Monthly distribution of tourist arrivals by nationality, 2025 — Maldives Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Yearbook of Maldives 2026. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [6]Discover Maldives > Travel Information — Visit Maldives (Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [7]Fact sheet — The UAE Government portal (u.ae). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [8]MOE announces the academic calendar for the next three years — UAE Ministry of Education. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [9]Maldives Immigration — Maldives Immigration. Accessed 26 September 2026
Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
