Andeor Journal · Data
The best time to visit Mauritius, according to the data
Guides tell you when Mauritius is lovely. The numbers tell you when it is quiet, when hotels fill up and when the lagoon is warmest. This page reads the official monthly statistics for you, and we refresh it with every new release from Statistics Mauritius.
By Henri Fayolle
Data as of the June 2026 monthly release · 9 July 2026
1,436,250
Visitors in 2025, an all-time record
11.3 nights
Average stay in 2025
June
Quietest month
December
Busiest month
The short answer
Best balance
September to November
These are the driest months of the year. The lagoon warms from 24.6 to 26.6 degrees and arrival numbers stay well below the December peak.
Quietest
February, June and September
June sees the fewest visitors of any month and hotel occupancy bottoms out at 66 to 67 percent in February and June. June is also mild, so pack a light layer for the evening.
Warm lagoon, high season
December to March
The sea peaks near 29 degrees and December is the busiest month of the year. Summer also brings most of the annual rain, and cyclones are possible between January and March.
Mauritius month by month
Crowd levels come from the 2023 to 2025 average of official monthly arrivals. Occupancy is the 2025 room occupancy rate for all hotels.
January
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 70%
- sea
- 28.5°
- rain
- High
Warm and lively after the holiday peak, with the wettest weather of the year.
February
Quiet- hotel occupancy
- 66%
- sea
- 28.8°
- rain
- High
One of the quietest months, with the warmest sea and a real chance of heavy rain.
March
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 66%
- sea
- 28.8°
- rain
- High
Late summer stays warm while visitor numbers hold at a moderate level.
April
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 75%
- sea
- 28.5°
- rain
- Moderate
A shoulder month with a warm lagoon, and Easter fills hotels for a spell.
May
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 74%
- sea
- 27.6°
- rain
- Low
Drier weather arrives and Réunion school holidays lift arrivals.
June
Quiet- hotel occupancy
- 67%
- sea
- 26°
- rain
- Low
The quietest month of the year, mild, dry and easy to book.
July
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 73%
- sea
- 25°
- rain
- Low
Winter high point for visitors from Réunion and southern Africa.
August
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 76%
- sea
- 24.6°
- rain
- Low
Cool and breezy, with hotels comfortably busy.
September
Quiet- hotel occupancy
- 78%
- sea
- 24.6°
- rain
- Low
The driest month of the year, and hotels start filling again.
October
Busy- hotel occupancy
- 78%
- sea
- 25.2°
- rain
- Low
Dry, warming and the second-busiest month of the year.
November
Moderate- hotel occupancy
- 82%
- sea
- 26.6°
- rain
- Moderate
Hotels reach their fullest of the year, even before the holiday rush.
December
Peak- hotel occupancy
- 78%
- sea
- 27.8°
- rain
- High
The absolute peak, with the highest arrivals of any month.
When the island is busy
Monthly tourist arrivals for the last three full years, with 2026 so far. December is in a league of its own and June is reliably the low point.
When hotels fill up
Room occupancy across all hotels. November runs fullest at 82 percent in 2025, while February and June leave the most room to negotiate.
Sea and sky through the year
Mauritius has two seasons. Summer from November to April is warm, humid and carries the cyclone risk, most likely between January and March. Winter from June to September is cooler and drier, with May and October as transition months. On the coast the warmest months reach an average daytime maximum of 29.2 degrees in January and February, and winter nights dip to 16.4 degrees in July and August.
Sea temperature, west coast
Monthly average of daily maxima. The lagoon is warmest from December to April and coolest in August and September.
Rainfall, island average
Monthly averages for the island as a whole, including the wetter central plateau. The coasts, where most resorts sit, are noticeably drier.
Mauritius tourism statistics
The headline numbers behind this page. 2025 set a new all-time record with 1,436,250 tourist arrivals, finally passing the 2019 pre-pandemic mark.
1,436,250
Tourist arrivals in 2025
+3.9%
Growth over 2024
Rs 103.4 bn
Tourism earnings in 2025
74%
Average room occupancy in 2025
109
Hotels in operation
2025
14,112
Hotel rooms
2025
95.2%
Came on holiday
2025
668,471
Arrivals in the first half of 2026
+1.5%
Tourist arrivals by year
The pandemic wiped out two seasons. Recovery took three years, and 2025 closed above 2019 for the first time.
Where visitors come from
France remains the anchor market by a wide margin. The fastest mover is India, up 33.5 percent in 2025.
Mauritius by month at a glance
| Month | Arrivals, 3-year average | Hotel occupancy 2025 | Sea temperature | Rainfall | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 114,638 | 70% | 28.5°C | High | Moderate |
| February | 99,036 | 66% | 28.8°C | High | Quiet |
| March | 112,375 | 66% | 28.8°C | High | Moderate |
| April | 111,602 | 75% | 28.5°C | Moderate | Moderate |
| May | 106,691 | 74% | 27.6°C | Low | Moderate |
| June | 89,299 | 67% | 26°C | Low | Quiet |
| July | 118,087 | 73% | 25°C | Low | Moderate |
| August | 107,018 | 76% | 24.6°C | Low | Moderate |
| September | 101,594 | 78% | 24.6°C | Low | Quiet |
| October | 132,173 | 78% | 25.2°C | Low | Busy |
| November | 123,834 | 82% | 26.6°C | Moderate | Moderate |
| December | 154,931 | 78% | 27.8°C | High | Peak |
Questions travellers ask
What is the best time to visit Mauritius?
September to November offers the best balance in the data. Those are the driest months, the lagoon warms from 24.6 to 26.6 degrees, and arrivals stay well below the December peak. For the quietest trip, aim for February, June or September.
How many tourists visited Mauritius in 2025?
Mauritius welcomed 1,436,250 tourists in 2025, up 3.9 percent on 2024. It is a new all-time record, above the pre-pandemic mark of 1,383,488 set in 2019.
What is the quietest month in Mauritius?
June. It records the fewest arrivals of any month, an average of about 89,300 over 2023 to 2025, and hotel occupancy drops to about 67 percent. February and September are the next quietest.
When is cyclone season in Mauritius?
Cyclone season coincides with the austral summer from November to April. Systems most often affect the region between January and March. Direct hits are rare, but summer visits can meet spells of heavy rain.
When is the sea warmest in Mauritius?
The lagoon peaks at about 28.8 degrees in February and March on the west coast, and stays above 27.5 degrees from December to May. The coolest water arrives in August and September at about 24.6 degrees.
When is peak season in Mauritius?
December is the busiest month, with 161,440 arrivals in December 2025. Hotels run fullest slightly earlier, with November 2025 room occupancy at 82 percent, so the pressure on rooms builds from October onwards.
Method and sources
Arrivals, occupancy, markets, length of stay and earnings are transcribed from Statistics Mauritius publications, mainly the International Travel and Tourism issue for the year 2025 and the monthly tourist arrival releases. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are provisional until Statistics Mauritius finalises them.
Sea temperature is the monthly average of daily maxima on the west coast, computed from the Open-Meteo marine archive for 2022 to 2025. Rainfall is the monthly island average from the Open-Meteo ERA5 archive for 2016 to 2025, which includes the wetter central plateau. Seasonal temperature facts come from the Mauritius Meteorological Services.
Crowd levels split the 2023 to 2025 average of monthly arrivals into quiet, moderate, busy and peak bands. Rain levels read low up to 90 mm, moderate up to 150 mm and high above that.
We refresh this page with each quarterly Statistics Mauritius release. You are welcome to reuse these figures and charts with a link to this page as the source.
Primary sources
Picked your month?
Browse experiences run by local partners across the island, from hikes and lagoon outings to food and culture.