Weather and climate in Mauritius

Due to its location on the southern hemisphere, the seasons in Mauritius are reversed in comparison to Europe. However, you cannot divide the Mauritian weather into 4 seasons. Instead, October, November and December are called ‘hot’, January, February and March ‘hot and humid’ and April until September ‘agreeable and dry.’

It is hard to define the best time for a holiday in Mauritius. In principle, Mauritius offers great swimming conditions all year round. If you enjoy heat and want to escape snow and rain in Europe, book your holiday between November and March. During the day, temperatures reach a maximum of 33°C and at night-time rarely fall below 25°C. During this time, the average water temperature is about 29°C. It is also the season for tropical fruits, such as mangoes and litchis, between November and February.

If you are sensible to heat and like to do other activities aside from swimming, such as hiking, doing sports and going on excursions, you are better off booking your holiday between April and October. Especially in the north, showers rarely occur during this time. During the day, temperatures vary between 24 and 30°C and water temperatures between 23 and 27°C.

Tropical cyclones occur during the hot and humid season from January until March. However, these storms only strike Mauritius every 3 – 5 years and are harmless, as long as you stay inside.

Daylight hours in Mauritius

The longest days in Mauritius occur in December, with almost 13.5 daylight hours per day. Whereas, the shortest day with around 11 daylight hours occurs in June. The sun rises around 5.30 am and sets roughly around 7 pm in December. In June the sun rises around 6.30 am and sets around 5.30 pm.

Weather according to location

Mauritius has its own microclimate. Depending on your location, the sun might be shining in one place while a few 100 metres further, it might be pouring with rain. Weather statistics must therefore be treated with caution.

The cardinal points feature following characteristics:

The north is relatively flat and warmer than other parts of the island. There are significantly fewer days of rain in the north of Mauritius.The east is just as warm as the north but associated with more rainy days. In the south it rains considerably more, almost daily during the rainy season, as a consequence, humidity is higher than in other parts of the island. Often it is also windy. The west, just like the north, is drier than other parts. However, it is often windy, especially between May and August.