By Harry Nara · Last updated
The Maldives runs two seasons, a dry season from November to April and a green season from May to October, and the honest answer is that they are good for different things rather than one being better. February is the single best month for conditions: 26–31°C on about three wet days, the driest of the year. March and April are the value end of the same season at $180–500 and $150–450 a day, with April dropping to Medium crowds. But the wildlife runs on the opposite calendar. The manta aggregations at Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll happen July to October, driven by the southwest monsoon concentrating plankton, and August is the peak, which is also when the surf is biggest. September is the cheapest month of the year at $90–250 a day with Very Low crowds, at the cost of about fifteen wet days. Budget for the extras, which are unusually heavy here: Green Tax is $12 per person per night at resorts, GST is 17 percent, and a return seaplane transfer runs $290–700 per adult on a shared flight.
Maldives Month by Month
| Month | Temperature | Rainy Days | Crowds | Budget / Day | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January Best | 26–31°C | 6 days | High | $200–600+ | Snorkelling & Luxury |
| February Best | 26–31°C | 3 days | High | $200–650+ | Romance & Diving |
| March Best | 27–32°C | 5 days | High | $180–500 | Whale Sharks & Sun |
| April Best | 27–32°C | 9 days | Medium | $150–450 | Value Dry Season |
| May | 27–32°C | 15 days | Low | $120–350 | Manta Ray Season |
| June | 26–31°C | 13 days | Low | $100–280 | Mantas & Bargains |
| July | 24–30°C | 12-14 days | Medium-High | $60–8,000+ | Manta Vortex, Surfers & School-Holiday Families |
| August | 25–30°C | 13 days | High | $70–6,000+ | Hanifaru Manta Vortex, Whale Sharks & School-Holiday Families |
| September | 26–31°C | 15 days | Very Low | $90–250 | Budget Escapes |
| October | 26–31°C | 15 days | Low | $100–300 | Whale Sharks Return |
| November | 26–30°C | 14 days | Medium | $150–420 | Shoulder Season Value |
| December | 25–30°C | 7 days | High (NYE week Very High) | $200–15,000+ | Christmas + NYE Honeymoons, Whale Shark Divers & Festive Luxury |
How to Choose Your Month
February, the driest month of the year at about three wet days and 26–31°C, with the clearest water and calmest seas for snorkelling and diving. It is High crowds at $200–650 a day, so you are paying for that reliability. January is close on weather at six wet days and slightly cheaper at $200–600. If your trip is built around underwater visibility and you only get one shot at it, February is the month that most reliably delivers what the brochures show.
March and April. March holds 27–32°C on about five wet days at $180–500 a day, and April is the value pick of the whole dry season at $150–450 with crowds dropping to Medium, the only non-peak crowd level in the season. April does carry about nine wet days as the monsoon starts turning, so it is a genuine trade rather than a free lunch, but the difference between April and February is roughly a third off the nightly rate for a fortnight of extra rain risk.
July to October, and August above all. The aggregations at Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, are driven by the southwest monsoon pushing plankton into a shallow channel, and they are a green-season phenomenon rather than a dry-season one. Access is tightly controlled: snorkelling only with no scuba, no fins, a time limit in the water, a daily visitor cap and a permit booked through your resort or a Dharavandhoo guesthouse. Whale sharks at South Ari are the year-round counterpart if your dates do not line up.
September, at $90–250 a day with Very Low crowds, the emptiest and cheapest the islands get. It is 26–31°C, so the water and the air are as warm as any other month, and the rain comes in bursts rather than as constant grey. The trade is about fifteen wet days and reduced underwater visibility compared with February. June and October are close behind at $100–280 and $100–300. For anyone who has written the Maldives off on price, the green season is where the arithmetic changes completely.
December, at 25–30°C on about seven wet days, the shoulder where the dry season is establishing itself. Crowds are High and Very High across New Year, and the rate range tells the story on its own: $200–15,000 a day depending on the property. Most resorts impose minimum-stay requirements and compulsory gala dinner supplements over the festive fortnight, which can add substantially per couple before drinks. Book it a long way out or take early December instead, which is materially calmer and cheaper for near-identical weather.
The green season, May through October. The southwest monsoon that brings the rain also brings the swell, and the surf breaks are at their most consistent through these months. It is also when guesthouse islands and the mid-market resorts are at their least crowded, at $100–350 a day against $120–6,000 in the dry season. If your version of the Maldives is a local island, a dive boat and an empty beach rather than an overwater villa in peak February, this is the half of the calendar to look at.
Maldives Season by Season
Dry Season
The dry season is the postcard version and it is priced accordingly, running High crowds and $120–6,000 a day across the umbrella. It builds through November at 26–30°C and Medium crowds, then December brings the festive peak at $200–15,000 with minimum stays and gala supplements over New Year. January and February are the core: 26–31°C, six and three wet days respectively, with February the driest month of the year and the most reliable for underwater visibility. March and April are where the value returns, at $180–500 and $150–450, with April the only month in the season at Medium crowds. What the dry season does not reliably deliver is the big manta aggregation, which belongs to the green season.
Green Season
The green season is the half of the calendar most guides skim, and it is where both the wildlife and the value sit. Temperatures barely move, 26–31°C, because this is the equator: what changes is rain, at thirteen to fifteen wet days a month, and price, which falls to $100–350 a day against the dry season’s $120–6,000. September is the cheapest and quietest month of the year at $90–250 with Very Low crowds. The southwest monsoon that brings the rain also drives the plankton that pulls manta rays into Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll from July to October, peaking in August, and generates the swell that makes this the surf season. Rain here tends to arrive in heavy bursts and clear, rather than settling in for the day.
Seasonal Guides
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to visit the Maldives?
February for conditions, April for value, and July to October if wildlife is the point. February is the driest month of the year at about three wet days and 26–31°C, with the clearest water for snorkelling and diving, at High crowds and $200–650 a day. March and April deliver most of the same weather for less, at $180–500 and $150–450, with April the only dry-season month at Medium crowds. If you would rather see the big manta aggregations at Hanifaru Bay than have guaranteed sunshine, the green season from July to October is the answer instead, and it is far cheaper.
When can you see manta rays at Hanifaru Bay?
July to October, with August the peak. This is worth being precise about because it is one of the most common Maldives planning mistakes. The aggregations happen because the southwest monsoon concentrates plankton into a shallow channel in Baa Atoll, so they are a green-season phenomenon and not a dry-season one, and any source suggesting otherwise will lead you to book the wrong months. Access is tightly managed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: snorkelling only with no scuba and no fins, a time limit in the water, a daily cap on visitors and a permit arranged through your resort or a guesthouse on Dharavandhoo. If your dates fall outside that window, whale sharks at South Ari Atoll are present year-round.
What is the cheapest time to visit the Maldives?
September, at $90–250 a day with Very Low crowds, the quietest month of the year. June and October are close at $100–280 and $100–300, and the green season as a whole runs $100–350 against $120–6,000 in the dry season. Because the Maldives sits on the equator, you are not trading away warmth: it is 26–31°C in September just as in February. What you trade is roughly fifteen wet days a month and reduced underwater visibility. For a lot of travellers that is a straightforward deal, particularly since green-season rain typically arrives in short heavy bursts rather than lasting all day.
Is the green season worth it?
For many people, yes, and it is the difference between the Maldives being unaffordable and being achievable. Rates roughly halve, crowds fall to Low or Very Low, and the temperature does not change at all. You get about thirteen to fifteen wet days a month instead of three to seven, and visibility underwater is not as good as February. Against that, the green season is when the manta aggregations at Hanifaru Bay happen, from July to October, when the surf breaks are most consistent, and when local guesthouse islands are at their quietest. The dry season is better for guaranteed sun and clear water; the green season is better for wildlife, surf and money.
What taxes and transfer costs should I budget for?
More than most destinations, and they are easy to miss when comparing nightly rates. Green Tax is $12 per person per night at resorts, doubled from $6, and $6 per person per night at guesthouses, with children under two exempt, so a week for two adults at a resort is $168 in Green Tax alone. Goods and services tax on tourism is 17 percent, raised from 16 percent in July 2025. Then there is the transfer: most resorts are reached by seaplane, and a shared return flight runs roughly $290–700 per adult depending on distance, which for a far-flung atoll can cost more than the international flight leg. Many resorts also add a service charge on top.
What do I need to enter the Maldives in 2026?
A free 30-day visa is issued on arrival to most nationalities, so there is no advance visa application for a standard holiday. What is required is the IMUGA Digital Arrival Card, mandatory since 1 October 2025, which is free and must be submitted within the 96 hours before you land. Do it before you leave home rather than at the airport. Arrivals now come through Velana International Airport’s Terminal 1, which opened in July 2025 and handles all international flights, with domestic and seaplane services moved to Terminal 2. Allow generous connection time in peak season, because seaplane transfers operate in daylight only and a late arrival can cost you a night near the airport.
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