Fiji · Month comparison

January vs May

May ranks #1 overall vs January at #10. Dry season begins — 90mm of rain, 7 hours of sunshine, and the best diving conditions returning.

Fiji January — lush green tropical hillside above a turquoise lagoon during the wet season

January

#10 of 12 months

Strong option

Deep wet season — 274mm of rain and cyclone risk, but resort prices are significantly reduced.

  • ↑Resort prices 30–40% below dry-season peak: the major Mamanuca and Yasawa properties are available at a genuine discount, and some offer their lowest rack rates of the year in January
  • ↑Lush jungle at its most vibrant: the wet season transforms the interior of Viti Levu and Taveuni into intensely green tropical landscape — the Bouma waterfalls and Lavena Coastal Walk are at their most spectacular
Fiji May — clear water around a coral reef in the Mamanuca Islands as the dry season begins

May

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Dry season begins — 90mm of rain, 7 hours of sunshine, and the best diving conditions returning.

  • ↑Dry season properly underway: 90mm versus 154mm in April — the pattern shifts to occasional light showers rather than heavy rain, and multi-day stretches of clear weather become normal
  • ↑Diving visibility recovering to dry-season clarity: 15–25 metres of visibility in the Somosomo Strait (Taveuni) and the Mamanuca outer reefs as river runoff subsides
FactorJanuaryMay
Weather score
3
8
Value score
6
6
Crowd score
7
6
Events score
3
4
Atmosphere
6
8
Avg high temp31°C28°C
Monthly rain274mm90mm
Daily sunshine5.5hrs7hrs

January trade-offs

  • ↓274mm of rain: the wettest month of the year in Nadi — extended periods of heavy rain can confine you to the resort for a day or more, and island transfers are sometimes delayed or cancelled
  • ↓Cyclone risk: January is within the active cyclone season (November–April) — travel insurance is not optional, and season-end flexibility in your itinerary is strongly advisable
  • ↓Visibility underwater is reduced: river runoff from the heavy rains can cloud coastal waters and reduce snorkelling and diving visibility significantly

May trade-offs

  • ↓90mm is still light rain: May is not reliably dry, and island transfers to the more exposed Yasawa Islands still carry occasional weather delays
  • ↓Cooler evenings by Fiji standards: 22°C lows mean a light layer is useful after dark — nothing dramatic, but a shift from the wet-season warmth
  • ↓Visibility still building toward its best: while dramatically better than March–April, May's visibility is below the July–August peak at many dive sites
See all 12 months for Fiji →January in detail →May in detail →
Scores compare months within Fiji. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →