Seychelles · Month comparison

May vs April

April ranks #1 overall vs May at #4. The finest month — transitional calm between the monsoons, maximum sunshine, and every beach accessible.

May

#4 of 12 months

Best match

Second sweet-spot shoulder — the southeast trades begin to establish but conditions remain excellent.

↑May shares April's transitional quality before the southeast trades fully establish: 7.5 sunshine hours, 95mm of rain, and temperatures dropping slightly to a more comfortable 28°C make May the most pleasant for outdoor activity and hiking — the Morne Seychellois National Park trails on Mahé are at their coolest and most accessible
↑Vallée de Mai (Praslin) is at its most photogenic in May: the UNESCO-listed primeval palm forest where the coco de mer produces the world's largest seed (25kg) is perfectly lit by the May sunshine filtering through the canopy; morning guided visits before the tour boats from the cruise ships arrive are the finest way to experience the forest

April

#1 of 12 months

Best match

The finest month — transitional calm between the monsoons, maximum sunshine, and every beach accessible.

↑April is the first of Seychelles' two perfect months: the northwest monsoon has ended and the southeast trades have not yet established, creating a period of near-complete calm across all island coasts; every beach on every island is accessible — Anse Lazio and Anse Intendance on Praslin, Anse Source d'Argent and Anse Cocos on La Digue, and the full spectrum of Mahé's 60+ beaches are all swimmable in conditions that do not exist at any other time of year
↑Water clarity is at its best in April: the absence of monsoon runoff and minimal wind-driven surface chop create the highest underwater visibility of the year — the Sainte Anne Marine Park, the Cousin Island snorkel reef, and the dive sites at Shark Bank and Brissare Rock (accessible from Mahé) offer visibility of 20–30 metres and encounters with hawksbill turtles, nurse sharks, and Napoleon wrasse

May trade-offs

↓The southeast trades begin to arrive in late May on the eastern coasts — Anse Intendance on Mahé and Grand Anse on Praslin become progressively rougher as the month progresses; the west-facing beaches remain calm but the full inter-island symmetry of April begins to narrow
↓95mm of rain is still moderate — May showers are typically brief and afternoon-concentrated, but the month is not reliably dry; visitors who need guaranteed sunshine every day will find May less certain than June–August on the now-sheltered east coasts
↓Inter-island ferry schedules can be affected by the building southeast swells in late May — the Cat Cocos ferry between Mahé and Praslin/La Digue can experience 30-minute delays or cancellations in heavy swell conditions; allow buffer time on ferry days

↓April's outstanding reputation drives demand: the month is the best-known of the two sweet spots and accommodation at top properties requires booking 3–4 months ahead; the combination of school Easter holidays (if April) and perfect weather creates a pricing spike that moves the month from moderate toward expensive in peak years
↓April can occasionally see the tail of the northwest monsoon lingering in the first week — some years the transition takes longer, and early April can still see days of rain before the calm fully establishes; mid-to-late April is the most reliably calm window
↓The Seychelles national parks (Vallée de Mai, Cousin Island) begin pre-season maintenance and guide reallocation in early April; confirm specific tour availability for the first week

Scores compare months within Seychelles. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →