Bora Bora · French Polynesia
January
Wet season in full force — heavy rain alternates with brilliant sunshine, prices are lower, and the lagoon is warm and calm.
Worth considering
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for Bora Bora — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
30°C
Low
23°C
Rain
280mm
Sun
6.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Bora Bora
Weather
Below average
Value
Very good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Below average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in January
- ↑Bora Bora's lagoon is year-round warm (29°C), and even the wet season delivers clear, sunny periods between the tropical downpours; the underwater visibility in the lagoon remains excellent regardless of surface rain, and the black-tip reef sharks, manta rays, and stingrays in the Bora Bora lagoon are present every month
- ↑January prices are significantly lower than the July–September dry season peak — overwater bungalows at the Four Seasons, St. Regis, and Conrad can be 30–40% cheaper than their July rates; the lagoon quality is unchanged
- ↑The wet season brings tropical abundance: lush vegetation on Mount Otemanu's slopes, waterfalls visible from the lagoon, and the flower density in the resort gardens at its most vivid; the tropical light between rain showers has a saturated quality that dry season harsh sun does not produce
What you sacrifice
- ↓January is the heart of the wet season — 280mm of rain over the month arrives in heavy tropical downpours rather than persistent drizzle; typically 1–3 hours of intense rain per day followed by sunshine, but on bad days the cloud cover can suppress the famous turquoise lagoon colour
- ↓Cyclone risk in the South Pacific peaks between November and April — while direct cyclone hits on Bora Bora are rare (the island sits at the northern edge of the cyclone belt), tropical systems can bring sustained cloud, swell, and disrupted resort operations for 3–7 days; check seasonal forecasts and buy cancellation insurance
- ↓The inter-island Air Tahiti connections (the only way to reach Bora Bora from Tahiti's Faa'a airport) can be temporarily suspended during severe weather events; buffer time before international departure is essential in the wet season
How January compares to May (best month)
| Factor | January | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 3 | 8 |
| Value | 7 | 7 |
| Crowds | 7 | 6 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (18°C)Jordan (12°C)Azores (17°C)Los Angeles (19.8°C)Cairo (19.1°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Lima (26.2°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Bora Bora, not across destinations. Methodology →