Bora Bora · French Polynesia
November
Wet season arrival — heavy tropical rain returns with cyclone risk, but the lagoon is warm and manta ray season begins.
Worth considering
#10 of 12 months
There are better months for Bora Bora — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
29°C
Low
22°C
Rain
175mm
Sun
7hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How November scores in Bora Bora
Weather
Below average
Value
Very good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in November
- ↑Manta ray season opens in November: the Bora Bora lagoon cleaning stations (where manta rays hover while cleaner wrasse remove parasites) are visited most reliably in the wet season months (November–March); a manta ray snorkelling encounter — hovering above a 4-metre wingspan gliding through the turquoise water — is one of the finest lagoon experiences available
- ↑November is still early enough in the wet season that extended rain events are less frequent than December–February; many days deliver sunshine for 6–7 hours with tropical showers in the late afternoon
- ↑Prices drop further in November — the combination of manta ray season and lower wet season pricing makes November the best value month for those specifically targeting manta encounters alongside overwater bungalow access
What you sacrifice
- ↓At 175mm, November rain is substantial — heavy tropical downpours become a daily feature; the famous turquoise lagoon colour is suppressed on overcast days
- ↓Cyclone season opens in November — while the probability of a direct cyclone hit in any given November is low, the risk exists and travel insurance covering weather disruption is non-optional
- ↓Some resort activities (kayak circumnavigation of the main island, longer motu excursions) become weather-dependent in November in a way that July excursions are not
How November compares to May (best month)
| Factor | November | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 3 | 8 |
| Value | 7 | 7 |
| Crowds | 7 | 6 |
November in other destinations
Lisbon (16.8°C)Barcelona (16.5°C)Tokyo (16.6°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (17.5°C)Paris (10.5°C)New York (11°C)Marrakech (21.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (15.5°C)Bangkok (30.2°C)Istanbul (13.8°C)Vienna (7.8°C)Seoul (10.4°C)Dubrovnik (15.4°C)Rio de Janeiro (28.8°C)Kyoto (16.9°C)Phuket (31.7°C)Cape Town (23.7°C)Prague (7°C)Amalfi Coast (16°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (29°C)London (11°C)Sydney (24°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (27°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (27.2°C)Florence (13.6°C)Queenstown (18.5°C)Madrid (13°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (8°C)Budapest (9°C)Kraków (6°C)Tbilisi (11°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (25°C)Osaka (16°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (21°C)Buenos Aires (26°C)Mykonos (17°C)Zanzibar (30°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (18°C)Seville (18°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (27°C)Split (15°C)Taipei (23°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (20°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (28°C)Cappadocia (12°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (26°C)Seychelles (29°C)Nepal (21°C)Jordan (19°C)Azores (19°C)Los Angeles (22.1°C)Cairo (25.3°C)Kenya (25.8°C)Jaipur (27.8°C)Las Vegas (20.5°C)San Francisco (16.5°C)Madeira (21.5°C)Vancouver (9.2°C)Muscat (31.2°C)Lima (21.5°C)Cinque Terre (15°C)Kotor (15°C)Tel Aviv (22°C)Santiago (26°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (9.4°C)Penang (30.8°C)Lombok (31.2°C)Cape Verde (27.5°C)Fez (19.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (23°C)Oslo (5°C)Auckland (20°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Bora Bora, not across destinations. Methodology →