Raja Ampat · Indonesia
December
Christmas–New Year divers arrive for the manta peak — excellent diving despite heavy rain, but book liveaboards 3 months ahead for the holiday week.
Strong option
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for Raja Ampat — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
30°C
Low
24°C
Rain
190mm
Sun
5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Raja Ampat
Weather
Good
Value
Above average
Crowds
Above average
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in December
- ↑Manta rays at Manta Sandy and Manta Ridge at their most concentrated Dec–Feb
- ↑Christmas and New Year liveaboard trips fill with serious divers — good group atmosphere
- ↑Operators fully back from maintenance — full range of itineraries available
What you sacrifice
- ↓190mm rain — island-hopping and Wayag lagoon access weather-dependent
- ↓Christmas and New Year week: peak liveaboard pricing returns for 2 weeks
How December compares to May (best month)
| Factor | December | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 6 | 9 |
| Value | 5 | 7 |
| Crowds | 5 | 7 |
December in other destinations
Lisbon (14.4°C)Barcelona (13.8°C)Tokyo (12°C)Bali (30.3°C)Santorini (14.5°C)Paris (6.9°C)New York (5.1°C)Marrakech (18.1°C)Amsterdam (6.4°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (11.7°C)Bangkok (30.4°C)Istanbul (9.4°C)Vienna (3°C)Seoul (3.7°C)Dubrovnik (11.6°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.5°C)Kyoto (11.3°C)Phuket (31.8°C)Cape Town (25.6°C)Prague (3°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (25°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (27.5°C)Miami (25.6°C)Florence (9.8°C)Queenstown (21°C)Madrid (9.5°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (5°C)Budapest (5°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (7°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (20°C)Osaka (11°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (14°C)Zanzibar (31°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (28°C)Havana (26°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (20°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (16°C)Ho Chi Minh City (31°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (17°C)Jordan (14°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.4°C)Cairo (20.8°C)Kenya (26°C)Jaipur (22.8°C)Las Vegas (14.7°C)San Francisco (13.8°C)Madeira (20°C)Vancouver (7.1°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (24.2°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (19°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (6.8°C)Penang (30.9°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (26.8°C)Fez (15.2°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (19°C)Oslo (2°C)Auckland (22°C)Beijing (2°C)Delhi (22°C)Mumbai (31°C)Victoria Falls (28°C)Stockholm (2°C)Oaxaca (26°C)Bhutan (15°C)Da Nang (23°C)Nashville (9°C)Nice (13°C)Mallorca (15°C)Tuscany (9°C)Namibia (32°C)Crete (16°C)Komodo (32°C)Montréal (-3°C)Melbourne (24°C)Cairns (32°C)Venice (7°C)Dublin (8°C)Tenerife (22°C)Ibiza (16°C)Sardinia (15°C)Sicily (16°C)Rhodes (17°C)Corfu (15°C)Zakynthos (15°C)Algarve (17°C)Naples (13°C)Antalya (16°C)Barbados (29°C)St Lucia (29°C)Aruba (31°C)Turks and Caicos (29°C)Puerto Rico (28°C)Okinawa (21°C)Hokkaido (2°C)Varanasi (24°C)Langkawi (31°C)Lake Bled (4°C)Salzburg (4°C)Lake Como (7°C)Tallinn (0°C)Iguazu Falls (32°C)Luxor (24°C)Gran Canaria (22°C)Lanzarote (21°C)Fuerteventura (21°C)Menorca (15°C)Capri (14°C)Milos (16°C)Paros (16°C)Hvar (13°C)Bodrum (16°C)Malaga (18°C)San Sebastián (12°C)Bordeaux (11°C)Corsica (14°C)Abu Dhabi (26°C)Hurghada (23°C)Essaouira (19°C)Kruger National Park (32°C)Shanghai (11°C)Chengdu (10°C)Jeju (10°C)Banff (-4°C)Toronto (1°C)Québec City (-4°C)Lofoten (1°C)Bergen (5°C)Gold Coast (28°C)Whitsundays (31°C)Perth (30°C)Nha Trang (27°C)Koh Phi Phi (31°C)Luang Prabang (27°C)Agra (22°C)Udaipur (26°C)Hiroshima (11°C)Naxos (16°C)Thessaloniki (10°C)Helsinki (-1°C)Riga (0°C)Zurich (4°C)Monaco (14°C)Doha (24°C)Siargao (28°C)Bohol (29°C)Lake Atitlán (23°C)Sarajevo (4°C)Batumi (11°C)Chicago (2°C)Boston (5°C)Gdańsk (3°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Raja Ampat, not across destinations. Methodology →