Kiribati
The best time to visit
When to go to Kiribati
Go from roughly June to October, the drier trade-wind months on Tarawa. Kiribati sits on the equator, so there is no cyclone season at all, but rainfall swings hard between El Nino and La Nina years, so treat every average loosely.
A 0 to 100 comfort rating from daytime heat, overnight chill, rainfall and storm risk, for Tarawa. Higher is better. Some links on this page are affiliate links, at no cost to you.
The steadiest weather, peaking around Mar.
Either side of peak, with thinner crowds and better rates.
Rainy season.
In short
The year at a glance
Kiribati is ocean more than land: 33 atolls straddling both the equator and the date line, spread across an area wider than the continental United States. Tarawa, the capital atoll, carries the country's WWII history; far-flung Kiritimati (Christmas Island) is a world-class bonefishing flat. We rate on Tarawa.
The year splits gently rather than sharply: December to April is the wetter half, June to October the drier, breezier one. The equator spares Kiribati cyclones entirely, and the heat is remarkably constant, 31 degrees nearly every day. The big variable is El Nino, which can double the rain in a wet year; La Nina years can run bone dry.
Month by month
Kiribati month by month
Highs, lows, rainfall and the rating, for Tarawa.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Rating | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 230 mm | Good 45 | Hot and very wet, monsoon rains. |
| February | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 170 mm | Good 53 | Hot and wet. |
| March | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 130 mm | Great 64 | Hot and wet. Tarawa hotels in March |
| April | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 150 mm | Good 56 | Hot and wet. |
| May | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 170 mm | Good 53 | Hot and wet. |
| June | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 160 mm | Good 55 | Hot and wet. |
| July | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 150 mm | Good 56 | Hot and wet. |
| August | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 140 mm | Great 60 | Hot and wet. Tarawa hotels in August |
| September | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 130 mm | Great 64 | Hot and wet. Tarawa hotels in September |
| October | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 140 mm | Great 60 | Hot and wet. |
| November | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 150 mm | Good 56 | Hot and wet. |
| December | 31°C / 88°F | 26°C / 79°F | 200 mm | Good 49 | Hot and wet. |
By region
Where you go changes when you go
Tarawa
The capital atoll and the site of one of the Pacific war's fiercest battles, with guns and wrecks still on the reef.
Kiritimati (Christmas Island)
The world's largest coral atoll, a bonefishing and birding mecca served separately from Honolulu and Fiji.
The outer Gilberts
Traditional atoll villages reached by boat and small plane, at their most accessible in the calm mid-year months.
Go for
Best time to visit Kiribati for
Bonefishing
Year round on Kiritimati's flats, one of the sport's great destinations, with calm dawn tides the daily rhythm.
WWII history
Tarawa's battle sites and relics, easiest to walk in the drier mid-year months.
Snorkelling the lagoons
June to October, when the trades steady the water. It is warm, around 29 degrees, every month.
The date line
Kiribati is the first country to see each new day, and greeted the millennium first at aptly renamed Millennium Island.
On the calendar
What is on, and when
Trade-wind season, Jun to Oct
The drier, breezier half of the year on Tarawa and the Gilberts.
Independence Day, 12 Jul
A week of dancing, canoe racing and feasting across the atolls.
Rainy season
all year.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Kiribati
Compare hotels and rentals around Tarawa, then book the month you want.
Ready to book?
Rates climb in peak season, so the best-weather months pay to book early. Shoulder and low months are the value windows.
Prefer to sort flights first? Compare flights
Questions