What's the best time to visit the Caribbean?
The best time to visit the Caribbean is between December and April. During these months, you’ll enjoy warm, dry weather – perfect for beach days and diving. The highlight is February’s Carnival, especially in Trinidad and Tobago, full of vibrant parades and music. This season is also great for diving and fishing, but keep in mind it’s the busiest time, so expect more crowds and higher prices.
The Caribbean is one of the best places on Earth for a beach vacation. Wherever you go in the region, you’ll find beautiful sandy beaches, pristine turquoise water, and anything you could possibly want from a vacation.
Lovers of resort travelers tend to head to popular destinations such as The Bahamas or the Dominican Republic. When it comes to parties, there are few better places than Trinidad and Tobago or Jamaica. If you’re after a more quiet vacation, there are plenty of relatively untouched islands such as Saint Lucia.
But regardless of what you’re after, you need to know the best time to visit the Caribbean; we’ll show you this and more below.
The Overall Best Time to Visit the Caribbean
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The overall best time to visit the Caribbean is between December and April, which is when the weather is at its best for lounging on the beach. Although the months between December and April are technically the winter months, it never truly becomes winter in the Caribbean.
According to the Caribbean Regional Climate Center, the region has a tropical climate. Temperatures are consistently warm to hot. The biggest seasonal variation doesn’t come from temperature, but from rainfall.
Winter temperatures are usually in the high 70s to the low 80s during the day, dipping down to the high 60s at night. Still, it’s never too cold for anything thicker than a light jacket.
The weather is warm but not too hot, making it perfect weather to lounge on the beach. Water temperatures are usually in the high 70s as well, and on the Caribbean islands further south, you can go diving without a wetsuit.
The main benefit of visiting in the winter is the dry weather. Winters are warm and sunny, with very few cloudy days and even fewer rainy days. You also get to beat the humidity which makes the air feel oppressive in the summer.
This is the perfect weather for outdoor activities such as swimming or hiking on some of the more mountainous islands. For water adventures, January to April is also one of the best times to visit, and not just because the weather is gorgeous.
For serious divers, underwater visibility also matters. Visibility is at its best from January to about June. You’ll get to see plenty of colorful fish and even shipwrecks. Many migrating marine species, such as whales, are in the Caribbean during this time.
During the winter is also the best time for serious anglers to visit the Caribbean. Boat charters crop up, offering to take anglers to the best spots for a fee.
Winter is also the prime time for fishing tournaments, such as the Spice Island Billfish Tournament, held in Grenada every January. For the biggest catch, winter is your best bet.
February is Carnival month throughout the Caribbean. Expect months-long celebrations with colorful costumes, street parades, music, and plenty of rum. The most famous carnival is in Trinidad and Tobago, but the party takes place across the region.
If your main goal is to experience spectacular parties, this is the best time to visit. Keep in mind that winter, especially around Carnival season, is the most popular time to visit the region, so expect plenty of crowds and higher prices.
Cheapest Time to Visit the Caribbean
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The cheapest time to visit the Caribbean is during the low season of June to October, but you can also save a lot of money in late fall and late spring.
June to October is the low season in the Caribbean (with the exception of July and August, which sees some tourists due to summer vacations in the United States and Canada).
This is the absolute least expensive time to visit, but many people avoid the region during this time due to the risk of hurricanes and the hot, humid weather. The shoulder seasons of late spring and late fall are overall the best time to visit to save money and still get some good weather.
Once spring breakers clear out in mid-April, the price of accommodation and flights from the United States tends to go down. In November to early December, the rainy season peters out but the high season hasn’t started, so prices remain low.
If you want to visit during the high season but don’t want to spend too much money, the best time to visit is in mid-January. After New Year’s, many airlines offer discounts on flights, so you can save money on transportation.
There is a bit of a lull in visitors between New Year’s and the Carnival festivities of February, so you can get lower-cost hotel rates for most of January compared to the rest of winter.
Least Busy Time to Visit the Caribbean
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The least busy time to visit the Caribbean if you still want good weather is during the shoulder season months of late spring and fall.
The months of April, May, November, and early December are a good time to visit to beat the crowds and the storms both. Although the weather is wetter than in the high season, especially in the more mountainous windward islands, the storms still aren’t overwhelming.
The key thing to avoiding the crowds is to avoid North American holidays, even if you are coming from somewhere else. Since most visitors to the Caribbean are from the United States (with Canada following behind), expect the most crowds during their holidays.
If you visit during shoulder season but avoid U.S. vacations such as Thanksgiving and Spring Break, you can beat the crowds comfortably. Spring in the Caribbean is a beautiful season in its own right.
The beaches are looking their best, especially with few other people to crowd them. Between March and June is also peak time for nesting sea turtles, and if you’re lucky, you can catch sight of the hatchlings heading towards the sea.
The rains usually end by early November, but the crowds don’t arrive until mid-December and Christmas break, giving you a window of time of about a month to enjoy the beaches to yourself.
Worst Time to Visit the Caribbean
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The worst time to visit the Caribbean is during June to November, which is the rainy season and the hurricane season. Rainy season in the Caribbean is annoying, with frequent downpours and high humidity.
It can also be downright dangerous because the rainy season is also hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1st to November 30th. Hurricane season peaks between mid-August and mid-October.
Devastating hurricanes such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 kill people and damage vital infrastructure for years to come. However, even during hurricane season there isn’t a storm all the time.
If you get travel insurance and check for storm warnings ahead of time, you can travel to the Caribbean safely and enjoy few crowds and plenty of deals. Another way to safely visit the region in the summer is to head south. The southern Caribbean, such as Trinidad and Tobago or the ABC Islands, rarely gets hit by hurricanes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Here are some common questions people have asked about picking the best time to visit the Caribbean:
What’s the best month to go to the Caribbean?
The best month to go to the Caribbean is February, when the weather is warm and dry, and you can catch the parties that accompany Carnival.
What time of year should you avoid the Caribbean?
You’ll want to avoid the Caribbean during the peak of hurricane season, which happens between mid-August and mid-October, since the storms can be downright dangerous.
When is the rainy season in the Caribbean?
The rainy season in the Caribbean is between June and November, with consistent rain and high humidity during this time.
When should I go to the Caribbean?
For the best that the region has to offer, you should go to the Caribbean between December and April—the high season is the high season for a reason.
So, What’s the Best Time to Visit the Caribbean?
The best time to visit the Caribbean is during the winter, when warm weather and sunny days make for the perfect beach outing. Just be prepared for the high crowds and higher prices of this season, or move your trip to the shoulder season.