Top Events
Maha Shivaratri, February/March
Festival Kreol, October
Teemeedee, December
Divali, October
FetAfrik, May
January is high season for all of the islands, with warm temperatures, but rain and even cyclones are possibilities, the latter primarily in Mauritius and Réunion. Hotel prices soar over the Christmas and New Year period.
Chinese New Year in Mauritius and Réunion falls in late January or early February. On New Year's Eve, homes are spring cleaned and decked in red, the colour of happiness, and firecrackers are let off to protect against evil spirits.
Weather-wise, February is fairly similar to January with humid conditions and the chance of rain. However, because most of Europe and elsewhere is now back at school, crowds are generally smaller.
This massive pilgrimage in February or March sees up to 500,000 Hindus make their way by all means possible to the holy lake of Grand Bassin in Mauritius, close to Black River Gorges National Park; the lake's waters are said to come from the sacred Ganges River.
March continues the trend of warm temperatures with possible rain. The chance of cyclones remains, but is diminished. Festivals across all islands add plenty of local colour.
Holi, the festival of colours that is celebrated in Mauritius and Réunion, is known for the exuberant throwing of coloured powder and water. The festival symbolises the victory of divine power over demonic strength. On the night before Holi, bonfires are built to symbolise the destruction of the evil demon Holika.
Rodrigues lives and breathes fish, and the Fête du Poisson, held in the first week of March, marks the opening of the fishing season. It is celebrated with all sorts of festivities, including fishing expeditions – and lots more eating.
The weather starts to turn around April – this is usually the last month when cyclones affect weather patterns across the region and from now on temperatures drop slightly and rains generally ease.
Wherever there are large Indian communities (Mauritius and Réunion), the Tamil New Year is marked with great gusto, with dance displays often forming the centrepiece of the celebrations. The New Year can ensure that things grind to a halt in predominantly Tamil areas.
Although this can change depending on the timing of French school holidays, May is generally a great time to visit – fewer tourists, milder temperatures and rain or wind is rarely a problem.
With the possible exception of the Mauritian island of Rodrigues, the Seychelles is the most African of the Indian Ocean islands, and it celebrates its African origins with FetAfrik, a weekend of music and dance in late May. It's one of the more exuberant festivals in the region.
June is generally considered low season and some hotels across the region drop their prices. The Indian Ocean winter has arrived, but not so you'd notice if you've flown in from Europe.
A fairly quiet month with relatively mild temperatures, little rain to speak of and lower hotel prices (unless French school holidays fall during the month).
Some of the world's best kitesurfers descend on Rodrigues in late June or early July for the Rodrigues International Kitesurfing Festival, which has been running since 2013.
August is one of the driest months in the Indian Ocean, and neither temperatures nor humidity reach the heights of later in the year. European holidays often push prices upwards.
An extension of the Indian Ocean winter, September remains cooler and generally dry, although in the Seychelles, where temperatures are getting warmer, the rains are just around the corner and can arrive early.
The most important date for many Mauritian Christians is 9 September, Père Laval Feast Day, which marks the anniversary of the priest's death. Pilgrims from around the world come to his shrine at Ste-Croix, on the outskirts of Port Louis, to pray for miracle cures.
October is an excellent month to visit the Seychelles, with generally dry and calm weather conditions. Elsewhere, this is the month when high-season crowds arrive, although you may find bargains early in the month.
Late October is when Creole culture comes to the fore. On predominantly Creole Rodrigues, there's the three-day Festival Kréol, while the Seychelles dedicates a week to the outpouring of Creole cuisine, theatre, art, music and dance for its own Festival Kreol. Réunion also gets into the spirit with its Semaine Créole.
Both Réunion and Mauritius mark the Tamil festival of light Divali (Dipavali), in late October or early November. It celebrates the victory of Rama over the evil deity Ravana, and to mark this joyous event countless candles and lamps are lit to show Rama the way home from his period of exile.
November is a good time to visit the islands, but it's especially good for Mauritius and Réunion. The weather's warming up, the rains usually don't arrive until later in the year and the crowds of December have yet to arrive.
The first half of December is much like November, although the rains can make an appearance to dampen things a little. As Christmas approaches, prices soar to their highest all year.
Teemeedee is a Hindu and Tamil fire-walking ceremony held to honour various gods. Held throughout the year, most celebrations are in December and January when participants walk over red-hot embers scattered along the ground.