Tak's Travel Tips & When to VisitChristmas Island.....
Christmas Island is located far northwest of Perth, Australia…closer to Indonesia. It is home to a natural wonder. Read on…
Best Time to Visit Christmas Island
Short Answer: April through November, typically. But year round okay usually.
Longer Answer: Christmas Island experiences being similar temperatures year round (80F/26.5C in the day and 73F/22.5C at night). It is slightly more hot on Christmas Island between December and May. The wet season runs from December to April. However, other than monsoons, you should be okay in the “wet season” with rain more of the passing variety type. The height of wet season is typically January through March. Humidity can be more unpleasant during wet season as it combines with the higher temperatures.
So you are wondering, if the temperatures are slightly more comfortable in the July through October timeframe (better breezes, less humidity, less rain), why would you travel to Christmas Island in November or December or potentially January?
The answer is if you are interested in the Christmas Island Red Crab migration whereby millions of red crabs come out of the forests and brush to spawn at the ocean. This occurs sometime between October and January (usually November or December), but only occurs at a specific lunar cycle (last quarter) when the tides are turning. Thus, if weather conditions are not perfect for spawning, the crabs hold off a month until the next perfect tide/lunar cycle match.
A good write-up along with the prediction of when this might occur can be found at the Christmas Island Tourism Association site.
The issue with Christmas Island, which is a territory of Australia, comprised of a majority of Chinese and English speaking, is, as noted, the high levels of humidity it experiences and moreso, if you just happen to be there for a typhoon. So, if you want to visit when the weather is most comfortable, go in the dry season. If you want to see the crabs, you want the beginning of the wet season.
Another reason to go during the wet season would be if you want to see the Whale Sharks which arrive as the crabs are showing up.
If you are interested in birding, of which Christmas Island has a handful of endemic species, check out the bird watching calendar on the Christmas Island Tourism site.
Miscellaneous Travel Tips for Christmas Island
A lot of hiking with much of the island a national park, something over 60%. Also fishing, diving, snorkeling are good. Some say the diving is an amazing secret. Beaches are not world-class sand-wise but certainly remote and beautiful.
The northwest of the island has an immigration detention center so there is some politically charged issues are associated with the name Christmas Island.
To get to Christmas Island, the most straight-forward approach is flying from Perth. However, flights are certainly not daily so take this into account before booking your trip.
Nearby are the Cocos Keeling Islands if you want to somehow work that into the mix
Latest posts by Tak (see all)
- Review: Yacht Isabela II Metropolitan Touring Galapagos Islands - 28 February 2019
- #088: Ten TripHash Travel Thoughts - 29 July 2018
- #087: Take a Moment - 4 July 2018