French Polynesia in January

Hot, humid and rainy; cyclone risk; good hammerhead diving in the Tuamotu.

January is rated mixed. These months rate higher:

• MayGreatDry season starts; one of the best value months.
• JuneGreatDry and cooler; Heiva rehearsals and the festival begins late in the month.
• JulyGreatHeiva i Tahiti and European holidays: book flights and pensions early; humpbacks arrive.
• AugustGreatPeak French holidays; trade winds (maraamu) can blow for days; whales off Moorea and Rurutu.

• Society Islands · Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatearainy

  Dry season May–October with trade winds (the maraamu can blow hard for days in July–August); December–March brings heavy showers, humidity and the main cyclone risk.

• Tuamotu atolls · Rangiroa, Fakarava, Tikehaurainy

  Drier than the high islands; diving is good all year, with hammerheads Dec–Mar and the Fakarava grouper spawning around June–July.

• Marquesas · Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Ua Poufine

  Close to the equator, hot all year with no clear wet season; September–December is usually the driest and seas calmest for the Aranui.

• Austral Islands · Rurutu, Tubuai, Raivavaefine

  Cooler and windier; humpback whales at Rurutu from July to October.

• Marquesas Islands: Marquesas Islands · Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa and the smaller islandsrainy

  Hot and humid year-round; the drier, cooler stretch runs roughly September to November. Rain is possible in any month, and the islands sit outside the main cyclone belt but can still be hit.

• Society Islands: Society Islands · Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'arainy

  Dry season roughly May–Oct, cooler and breezier; wet season Nov–Apr is hotter, humid and cheaper, with cyclone risk Jan–Mar.

• Tuamotu Islands: Tuamotu atolls · Rangiroa, Fakarava, Tikehau, Manihirainy

  Hot and humid all year, water around 27–29 °C (81–84 °F). The drier, cooler months are roughly May to October; November to April is the wet season and the cyclone season, and a passing system can cancel inter-island flights for a day or more.Hot and humid all year, water around 81–84 °F (27–29 °C). The drier, cooler months are roughly May to October; November to April is the wet season and the cyclone season, and a passing system can cancel inter-island flights for a day or more.

• Papeete31 °C (88 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 19 rain days88 °F (31 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 19 rain days
• Bora Bora31 °C (88 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 18 rain days88 °F (31 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 18 rain days
• Fa'a'ā30 °C (86 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 12 rain days86 °F (30 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 12 rain days
• Fakarava30 °C (86 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 12 rain days86 °F (30 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 12 rain days
• Hiva Oa27 °C (81 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 12 rain days81 °F (27 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 12 rain days
• Manihi28 °C (82 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 6 rain days82 °F (28 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 6 rain days
• Rangiroa30 °C (86 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 12 rain days86 °F (30 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 12 rain days
• Tikehau30 °C (86 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 12 rain days86 °F (30 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 12 rain days

Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.

• New Year

  1 Jan

  Resorts full over Christmas–New Year; many shops shut on 1 Jan.

• New Year, cyclone season check

  Jan–Mar · Papeete

  Warm, wet; check weather warnings.

• Wet and cyclone season

  Nov to Apr · Papeete

  Heavy rain; check weather warnings and ferry status.

Crowds · French Polynesia

Medium

Prices · French Polynesia

Medium

Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in French Polynesia, side by side.

• A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast

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Rated best or good this month

• Rangiroa

  Best months: All year (dry season Oct–Apr offers calmer seas)