Our Seasons

Christmas Island Dry Season (May – Sep)

Closer to Asia than mainland Australia, Christmas Island is home to the typical tropical climate.

The dry season brings with it lower humidity, beautiful picturesque sunsets, blue skies and of course less rain! 

Coming to Christmas Island in the dry season means you’ll still get to see red crabs around the Island, and plenty of other sights that are often inaccessible during their commute. 

A dry season holiday means you’ll be more likely to experience the best snorkelling spots too. Several of these spots are located down 4WD tracks through the lush tropical jungle.

When the wet season arrives the red crabs emerge from the jungle and head to the coast, making these tracks difficult to navigate.

Dry Season Activities

There’s no shortage of things to do during the dry season on Christmas Island.

Coming here at this time of year means you’ll be spotting sea birds, enjoying scenic coastal walks, snorkelling with tropical fish (maybe even dolphins or tutles!) and enjoying meals prepared by your private chef on the Swell Lodge balcony!

Freedom to Relax

It’s not all about the activities though. Swell Lodge is perfect for a totally private and relaxing retreat. Enjoy yoga on the balcony in the mornings, or a quiet sunset drink in the evenings, or both!

Still not sure what season is right for you? See what else you can get up to in the dry season by visiting our Christmas Island Experiences page or clicking the links below for more information.

Inside Swell Lodge
Top 10 reasons to visit Christmas Island
Check Swell Lodge Availability 

Christmas Island Wet Season (October – April)

While the wet season rains don’t typically start until November, it can rain sooner in October, triggering an early Red Crab Migration. 

It’s an amazing sight, however the migration event doesn’t happen at exactly the same time every year.

The migration is quite unpredictable, and starts soon after whenever the rains arrive. The event itself lasts for around 2 months. You can check possible spawning dates here. It is a truly spectacular event to witness and an amazing time to be here, however it brings several challenges for travellers you need to be prepared for.

Wet Season Road Closures

Whilst we do have an innovative ‘crab-safe’ vehicle, many of the island’s roads unpredictably close to vehicles.

Whilst this does give the red crabs safe passage it often makes many of the island’s other attractions inaccessible, unless you’re fit enough to walk several kilometres.

The walks in and out are beautiful through the lush, crab-carpeted jungle, but if you don’t cope well with the typical wet season humidity, hills or hiking, expect to skip some of the included daily tours and enjoy a relaxing day in your luxury accommodation instead.

Our vehicle access into Swell Lodge is strictly controlled during road closures – we need to use our crab-safe crab-mobile which makes driving in and out slow (it can take up to 1hr each way if there’s lots of crabs).

You’ll see that Swell Lodge is located on the opposite side of Christmas Island to the main township closer to the more secluded beaches, unrestricted ocean views & beautiful, pristine waterfalls.

Other Disruptions

The Christmas Island wet season also increases the chance of other inconveniences including potential flight disruptions due to weather and ocean swell changes which effect water based activities like boating, diving & snorkelling.

The wet season still one of our busiest and best times of year on Christmas Island, most guests absolutely love it, but it really is better suited to fitter guests who don’t mind a bit of adventure, because anything could happen. “Hop out and rake those crabs off the road, would you? Thanks!“