Boracay has two wind seasons, and they decide which beach you should be on. Here is the month-by-month.
The best time to visit Boracay is December to April. These are the driest months, and White Beach is at its calmest. In February, March and April it rains on fewer than six days.
Boracay has two wind seasons. Amihan, the northeast wind, blows from about November to May. Habagat, the southwest monsoon, takes over from about June to October and pushes wind, waves and seaweed onto White Beach.
During Amihan, White Beach is calm and Bulabog, on the east, is windy, which is why kitesurfing season is December to March. Habagat reverses it.
July to September is the period with the most rain, at 18 to 20 rainy days a month. It also falls inside the main typhoon season, which peaks from July to October.
Not the best time to visitSouthwest monsoon (Habagat)Typhoon risk window
Rough seas and persistent wet weather keep visitor numbers low, making this one of the island's quietest months for beach holidays.
SCORE BY MONTH
Wind direction, rain and typhoon risk are what separate the months.
Dry and breezy. Amihan is at full strength, so White Beach is calm and Bulabog is the windy, kitesurfing side. One of the more comfortable months of the year.
One of the driest months of the year. Calm water, steady wind for kitesurfing, and high-season prices.
As dry as February and a degree warmer. The last month of strong Amihan wind for kitesurfing.
Hot and dry. Amihan is fading, so the water is calm and the wind light. Holy Week falls in March or April and brings a big surge of domestic visitors.
The transition, and the hottest month of the year. The rain roughly doubles and the weather gets less predictable.
Habagat is usually established by now, bringing wind and waves to White Beach and seaweed washing in.
One of the wettest months, and the start of the main typhoon period. Boat transfers to the island are suspended in rough weather.
Wet and windy. White Beach is choppy and the calmer water is on the Bulabog side.
Still wet, and typhoon risk is real this month.
Still wet, though conditions usually start improving late in the month.
Amihan usually returns, White Beach settles, and rates start climbing again.
Dry, calm and the busiest month of the year, with Christmas and New Year at the highest prices.
The whole island shares one forecast, but not one sea.
Amihan, roughly November to May. A steady northeast wind, dry air and little rain. White Beach, on the west, is sheltered and flat. Bulabog, on the east, takes the wind, which is what makes it the kitesurfing beach.
Habagat, roughly June to October. The southwest monsoon reverses it. White Beach takes the wind and the waves, seaweed washes up along it, and Bulabog becomes the calm side. Rain falls on 18 to 20 days a month.
Temperature barely varies. Highs are 29 to 33°C (84 to 91°F) all year and lows stay at 25 to 27°C (77 to 81°F).
The rainy season is June to October and coincides with the Habagat. July, August and September each get rain on about 18 to 20 days. It is usually heavy and short rather than constant.
Boat transfers from Caticlan are suspended when the sea is too rough, which can add hours to an arrival or departure day, and island-hopping and diving trips run on a reduced schedule.
The main advantage is price. Rates in August and September are much lower than in December, and the island is at its most relaxed.
Tropical cyclones reach the Philippines mainly between May and November, with the peak from July to October. Many storms track further north, but Boracay can be affected.
A typhoon can stop the ferries, cancel flights into Caticlan and Kalibo, and hold up a trip for several days. Leave a spare day at the end of a trip in that window.
The Philippines guide covers how the season moves across the country.
This is the one Boracay question where the month changes the answer.
White Beach is the main beach: four kilometers of sand on the west side, with most of the hotels, restaurants and bars. It is calm from November to May and takes the wind and the seaweed from June to October.
Bulabog Beach, five minutes east, works the other way round: the kitesurfing beach from December to March, and the calmer swimming side during the Habagat.
Puka Beach, in the north, is quieter and usually rougher than White Beach, with coarser sand and fewer places to eat.
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March. It is one of the driest months, the sea on White Beach is calm, and the wind is still steady enough for kitesurfing. February is just as dry. April is hotter and just as reliable.
They are the two monsoon winds. Amihan blows from the northeast from about November to May: dry weather and calm water on White Beach. Habagat blows from the southwest from about June to October and puts the rain, the waves and the seaweed on White Beach instead.
June to October, with July, August and September the wettest at around 18 to 20 rainy days each. December to April is dry, with rain on four to ten days a month.
August and September. Those are the wettest months and rates are at their lowest. The downside is rough water on White Beach and a real chance of a typhoon disrupting travel.
December to March, on Bulabog Beach. That is when the Amihan blows hardest and most reliably. The wind usually weakens through April and May.
Yes. December is the busiest month of the year and Christmas and New Year is the peak of it, at the highest rates. Late January and February have the same weather with fewer people.