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In addition to an Easter Island, there is also a Christmas Island. This island is located in the Indian Ocean, south of the Indonesian island of Java. Administratively, Christmas Island, as the island is more often called in Dutch, belongs to Australia. It is an external territory of Australia, under the laws of Western Australia and using the Australian dollar as the currency. Due to its location at a relatively short distance from the equator, there is a climate with few temperature differences during the year. Throughout the year there are fairly stable temperatures, which are around thirty degrees during the day and at night reach a minimum temperature of about 25 degrees above freezing.

Rainy season

From November, a significant wet season starts on Christmas Island. The air is increasingly unstable and tropical storms regularly pass over the island. Because Christmas Island is located in the region where tropical cyclones (hurricanes) can occur, it can happen that Christmas Island is hit by a hurricane. If a hurricane passes fairly close to Christmas Island, high wave damage can occur. Only from May does the chance of tropical storms decrease and the amount of rain decreases. With an average of 350 millimeters of precipitation on a monthly basis, February is the wettest month of the year. Because these are only long-term average values, it is also possible that January or March is the wettest month in a year. It will be considerably drier from July. This drier season lasts until mid-November. If you decide to go on holiday on this island, this is the best time to do so. If you wait until November, you can experience another special moment. Then the annual migration of the red crabs that live here takes place. This species (Gecarcoidea natalis) is an endemic species that migrate to the sea at the beginning of the rainy season – a spectacular sight.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit Christmas Island

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Christmas Island? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. Quite a bit people know about the existence of Easter Island (Easter Island), but few know that there is also a Christmas Island (Christmas Island). This 135 square kilometer island is located in the Indian Ocean, about 350 kilometers south of the Indonesian island of Java. Christmas Island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia. That is why the Australian dollar is the currency here and English is the official language. With only a few thousand tourists a year, the island is one of the few places that is not yet overrun by visitors from other countries.

Best months

Looking at the climate, the period from July to October is the best travel period for a visit to Christmas Island. It is then pleasantly warm (25 to 28 degrees Celsius in the afternoon), there is the least rain and the sun is quite visible. The months of August and September are the driest and sunniest. Quite a few of the tourists who travel to Christmas Island do so for surfing or diving. The seawater around Christmas Island is always somewhere between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius.

Migration of the red crabs

The main attraction of Christmas Island is the annual migration of the red crabs. This special natural phenomenon takes place at the beginning of the wet season. This migration, in which about 150 million red crabs migrate from the jungle to the sea, lasts about five days and takes place in October or November. For many, this period is seen as the best travel time for Christmas Island. Because this impressive migration is so short and the exact period can vary from year to year, it is difficult to plan your trip to Christmas Island in advance in such a way that you are certain that you can see the enormous stream of crabs.