Best time to visit Jamaica

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Best time to visit Jamaica

The first week of February is Bob Marley week in Kingston – a draw for reggae lovers from around the world.

Temperatures vary little in Jamaica, averaging mid to high 20°Cs year round, although the wet and humid summer months of May to August are slightly warmer. Peak season in Jamaica starts in the week or so before Christmas and carries on until mid April. Weather-wise, this is the best time to go to Jamaica, and it also lets Europeans and North Americans dodge the miserable winter back home. Book well in advance, however, and expect higher prices. Late November to early December provides a quieter, and better value, alternative.

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When to go to Jamaica, month by month

Mid December all the way through January, February and March to mid April is peak season, when prices rise, and places will get very busy, particularly at Christmas, but the weather is at its dry, balmy best. If travelling at this time, book well in advance and stay away from the most popular beach spots – preferably with time spent inland, in the cooler hills and forests. Around Easter, in March and mid April, spring break crowds arrive. If frat boy parties are not your thing, avoid busy resort areas at this time. Things start to get a lot wetter in May and June, which marks the start of the official hurricane season. Humidity peaks in July, with hurricanes historically most likely to occur in late August and early September. Along with October, this is generally the cheapest time to visit Jamaica. October and November are the wettest months, with the eastern side of the island receiving the heaviest rainfall. The rain eases off in late November to December, so this is a great time to travel ahead of peak crowds and prices.

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Jamaica Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

100

JUN

122

JUL

AUG

SEP

127

OCT

166

NOV

110

DEC

103

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Festivals and events in Jamaica

If there’s any one thing that defines Jamaica to the rest of the world, it’s reggae music – and Reggae Sumfest is the country’s biggest reggae celebration, held in Montego Bay in July each year. You can catch reggae legends as well as up-and-coming local acts, and there’s top food and all night beach dance parties to ramp up the fun.

For a quieter, more cerebral experience, the bi-annual Calabash International Literary Festival features Jamaican writers like Marlon James, who got his big break here, as well as international stars like Zadie Smith and Salman Rushdie. Literati jet in from New York and London to join crowds of enthusiastic locals from across the country to hear readings, panel discussions and open mic sessions in sleepy Treasure Beach.