Chinese holidays set beside the sea they fall on

Updated 2 November 2026

The right moment for a Komodo boat trip at Chinese New Year or golden week depends on the sea, not the calendar. Spring Festival 2027 starts on 6 February, in the wet season; October brings calm water. On Elrora Liveaboard, July and August are open-trip dates only. Check the official holiday notice.

Check the dates

Chinese holidays and the water they fall on

Six holidays decide most Chinese travel plans for Komodo in 2027. The dates below are the first days of each holiday, and you should check the official notice, since the number of days off changes from year to year and we do not state it.

Spring Festival: starts 6 February 2027.
Qingming: 5 April.
Labour Day: 1 May.
Dragon Boat Festival: 9 June.
Mid-Autumn Festival: 15 September.
National Day: 1 October.

The matrix shows the sea by month. The month notes are general seasonal patterns, not a forecast for your week. The captain decides each stop on the day.

Month by month
Month	Sea	Visibility	Mantas	Crowds	Rain
January	rough	low	peak	low	wet	Wet season. The roughest sea of the year, low visibility and few other boats; mantas are at their best.
February	rough	low	peak	low	wet	Still wet and rough, with the lowest visibility. Quiet anchorages, and manta sightings stay strong.
March	moderate	medium	good	low	wet	The last wet month. Fewer showers now; a moderate sea, clearer water, and mantas still around.
April	calm	high	fair	medium	dry	Dry season begins. A flat sea and clear water with a moderate number of boats; manta encounters thin out compared with the peak.
May	calm	high	fair	medium	dry	Dry, calm and clear. Reliable weather for treks and reef stops, with a medium crowd.
June	calm	high	fair	medium	dry	Dry and clear on calm water. From June the south-easterly picks up, a little more each week.
July	rough	medium	peak	high	dry	Dry but windier, and a peak crowd month. Visibility is medium and mantas are at their peak. Elrora sails open trips only.
August	rough	medium	peak	high	dry	The windiest dry month, with the busiest stops. Mantas are common, and Elrora sails open trips only.
September	moderate	high	peak	medium	dry	Less wind than in August, and the water clears once more. Mantas stay at their peak and the crowd is medium: a strong month.
October	calm	high	fair	medium	dry	Hot days, a calm and clear sea, and the anchorages emptier than in high summer. Mantas are fewer.
November	calm	high	fair	low	dry	The end of the dry season. Calm sea, clear water and quiet stops.
December	moderate	medium	peak	medium	wet	The wet season returns with a moderate sea and medium visibility. Mantas return; Christmas and New Year week fill the anchorages.

Swipe for more

Spring Festival and the early-year sea

February sits in the wet season. Showers are heavy, the sea is at its roughest of the year, and underwater visibility is lower. The compensation is a quiet park and the best chance of mantas at Manta Point, which are common in these months though never guaranteed.

A family that must travel at Spring Festival can sail, but should expect rougher water and should say so if someone fears the motion. The captain will skip a stop when the sea requires it. Open-trip sailings run on set dates in February; a private charter can take any free date.

Plan flexibility into the first and last days, because delays in rough weather ripple through flights and boats alike.

May Day and the dry months begin

April brings the start of the dry season, with calm seas and clear water. Qingming at the start of April and Labour Day at the start of May both fall in this window. May is dry, calm and clear, and conditions for snorkelling and trekking are reliable.

The Dragon Boat Festival in June sits in the same stretch, while the south-east winds start to build towards July. For a week that suits grandparents and children, this is the best part of the year after October.

Crowds are moderate in these months. Padar and Kalong are busier than in the wet months, but far quieter than in July and August. If your holiday falls on a public holiday weekend, expect more boats at the same viewpoints, and plan the early start.

School holidays, and July and August on shared dates only

Chinese school holidays arrive in July and August, and so do the winds. The sea is rougher, the anchorages are busy and mantas are common. These two months are open-trip months on Elrora, and private charters are not sold in them.

A family that must travel in the school holidays can take cabins on a shared sailing. Three cabins booked by one family meet the minimum by themselves. Other guests share the deck, and the stops are set for the group.

If you wish for a private charter, ask about June or September. September brings easing winds, better visibility and mantas still around. Tell us the school dates and we compare the options in writing.

National Day week and the book-early rule

National Day on 1 October falls in a calm, clear month with fewer crowds than July and August. The Mid-Autumn Festival on 15 September sits just before it, in a month when winds ease. Between them, these are the two holiday windows that most suit a family with older relatives.

They are also the windows everyone else has seen. A date is secured only by the deposit, so the earlier you write, the more dates stay open to you. Write as soon as your employer or school confirms the holiday, and tell us the first and second choice of dates.

Open-trip sailings in October are listed on the departures page, and a private charter can be quoted for any free date. Say whether your dates are fixed or whether you can move by a few days; that decides how many options we can offer.

FAQ

How do I avoid the crowds in Komodo?

Avoid July and August, when anchorages are busiest. November has calm water and quiet stops, and January to March have the fewest boats, with a rougher sea. Padar at sunrise is less crowded than at midday. A private charter gives you the boat alone, but the sites themselves are shared with other boats. We advise dates in writing.

When is the best time to go to Komodo?

Calm, clear water comes from April into June and from October into November, good for snorkelling and trekking. July and August are windier and busy. January and February are wet and rough but good for mantas. The captain decides each stop on the day, whatever the month.

When is the tourist season in Komodo?

The busiest months are July and August, with a second busy spell around the end of December. The dry months are April to November. On Elrora, July and August are open trips only. Private charters are sold in other months, on any free date.

Is Komodo National Park closed at the moment?

We cannot see future notices from this page. The park authority and the harbour office announce closures, and we check them before each sailing and tell you at once in writing if one touches your dates. Ask us on WeChat for the position on the day you write.

What is the weather like in Komodo?

Dry weather lasts from April to November, and the calmest, clearest stretches are April into June and October into November. December to March brings the wet season, with showers and rougher seas. These are seasonal patterns. For your week, the captain checks the forecast and decides the stops.

Is Komodo Island closed this year?

Closures are announced by the park authority and the harbour office and have occurred in past years. We cannot say what will be announced, so we check before every sailing. If a closure touches your dates, we tell you in writing and discuss the options with you.

Which month is best for visiting Komodo Island?

For calm seas and clear water, choose October or November, or April to June. For mantas, choose the wet months, January and February, or July to September. Crowds are lowest in November and the early months. A month is only a pattern, and the captain decides each stop on the day.

Check availability — Elrora Liveaboard

Bookings for Elrora Liveaboard are handled by the Komodo Explorer team.

WhatsApp Email