Weather

Because of the high mountains, the island's climate varies greatly. In general, however, it experiences two distinct seasons: the hot, rainy summer from December to April and the cool, dry winter from late April to October. The windward east coast is considerably wetter than the dry, brown west coast, but wettest of all are the mountains above the east coast - around Takamaka, Plaine-des-Palmistes and the northern and eastern slopes of the volcano. As with Mauritius, the cyclone season is roughly December to March.

Temperatures on the coast average 22°C (72°F) during winter and 27°C (81°F) in summer. In the mountains, they drop to 11°C (52°F) and 18°C (64°F) respectively. The southeast trade winds blow year-round and can make hiking at high altitude uncomfortably cold in winter.