Best Time to Visit Adamstown

Warm and muggy: December to April

Summer in Adamstown is warm, damp and soft around the edges. Days and nights stay close in temperature, so it never really cools off. Humidity sits around 80%, and rain falls on about half the days, often as short, heavy showers.

December is the wettest month, with 149 mm on 17 days. March is the sunniest of the year, at 5.5 hours a day in the data, though January and February are close. If you want the best odds of bright skies for photos of Bounty Bay, summer gives you the most light. Just expect to dry off a lot.

Cooler and calmer: May to September

This is our pick for most travellers. Highs ease to the low 20s, and August and September are the coolest, with highs of 21°C. The air feels less sticky, which makes the steep walk up the Hill of Difficulty (the road from the landing up to the village) much easier. Rain still falls on 14 or 15 days a month, so treat it as a normal part of the day.

Sun is limited, at around 3 hours a day. Pitcairn is a place for walking, snorkelling when the sea allows, and long talks with islanders, not for lying in the sun. If you want hikes to St Paul's Pool or Tedside, these months are the comfortable ones.

Crowds, supply ships and events

Don't expect crowds in any month. Pitcairn has no airport, and visitors arrive by ship from Mangareva in French Polynesia or on expedition cruises. Your dates depend on ship schedules more than on weather, so build your trip around the boat first.

Pitcairn Island Day on 2 January is a public holiday and a fun time to be around if you can manage it. Bounty Day, held on 23 January, remembers the burning of the Bounty in 1790. Both fall in the humid season, so it's a trade-off.

October and November are Fair, with the rain building again, but you may find the island feels a little quieter. If you want rain to be a minor issue and the walking to be pleasant, aim for May to September. If a particular holiday matters more, accept some damp and go in January.