When is the best time to go to Sulawesi (Celebes)?

When is the best time to go to Sulawesi (Celebes)? Here's some information to help you in your decision:

  • On the island of Sulawesi, the weather is good across more than 66% of the territory for: August and September
  • The best months to go to Makassar are February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December
  • On average, the warmest months in Makassar are February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December
  • January is the wettest month in this city
  • The cities with the best climate are Lolak, Gorontalo and Mamuju, with good weather at least 11 months a year
  • The sea temperature is suitable for swimming all year round in Makassar


Where and when to go based on the weather?

Central Sulawesi
Palu, Togian Islands, Luwuk...

January, February, July, August, September and October
79°F to 88°F°C
8 to 28 days
85°F to 86°F
March, April, May, June, November and December
79°F to 88°F°C
17 to 30 days
85°F to 88°F

North Sulawesi
Manado, Bunaken Island, Bitung...

August and September
85°F to 88°F°C
4 to 13 days
85°F
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October, November and December
85°F to 90°F°C
7 to 20 days
85°F to 86°F

South Sulawesi
Makassar, Parepare, Selayar...

February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December
85°F to 95°F°C
1 to 28 days
83°F to 88°F
January and April
86°F to 92°F°C
9 to 24 days
85°F to 88°F

Southeast Sulawesi
Kendari, Wakatobi Regency, Buton...

August
83°F to 85°F°C
3 to 8 days
83°F to 85°F
September, October and November
85°F to 90°F°C
4 to 14 days
83°F to 88°F
February, March, April, May, June, July and December
83°F to 90°F°C
11 to 25 days
83°F to 88°F
January
86°F to 88°F°C
20 to 24 days
86°F

West Sulawesi
Polewali, Mamasa, Pedongga...

August and September
85°F to 88°F°C
7 to 24 days
85°F to 86°F
January, February, July and October
85°F to 88°F°C
7 to 24 days
85°F to 86°F
March, April, May, June, November and December
86°F to 88°F°C
8 to 26 days
85°F to 86°F

To get all the information about the climate and weather on the island of Sulawesi for a specific month, click on the corresponding link below:

Sulawesi in january Sulawesi in february Sulawesi in march Sulawesi in april Sulawesi in may Sulawesi in june Sulawesi in july Sulawesi in august Sulawesi in september Sulawesi in october Sulawesi in november Sulawesi in december


Best time to travel to Sulawesi by cities

Chargement en cours
Central Sulawesi Central Sulawesi North Sulawesi North Sulawesi South Sulawesi South Sulawesi Southeast Sulawesi Southeast Sulawesi West Sulawesi West Sulawesi

See full list of cities


Temperatures and rainfall on the island of Sulawesi

On these 3 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of Sulawesi and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Makassar, Manado, Kendari, Ampana and Bangkir, as well as the month-by-month sea temperature for coastal cities.


Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons on the island of Sulawesi

Find out when Sulawesi has its high tourist season (the period when the influx of tourists is highest) and off-peak tourist season using our data and figures.

Tourist seasons on the island of Sulawesi

The months with low numbers of tourists are: January, February, March, April, May and June. The number of visitors to Sulawesi is high in: July, August, September, October, November and December.

  • Very low season on the island of Sulawesi: January, February, March and April.
  • Low season on the island of Sulawesi: May and June.
  • High season on the island of Sulawesi: July, September, October and November.
  • Peak season on the island of Sulawesi: August and December.

Figure: Visitor index for Sulawesi month by month




Where to go on the island of Sulawesi?

This table allows you to see the maximum temperature for each city and our opinion on the weather month by month (see colour legend below the table).

Cities jan.feb.mar.apr.mayjun.jul.aug.sep.oct.nov.dec.
Makassar86°F86°F88°F88°F90°F88°F88°F90°F92°F92°F90°F88°F
Manado85°F85°F85°F86°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F85°F
Kendari88°F88°F88°F86°F86°F83°F83°F85°F86°F90°F90°F90°F
Ampana85°F85°F85°F85°F86°F85°F85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F
Bangkir85°F85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F
Bitung86°F85°F86°F86°F88°F86°F86°F86°F88°F88°F88°F86°F
Bunaken Island85°F85°F85°F86°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F85°F
Buton86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F85°F83°F83°F85°F86°F86°F86°F
Kabaena86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F85°F83°F83°F85°F86°F86°F86°F
Kabawo85°F85°F85°F85°F86°F85°F85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F
Kolaka88°F88°F88°F86°F86°F83°F83°F85°F86°F90°F90°F90°F
Lembeh86°F85°F86°F86°F88°F86°F86°F86°F88°F88°F88°F86°F
Lolak90°F90°F90°F90°F88°F86°F86°F86°F88°F88°F90°F90°F
Luwuk86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F83°F83°F85°F86°F86°F86°F
Mamasa86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F86°F88°F88°F88°F86°F
Nuangan85°F85°F85°F86°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F85°F
Palopo88°F88°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F86°F88°F88°F88°F88°F
Palu88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F
Parepare88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F88°F90°F92°F90°F88°F
Pedongga88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F88°F

Legend:

perfect weather

good weather

tolerable weather

bad weather

very bad weather


About Sulawesi

What can I do on the island of Sulawesi?

Beaches / swimming

Nature and countryside

Culture and heritage

Sports

Family travel

Crafts / shopping

Gastronomy

Nightlife



Is this weather information for Sulawesi reliable?

Climate data for Sulawesi has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for Sulawesi allows us to determine the average for each month in Makassar, Manado, Kendari, Ampana, Bangkir, Bitung, Bunaken Island, Buton, and 29 other cities.

So yes: this data is reliable except in cases of temporary climate disruption in the region.

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