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Best time to visit Monkey Mia

April to OctoberAnd the dolphins come in all year.

Any month for the dolphins, and April to October for the most comfortable days. The wild dolphins come into the shallows at Monkey Mia most mornings all year round, so the season is about the weather around them. Denham averages 29°C in April and 26°C in October, with 22 to 23°C days from June to August, and September to December is almost rainless, at 2 to 8mm a month. October to April is swimming weather, peaking at 32°C in February. Four days from Perth, with a night at the dolphin resort on the beach, is from $1,299.

Checked on 28 October 2026.

Monkey Mia is on Shark Bay, a long way up the coast from Perth, and it is warm and dry for most of the year. The dolphins do not keep a season, so there is no wrong month to go. The real choice is between swimming weather and walking weather.

Monkey Mia month by month

MonthDayNightRainWhat it gives you
January31°C22°C7mmSwimming weather. Long, hot beach days
February32°C23°C16mmThe warmest month. Peak swimming
March31°C22°C14mmStill summer on the water
April29°C20°C14mmA sweet spot. Warm water, gentler days
May26°C16°C36mmMild and clear. Quieter beaches
June23°C14°C54mmT-shirt days while Perth is in winter
July22°C13°C39mmThe mildest days. Fewer flies, emptier beach
August23°C13°C22mmDrying out, and still mild
September24°C15°C8mmA sweet spot. Dry, mild and clear
October26°C17°C6mmA sweet spot. Warm days, and the water warming up
November28°C19°C3mmSwimming weather, almost no rain
December29°C20°C2mmThe driest month. Summer starts

Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Denham (station 006044), the town nearest Monkey Mia, from 34 years of records.

What each season is for

Summer. December to March

  • Swimming weather29 to 32°C by day and warm nights around 20 to 23°C.
  • Almost no rainin December and January, at 2 and 7mm.
  • The dolphin encounter is first thing in the morning, before the heat of the day, and the beach is there for the rest of it.

Autumn. April and May

  • April is many people's favourite29°C, 14mm of rain and the sea still warm from summer.
  • May eases to 26°C by day, ideal for the walks and lookouts around the bay.

Winter. June to August

  • 22 to 23°C by dayand the reason people drive north out of Perth's winter.
  • Nights drop to 13 to 14°Cso bring a layer for the evening.
  • June is the wettest month at 54mmwhich is still very little.
  • Fewer flies and an emptier beachfor the morning dolphins.

Spring. September to November

  • The driest stretch of the year3 to 8mm of rain a month.
  • Days warm from 24°C in September to 28°C in November, and the water warms with them.

So when would we go?

  • April, September or Octoberif you can pick freely: warm, dry and comfortable all day.
  • December to Marchfor swimming and the longest beach days.
  • June to Augustto swap Perth's winter for t-shirt days.
  • Any month for the dolphinswhich come in most mornings year round, managed by Parks and Wildlife rangers.

Be there in the morning

The dolphins come in early, so where you sleep matters more than the month. Every trip below spends the night at Monkey Mia itself, and the eight day comfort trip spends two. There is more on the encounter and the rest of Shark Bay on our is Monkey Mia worth visiting page, and on the winter months on is Monkey Mia t-shirt weather in winter.

TripLengthStarts and finishesFrom
4 Day Perth to Monkey Mia4 days, 3 nightsPerth / Perth$1299
6 Day Perth to Exmouth6 days, 5 nightsPerth / Exmouth$1449
7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Return7 days, 6 nightsPerth / Perth$1699
8 Day Perth to Exmouth in Comfort8 days, 7 nightsPerth / Exmouth$4099

The four day trip sleeps in private rooms with ensuites, including a night at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort on the beach. Prices update on their own.

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Where this comes from. Temperatures and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Denham, station 006044, from 34 years of records. The ranger-managed dolphin encounter is the published position of the WA Parks and Wildlife Service. Trip lengths, where each trip sleeps and prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own.