The Federated States of Micronesia — Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae — stretch across 2,700 km of the western Pacific just north of the equator. The climate is tropical and humid, with temperatures consistently around 27–30°C year-round; the difference between months is mostly about rain and typhoon risk.
Drier season (January–March) is the best window for most visitors. Rainfall is lower, seas are calmer, and dive visibility is at its best — particularly important on Chuuk, where the WWII Japanese fleet wrecks in the lagoon are the country's main draw.
Shoulder (April–June) remains good for diving and surfacing weather is still mostly fine.
Wet season (July–November) brings the rains. They are heavy but typically short, and dive operators continue running. Typhoon risk runs roughly August–December, with most storms tracking toward the Philippines but occasionally crossing the FSM.
The Yap Day cultural festival in early March, with traditional dancing, stone-money exhibitions, and canoe demonstrations, is the country's biggest cultural event.
International access is mostly via the Island Hopper (United Airlines route from Honolulu via Majuro, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Guam) — bookable as separate stops, the only way to see the whole country in one trip.