When is the best time to go to Zanzibar?

When is the best time to go to Zanzibar? Here's some information to help you in your decision:

  • In Zanzibar, the weather is good everywhere in January, February, June, July, August, September and October
  • The best months to go to Stone Town are January, February, June, July, August, September, October and November
  • On average, the warmest months in Stone Town are January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December
  • April is the wettest month in this city
  • The cities with the best climate are Kilindoni (Mafia Island), Bweni, Chole Bay and Utende, with good weather at least 9 months a year
  • The best months for swimming in Stone Town are January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November and December


Where and when to go based on the weather?

Mafia
Kilindoni (Mafia Island), Utende, Chole Bay...

January, February, June, July, August, September, October, November and December
83°F to 90°F°C
2 to 11 days
79°F to 85°F
March and May
85°F to 90°F°C
13 to 15 days
85°F to 86°F
April
86°F
20 days
86°F

Pemba
Wete (Pemba Island), Chake Chake, Mkoani...

February
85°F
4 days
85°F
January, June, July, August, September and October
79°F to 85°F°C
4 to 9 days
79°F to 85°F
March, November and December
85°F to 86°F°C
13 to 15 days
83°F to 86°F
April and May
83°F to 85°F°C
21 to 24 days
85°F to 86°F

Unguja
Stone Town, Nungwi (Unguja Island), Pingwe...

January, February, June, July, August, September, October and November
81°F to 86°F°C
4 to 12 days
79°F to 85°F
March, May and December
85°F to 88°F°C
14 to 19 days
85°F to 86°F
April
86°F
23 days
85°F to 86°F

Best time to travel to Zanzibar by cities

Chargement en cours
Mafia Mafia Pemba Pemba Unguja Unguja

See full list of cities


Temperatures and rainfall in Zanzibar

On these 3 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of Zanzibar and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Stone Town, Nungwi (Unguja Island), Wete (Pemba Island), Chake Chake and Kilindoni (Mafia Island), as well as the month-by-month sea temperature for coastal cities.


Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons in Zanzibar

Find out when Zanzibar 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 in Zanzibar

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

  • Very low season in Zanzibar: April and May.
  • Low season in Zanzibar: March, June and July.
  • High season in Zanzibar: January, February, September, October and November.
  • Peak season in Zanzibar: August and December.

Figure: Visitor index for Zanzibar month by month




Where to go in Zanzibar?

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.
Stone Town86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Nungwi (Unguja Island)86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Wete (Pemba Island)85°F85°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F79°F81°F83°F85°F85°F
Chake Chake85°F85°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F79°F81°F83°F85°F85°F
Kilindoni (Mafia Island)88°F90°F90°F86°F85°F85°F83°F85°F86°F88°F90°F90°F
Bawe Island86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Bwejuu86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Bweni88°F90°F90°F86°F85°F85°F83°F85°F86°F88°F90°F90°F
Changuu (Prison island)86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Chapwani Island86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Chole Bay88°F90°F90°F86°F85°F85°F83°F85°F86°F88°F90°F90°F
Chumbe Island86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Chwaka86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Fumba86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Jambiani86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Jozani86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Kangani85°F85°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F79°F81°F83°F85°F85°F
Kendwa86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Kiwengwa86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F
Kizimkazi86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F83°F81°F81°F83°F85°F86°F86°F

Legend:

perfect weather

good weather

tolerable weather

bad weather

very bad weather


About Zanzibar

What can I do in Zanzibar?

Beaches / swimming

Nature and countryside

Culture and heritage

Sports

Family travel

Crafts / shopping

Gastronomy

Nightlife



Is this weather information for Zanzibar reliable?

Climate data for Zanzibar has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for Zanzibar allows us to determine the average for each month in Stone Town, Nungwi (Unguja Island), Wete (Pemba Island), Chake Chake, Kilindoni (Mafia Island), Bawe Island, Bwejuu, Bweni, and 24 other cities.

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

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