Best time to visit Zanzibar

July is the best month in Zanzibar, scoring 94 out of 100, with March the weakest at 52. The 42-point spread means timing is worth planning around without being decisive. The good window runs June to September — 4 months within ten points of the best.

March is the warmest month at 29.9 °C and July the coolest at 27 °C — a 2.9 °C spread across the year. Around 56 days a year top 30 °C, concentrated in March and the months either side.

There is a real wet season here. March to May carry the rain — up to 26 wet days in a month — while June to September drop as low as 4. That 22-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in Zanzibar, and it moves further than the temperature does.

The sea never drops below 25.6 °C, so swimming is on the table year round. Daylight barely moves: about 12.5 hours whatever the month, which removes one variable from the decision entirely.

The three strongest months are July, August, September. The one to think twice about is March. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight, sea temperature and crowd levels.

Zanzibar month by month