Best time for a Beach Holiday in Zanzibar – Best months to visit Zanzibar
Best time for a beach holiday in Zanzibar – Zanzibar Island is best visited from June to October where it is much cooler and dry months of spring. The other popular time to visit this tropical island is from December to February where it is hot and dry. The African beach holiday means sun-drenched shores palm-fringed beaches and glorious sunsets – expect all this and more on a Zanzibar beach escape.
There are two best times to scuba dive off the coast of Zanzibar Island is in July and August and in February and March. Diving off the North Coast is particularly good from June to October and off the south coast between November and March.
At Great Adventure Safaris, we don’t recommend visiting Zanzibar during the two rainy seasons, from mid-March to late May and again in November. The best time to go to Zanzibar will depend on many things including your interests, exactly where you want to visit, and why you are traveling. One person’s best time can be another’s worst! For an African beach holiday, the weather and climate is generally the most important factor.
The broad guide to the climate of Zanzibar Island gives you information and remembers that this comes from records and our experience. Weather patterns across Africa are becoming increasingly unpredictable, probably due to global warming; we’re seeing downpours in the middle of deserts and damaging droughts when rains should be falling.
The south of the Equator line, Zanzibar Island’s weather pattern follows that of Tanzania very closely, although always tends to be a little more humid and occasional rain in the dry season is less uncommon than in the heart of the mainland of Tanzania.
Generally, the main rainy season, or the ‘long rains’, lasts during March, April, and May. Afternoon tropical downpours are the norm which can be heavy on any of the islands. The humidity is high and daily temperatures reach the low-mid 30°s.
The long dry season, when rainfall is fairly unusual, lasts throughout June, July, August, September, and October. Temperatures vary hugely with altitude and location, but it’s usually a fine, clear sky and sunny weather it is a great time to visit Zanzibar. During November and December, there’s another rainy season, the ‘short rains’. These are much lighter than the main rains and less reliable.
If it has rained during the short rains, then it normally dries up for a few months, January and February, which is Tanzania’s ‘short dry season’, before starting to rain again in earnest in March.
Looking at the climate in Zanzibar, we mainly refer to the main island Unguja, where there are numerous first-class hotels and beach resorts in addition to Stone Town, which is well worth seeing. Nevertheless, our climate tables and recommendations also apply to all other islands of the Zanzibar archipelago. In principle, a strongly tropical climate prevails due to its location near the Equator line.
This is characterized by high temperatures all year round with values above 29 °C (during the day); even at night the thermometer never falls below 18 °C during the year. The Indian Ocean is bathing all year round with water temperatures between 25 °C in August and 30 °C in March. The weather is determined by two dry seasons and two rainy seasons in Zanzibar.
The short rainy season lies with the onset of the Kaskazi monsoon in November and December with rather light rains, whereby especially the second half of December around Christmas can be very pleasant again. The great Zanzibar rainy season from mid-March to the end of May is much more pronounced, the weather is now very changeable and some hotels are closing temporarily.
Wildebeest migration with a Zanzibar trip
You can combine a Wildebeest migration safari and spend some time on Zanzibar’s beaches with a visit to northern Tanzania. This breath-taking spectacle can be seen at any time of year provided you know where to look. Over one million wildebeests, escorted by zebra and gazelle, criss-cross the Serengeti National Park in search of fresh grasslands and water. The animal’s migration is predictable to some extent, depending on the rainfall. Contact Great Adventure Safaris for details about the Wildebeest migration, and about when and where to go to get the best out of your African safari holiday.