July brings 29°C daytime highs, 30mm of precipitation across about 2 wet days and 11.7 hours of daylight — best for beach days and swimming. The strongest run of the year is July to September. April is the quietest month: wetter, but peaceful, and still good for green season and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Zanzibar. Month ratings compare months within Zanzibar only — they are not a ranking of Zanzibar against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | July — Beach days, Swimming |
| Best 3-month window | July–September |
| Quietest month | April — Wetter, but peaceful |
| Driest month | July — 30mm |
| Wettest month | April — 320mm |
| Warmest / coolest | January 32°C / September 29°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 1650mm over roughly 110 rain days |
April gets roughly 967% more precipitation than July — 320mm against 30mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 3°C across the whole year (29–32°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
July is the driest month at 30mm across roughly 2 wet days, while April peaks at 320mm.
August is almost as good as July, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Zanzibar changes character completely through the year — July and April are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Zanzibar, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Zanzibar beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 60mm | 5 | 11h | 12.3h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| February | ★★★★★ | 32°C / 25°C | 50mm | 4 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| March | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 130mm | 10 | 5h | 12h | Beach days · Swimming |
| April | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 320mm | 24 | 4h | 11.9h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| May | ★★☆☆☆ | 30°C / 22°C | 280mm | 21 | 4h | 11.7h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| June | ★★★★☆ | 29°C / 22°C | 50mm | 4 | 5h | 11.6h | Beach days · Swimming |
| July | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 21°C | 30mm | 2 | 8h | 11.7h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 21°C | 30mm | 2 | 8h | 11.8h | Beach days · Swimming |
| September | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 22°C | 40mm | 3 | 8h | 12h | Beach days · Swimming |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 30°C / 22°C | 90mm | 7 | 9h | 12.1h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 200mm | 15 | 6h | 12.3h | Beach days · Swimming · Green season |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 170mm | 13 | 7h | 12.4h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | February | 11h daily sunshine, 32°C highs and only 4 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | July | 29°C highs with 11.7h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | February | 11h of sun and 12.2h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | February | Scores 73/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | July | 29°C highs and 21°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Zanzibar is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
July is the best all-round month in Zanzibar: 29°C highs, 30mm of precipitation and 11.7 hours of daylight, which suits beach days and swimming. The strongest three-month window is July to September.
April — 31°C highs, 320mm of precipitation over roughly 24 days and 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for green season and quiet and local.
July is the driest month at 30mm over about 2 rain days, against 320mm in April. Across the year Zanzibar records around 1650mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. July suits beach days and swimming, while April suits green season and quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 11.6 hours in June to 12.4 hours in December, calculated from the city's latitude.