Zanzibar has a simpler answer than the mainland, because you are not chasing animals. You are chasing weather, and the weather runs on a schedule.
When is the best time to go to Zanzibar?
June to October is the safest choice: dry, sunny and a little cooler, and it lines up exactly with the best months for a mainland safari or a Kilimanjaro climb. That is not a coincidence, and it is why most of our guests end up on the island in that window.
December to February is the other good stretch, hotter and more humid, with the sea at its warmest. It suits people who want to swim more than walk.
What do the rains actually do?
The long rains, roughly March to May, are the one period we would steer you away from for a beach holiday. It is not that it rains constantly, but it rains hard, some places close for the season, and a week of it is a lot to gamble a honeymoon on.
The short rains around November and December are a different thing entirely. They tend to arrive as a heavy afternoon hour and then clear, the island is quiet, and the light afterwards is remarkable. If you are relaxed about an occasional wet afternoon, this is good value.
Does the wind matter?
It does if you are getting on the water. The island sits between two monsoon winds, and they set the season for sailing, diving and kitesurfing. Kitesurfers in particular plan their trips around this rather than around the sunshine, so if that is your reason for coming, ask before you book your dates.
What about the tides?
This surprises more people than the rain does. On the east coast the tide goes out a very long way, and for part of the day the swimming is walking. It is not a problem, it is simply how that coast works, and the beaches are extraordinary at any state of tide. But if uninterrupted swimming from your doorstep matters, that is a conversation to have before choosing which side of the island to stay on.
How does it fit with the rest of a Tanzania trip?
Neatly. The dry months are the best for the parks, the mountain and the coast at the same time, which is why the classic shape of climb, then safari, then island works so well between June and October.
Tell us when you can travel and we will tell you honestly what those weeks look like on the island, and whether we would put your beach days at the start or the end.
