Best time to visit Zanzibar

• “The best time to visit Zanzibar is June to October, when it is cooler and drier” fernandestoursznz.com
• “The best time to visit Zanzibar is from June to October.” altezzatravel.com
• “The dry season: June to October” olympusadventure.com

5 of the 5 travel guides we read name these months.

1. January91°F / 76°F · 6 rainy daysChecking fares…Considered a good month, though hot, humid and cloudy.Very busy in the first days of January, then numbers drop off sharply.Hot and humid with calm seas and strong snorkelling at Mnemba.
2. February92°F / 76°F · 4 rainy daysChecking fares…Considered a good month, with medium visitor traffic.Sauti za Busara, the African music festival, usually takes over Stone Town in February.January and February are strong months for diving.Sauti za Busara
3. March91°F / 76°F · 11 rainy daysChecking fares…Considered a slightly less favourable month, with more rain and cloud.A shoulder month: heat builds and long-rain showers can arrive late in the month.
4. April87°F / 76°F · 18 rainy daysChecking fares…Among the wettest months, with heavy rain several days a week.Afternoon thunderstorms and long, heavy rains.
5. May86°F / 75°F · 14 rainy daysChecking fares…Some east coast restaurants close and boat trips are sometimes cancelled.Some hotels temporarily close in April and May.Very strong winds are possible from May to June.
6. Best timeJune85°F / 73°F · 5 rainy daysChecking fares…Fresh and green after the rains; the wind picks up.By June the heavy rains are over, giving dry, sunny beach weather.Zanzibar International Film Festival
7. Best timeJuly84°F / 72°F · 4 rainy daysChecking fares…One of the two busiest months, with European school holidays.Stone Town is far more comfortable to walk in July than in February.Mwaka Kogwa
8. Best timeAugust85°F / 70°F · 6 rainy daysChecking fares…One of the two busiest months, so book early.
9. Best timeSeptember87°F / 70°F · 5 rainy daysChecking fares…Called the sweet spot: dry, sunny, warm but not sticky, less crowded than August.
10. Best timeOctober88°F / 72°F · 7 rainy daysChecking fares…Dry and settled with fewer people than August; can be very still and hot by month end.Dry and settled, with fewer people than August.
11. November88°F / 74°F · 14 rainy daysChecking fares…Short, sharp showers and quieter roads.The short rains arrive, lighter and less predictable than the long rains.
12. December89°F / 75°F · 12 rainy daysChecking fares…Starts calm and builds to the very busy Christmas and New Year period.Peak over Christmas and New Year, then quieter through January.

Weather: Zanzibar City averages from NOAA (1991 to 2020 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.

• Sauti za BusaraStone Town, ZanzibarEvery February to March
• Zanzibar International Film FestivalStone Town, ZanzibarEvery June to July
• Mwaka KogwaMakunduchi, ZanzibarEvery July

What is high season in Zanzibar?

July and August, and mid-December to February, are the busiest windows, with Christmas and New Year the peak.

What is the cheapest time to go to Zanzibar?

April and May, during the long rains, are described as the quietest and cheapest months.

• Best Beaches in Zanzibar16 places

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