Climate and average weather in Zanzibar
In Zanzibar, the weather is muggy, hot, wet, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near hot levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around April.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Zanzibar typically varies from 23°C to 30°C, and is rarely below 22°C or above 32°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Zanzibar for warm-weather activities is from late May to mid October.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 30°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 23°
- Wettest
- Apr
- 200 mm
- Driest
- Sep
- 19 mm
- Rain / yr
- 873 mm
- 159 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.6–12.4 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 14 m
- 6.2°S
- Clearest
- Sep
- 36% cloud
Zanzibar is city in Tanzania.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Zanzibar weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to mid October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Zanzibar, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Zanzibar stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 30°C and low of 27°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 23°C and high of 27°C.
Days typically run about 4°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Avg low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 27 |
| Feb | 30 | 27 |
| Mar | 30 | 26 |
| Apr | 29 | 25 |
| May | 28 | 25 |
| Jun | 28 | 24 |
| Jul | 27 | 23 |
| Aug | 27 | 23 |
| Sep | 28 | 23 |
| Oct | 29 | 24 |
| Nov | 29 | 25 |
| Dec | 30 | 26 |
How hot and cold Zanzibar really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Zanzibar feels like about 36°C (around March 18). About 195 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in March.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 34 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 35 |
| Air high (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Air low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 30 | 26 | 27 |
| Feb | 35 | 30 | 27 | 27 |
| Mar | 36 | 30 | 26 | 26 |
| Apr | 34 | 29 | 25 | 25 |
| May | 31 | 28 | 25 | 25 |
| Jun | 30 | 28 | 24 | 24 |
| Jul | 29 | 27 | 23 | 23 |
| Aug | 29 | 27 | 23 | 23 |
| Sep | 30 | 28 | 23 | 23 |
| Oct | 32 | 29 | 24 | 24 |
| Nov | 33 | 29 | 25 | 25 |
| Dec | 35 | 30 | 26 | 26 |
Average hourly temperature in Zanzibar
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 30°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 23°C.
Zanzibar weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 27° | 44 | 9.7 | 12.3 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 30° / 27° | 36 | 7.7 | 12.2 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 30° / 26° | 122 | 21 | 12 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 29° / 25° | 200 | 25.5 | 11.9 | 3.5 |
| May | 28° / 25° | 146 | 18.9 | 11.7 | 5.0 |
| Jun | 28° / 24° | 35 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 27° / 23° | 22 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 27° / 23° | 21 | 6.2 | 11.8 | 7.2 |
| Sep | 28° / 23° | 19 | 5.4 | 12 | 7.1 |
| Oct | 29° / 24° | 52 | 9.8 | 12.1 | 5.9 |
| Nov | 29° / 25° | 84 | 18 | 12.3 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 30° / 26° | 93 | 20.3 | 12.4 | 4.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Zanzibar gets about 873 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.0 months, from around Mar 1 to May 30, peaking in April at about 86% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 4.
April is the wettest month by volume, with 200 mm over about 26 wet days; September is the driest, with 19 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 32 | 29 | 67 | 84 | 60 | 33 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 32 | 60 | 64 |
| Rain days | 10 | 8 | 21 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 20 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 10 |
| Feb | 29 | 8 |
| Mar | 67 | 21 |
| Apr | 84 | 26 |
| May | 60 | 19 |
| Jun | 33 | 10 |
| Jul | 22 | 6 |
| Aug | 20 | 6 |
| Sep | 19 | 5 |
| Oct | 32 | 10 |
| Nov | 60 | 18 |
| Dec | 64 | 20 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Zanzibar collects about 873 mm of rain across 159 wet days — roughly 73 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 200 mm, while September is the driest at just 19 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 54% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 44 | 36 | 122 | 200 | 146 | 35 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 52 | 84 | 93 |
| Rain days | 10 | 8 | 21 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 20 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 10 |
| Feb | 36 | 8 |
| Mar | 122 | 21 |
| Apr | 200 | 26 |
| May | 146 | 19 |
| Jun | 35 | 10 |
| Jul | 22 | 6 |
| Aug | 21 | 6 |
| Sep | 19 | 5 |
| Oct | 52 | 10 |
| Nov | 84 | 18 |
| Dec | 93 | 20 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Zanzibar, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 25 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around December 14. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 89% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around December 15 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around May 24. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 58% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 61 | 59 | 54 | 42 | 60 | 70 | 71 | 80 | 89 | 83 | 71 | 67 |
| Cloudier (%) | 39 | 41 | 46 | 58 | 40 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 11 | 17 | 29 | 33 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 39 |
| Feb | 59 | 41 |
| Mar | 54 | 46 |
| Apr | 42 | 58 |
| May | 60 | 40 |
| Jun | 70 | 30 |
| Jul | 71 | 29 |
| Aug | 80 | 20 |
| Sep | 89 | 11 |
| Oct | 83 | 17 |
| Nov | 71 | 29 |
| Dec | 67 | 33 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 12 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around June 11, only 11 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 0 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.3 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 11.9 | 11.7 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 12.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:23 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:27 | 6:28 | 6:34 | 6:39 | 6:33 | 6:19 | 6:04 | 6:00 | 6:09 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:42 | 6:44 | 6:34 | 6:19 | 6:11 | 6:13 | 6:19 | 6:21 | 6:17 | 6:12 | 6:17 | 6:30 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.3 | 6:23 | 6:42 |
| Feb | 12.2 | 6:32 | 6:44 |
| Mar | 12.0 | 6:32 | 6:34 |
| Apr | 11.9 | 6:27 | 6:19 |
| May | 11.7 | 6:28 | 6:11 |
| Jun | 11.6 | 6:34 | 6:13 |
| Jul | 11.7 | 6:39 | 6:19 |
| Aug | 11.8 | 6:33 | 6:21 |
| Sep | 12.0 | 6:19 | 6:17 |
| Oct | 12.1 | 6:04 | 6:12 |
| Nov | 12.3 | 6:00 | 6:17 |
| Dec | 12.4 | 6:09 | 6:30 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Zanzibar averages about 13 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 21 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.7 months, from around Jul 24 to Nov 14. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 20 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is April, down near 5 sunny days — about 73% fewer than the September peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 13 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 14 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Mixed |
| Feb | 10 | Mixed |
| Mar | 9 | Mixed |
| Apr | 5 | Gloomy |
| May | 11 | Mixed |
| Jun | 13 | Mixed |
| Jul | 14 | Mixed |
| Aug | 16 | Bright |
| Sep | 20 | Bright |
| Oct | 19 | Bright |
| Nov | 13 | Mixed |
| Dec | 14 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
Zanzibar is humid all year round — on a typical day the air feels at least humid, and there is no real dry season to wait for.
The stickiest month is January, when it feels muggy, oppressive or miserable about 100% of the time. Even in January, the mildest month, the air is dry or comfortable only 0% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 70 | 81 | 65 | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 72 | 69 | 39 | 49 | 85 | 67 | 28 | 18 | 35 | 73 | 78 | 59 |
| Miserable (%) | 28 | 31 | 61 | 51 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 41 |
| Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 | 72 | 28 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 | 69 | 31 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 | 39 | 61 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 | 49 | 51 |
| May | 0 | 3 | 85 | 11 |
| Jun | 1 | 32 | 67 | 0 |
| Jul | 3 | 70 | 28 | 0 |
| Aug | 1 | 81 | 18 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 65 | 35 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 25 | 73 | 1 |
| Nov | 0 | 3 | 78 | 19 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 | 59 | 41 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Zanzibar is typically light breeze, near 14 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.4 months, from around Apr 26 to Sep 5. The windiest month is July, averaging about 16 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Feb 20 to Apr 25, with March the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | light breeze |
| Feb | 14 | light breeze |
| Mar | 11 | calm |
| Apr | 12 | light breeze |
| May | 15 | light breeze |
| Jun | 16 | light breeze |
| Jul | 16 | light breeze |
| Aug | 14 | light breeze |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 12 | light breeze |
| Nov | 10 | calm |
| Dec | 13 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Zanzibar
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Zanzibar sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Zanzibar's rainy season runs March–May, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Zanzibar
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Zanzibar throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early June, Zanzibar is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Zanzibar for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to mid October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.2 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | good | good | good | good | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.2 | fair |
| Feb | 5.1 | fair |
| Mar | 3.8 | fair |
| Apr | 3.5 | fair |
| May | 5.0 | fair |
| Jun | 6.5 | good |
| Jul | 7.1 | good |
| Aug | 7.2 | good |
| Sep | 7.1 | good |
| Oct | 5.9 | good |
| Nov | 4.5 | fair |
| Dec | 4.2 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Zanzibar for hot-weather activities run from early January to late February and again from late May to early November, with a peak score in the third week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Zanzibar, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Zanzibar packs about the same all year — highs hold near 30°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In February, Zanzibar sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Zanzibar
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Tropical |
| Feb | 29 | Tropical |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 28 | Tropical |
| Jun | 27 | Warm |
| Jul | 26 | Warm |
| Aug | 26 | Warm |
| Sep | 26 | Warm |
| Oct | 27 | Warm |
| Nov | 28 | Warm |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index (midday) in Zanzibar by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Zanzibar peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 9 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Zanzibar
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in March the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8 | 6 |
| May | 7.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 7 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 8 | 6 |
| Dec | 8 | 6 |
Air quality in Zanzibar by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Zanzibar is worst in January — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 13 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 13 | Moderate |
Growing season
Zanzibar is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Zanzibar banks about 6,106 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 561 | 513 | 562 | 512 | 506 | 470 | 468 | 468 | 469 | 511 | 515 | 553 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 561 |
| Feb | 513 |
| Mar | 562 |
| Apr | 512 |
| May | 506 |
| Jun | 470 |
| Jul | 468 |
| Aug | 468 |
| Sep | 469 |
| Oct | 511 |
| Nov | 515 |
| Dec | 553 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Zanzibar receives about 5.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.3 and 6.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.7 months, from around Aug 29 to Mar 20. The brightest month is February, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is May, down near 4.4 kWh/m² — roughly 30% less than the February peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.2 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 6.0 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Bright | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.2 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.3 | Intense |
| Mar | 5.6 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.6 | Bright |
| May | 4.4 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.7 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.7 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.2 | Bright |
| Sep | 5.8 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.0 | Intense |
| Nov | 5.9 | Bright |
| Dec | 6.0 | Intense |
Where is Zanzibar?
Zanzibar sits at 6.2°S, 39.2°E, 14 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Bagamoyo, 45 km away.
What Zanzibar looks like
Topography around Zanzibar
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Zanzibar.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Zanzibar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 46 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 347 m.
The land around Zanzibar is covered by water (53%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, water (58%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and water (61%) within 80 km.
Tanzania travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type D / G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 29% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $1,319
- 2025
- Happiness
- 3.9 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 31%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 3.7
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 31.1
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 479
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Zanzibar (-6.1639°, 39.1979°, elevation 14 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).