Zanzibar · Month comparison
May vs June
June ranks #1 overall vs May at #11. The dry season opens — whale sharks arrive, ZIFF kicks off, and Zanzibar is at its most rewarding.
May
#11 of 12 months
Worth considering
The long rains continue — still wet, still cheap, and still the wrong month for a beach trip.
- ↑Rainfall begins easing from April's peak and temperatures drop slightly to a more comfortable 28°C — the tail end of the long rains is marginally more tolerable than April even if still wet
- ↑Budget accommodation at exceptional rates continues — for safari-and-beach combinations where the beach days are treated as secondary, May offers the cheapest possible Zanzibar extension
June
#1 of 12 months
Best match
The dry season opens — whale sharks arrive, ZIFF kicks off, and Zanzibar is at its most rewarding.
- ↑Whale shark season begins (June–September) — snorkelling with whale sharks off the south coast near Diani is one of East Africa's most extraordinary wildlife encounters, and Zanzibar is one of the most reliable locations in the world for it
- ↑Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) runs in late June to early July — Stone Town's Old Fort hosts outdoor screenings, concerts, and cultural events in what is the island's most important annual event after Sauti za Busara
| Factor | May | June |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 3 | 8 |
| Value score | 8 | 7 |
| Crowd score | 9 | 7 |
| Events score | 2 | 8 |
| Atmosphere | 3 | 7 |
| Avg high temp | 28°C | 27°C |
| Monthly rain | 258mm | 42mm |
| Daily sunshine | 5.5hrs | 7.8hrs |
May trade-offs
- ↓258mm of rain — still the long rainy season; May is not meaningfully better than April for beach purposes and the same infrastructure closures apply across most of the island
- ↓The combination of rain, humidity, and overcast skies makes Zanzibar in May feel oppressive rather than tropical; this is not the Indian Ocean paradise of the brochures
- ↓Mosquito and insect populations peak during and immediately after the rainy season — health precautions including antimalarials and repellent are non-negotiable
June trade-offs
- ↓It's the coolest month of the year by Zanzibar standards at 27°C — still warm, but the evenings can feel genuinely cool for those acclimatised to tropical heat; bring a light layer for Stone Town evenings
- ↓The south-east trade winds (kaskazi) blow through June with some strength — excellent for kite surfers but creating choppier conditions for snorkelling on exposed reefs
- ↓ZIFF brings a spike in Stone Town accommodation demand in its specific week — book ahead for the festival period
Scores compare months within Zanzibar. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →