Zanzibar · Tanzania
May
The long rains continue — still wet, still cheap, and still the wrong month for a beach trip.
Worth considering
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for Zanzibar — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
28°C
Low
22°C
Rain
258mm
Sun
5.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Zanzibar
Weather
Below average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Low
Atmosphere
Below average
What you gain in May
- ↑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
- ↑A few tour operators and kite schools start reopening toward the end of May as the rains ease; timing a late-May visit correctly can mean low prices and improving conditions
What you sacrifice
- ↓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
How May compares to June (best month)
| Factor | May | June ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 3 | 8 |
| Value | 8 | 7 |
| Crowds | 9 | 7 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Zanzibar, not across destinations. Methodology →