Zanzibar Travel Guide
Zanzibar in February
Quick answer
February is the hottest, calmest and driest of the warm months.
Zanzibar in February is hot, humid and mostly dry. Days reach 33.2°C, nights stay at 24.3°C, the sea is 28.8°C and rain averages 51 mm over 4 days, a fraction of what March brings. The north-east wind, the Kaskazi, is light. At Boutique Hotel Matlai February is high season (4 Jan to 28 Feb in 2027), and Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February.
| Air, day and night | 33.2°C / 24.3°C |
| Sea | 28.8°C on average |
| Rain | 51 mm on 4 days; 0 to 258 mm in 30 years |
| Wind | Kaskazi (north-east), light |
| Rate season | High: 4 Jan to 28 Feb (2027) |
| Good to know | Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February |
| Last verified | 26 October 2026 |
The numbers
What is the weather in Zanzibar in February?
February is the peak of the warm half of the year. The table shows January and March beside it, because the difference between them is the rain: February keeps January's dry feel and ends before the rains build. Daytime air is 33.2°C on average and the nights are 24.3°C. A rainy day here means 1 mm or more; February has 3.6 of them, and 1.4 days with 10 mm or more.
| Month | Day / night air °C | Rain (mm) and rainy days | Sea °C |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32.6 / 24.5 | 74 mm, 5.6 days | 28.4 |
| February | 33.2 / 24.3 | 51 mm, 3.6 days | 28.8 |
| March | 32.5 / 24.5 | 177 mm, 11.0 days | 29.4 |
Air and rain: WMO Climate Normals 1991-2020, Zanzibar (station 63870), published by NOAA, averages for 1991 to 2020. Sea: NOAA Coral Reef Watch 5 km daily sea surface temperature, mean of daily readings 2017 to 2025 for the 5 km cell off Michamvi Pingwe. Typical values, not a forecast.
One caution about where the air and rain numbers come from. The Zanzibar weather station sits at the airport on the west side of the island, about 35 km from our beach in a straight line. It is the nearest official long record, not a measurement taken here. Our own records say the south-east gets less rain than Stone Town and the middle of the island, but we have no measured figure to put against the station, so we print none.
The heat and the rain
How hot is it, and how wet can February be?
It is the hottest month by day in the record, 4.2°C warmer than July, and the Kaskazi, the north-east monsoon, is light enough that the heat sits on the island rather than moving through it. The pools are warmer than in the dry months, which suits guests who like heat and would be wasted on guests who like a cool plunge. If you want a fresh breeze, the Kusi months of June to September are the answer.
The rain is small but not zero. In 30 years the driest February had 0.0 mm and the wettest 257.6 mm, which is more than five times the average, so a wet fortnight is rare rather than impossible. The long rains come later: March already averages 177 mm on 11 days, and the UK government puts the rainy season on this coast from the end of March to May. If your dates are the last week of February, you are at the edge of the dry spell and the weather can turn early.
Sea, tide and seaweed
How warm is the sea, and what about the seaweed?
The sea off Michamvi Pingwe averages 28.8°C in February, from 27.4°C on the coolest day in the record to 30.3°C on the warmest. It is 2.6°C warmer than in July and keeps warming into March, at 29.4°C. Offshore, the big-fish season for tuna and marlin runs from October to March, according to the charter company our guests fish with.
Seaweed deserves a straight answer, because it is the objection we hear most about the east coast. Drift seaweed is somewhat more common from December to March, when the Kaskazi pushes it towards this coast, and it comes over the reef on the highest spring tides, around full and new moon. Some years those months pass with very little. Our beach is long and open rather than a bay, so the tide usually carries the weed out again within days, and staff clean the beach every evening. We do not promise a seaweed-free beach, and swimming is always possible. Our tide and seaweed calendar shows the spring tides month by month.
The tide itself ignores the calendar. You swim straight off the beach in the 2 to 4 hours around high tide, and at low tide you swim the channel to the Mchanga sandbank. The tide comes about 50 minutes later each day. Our tides and swimming guide explains the cycle, and every room has the tide table.
Price and crowds
What does February cost, and how busy is it?
February sits inside high season on our rate sheet. In 2027 high season runs from 4 Jan to 28 Feb and low season starts on 1 Mar. An Asili House double room is US$670 a night in high season and US$550 in low season, per room with half board, tax included; the Zanzibar infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night is extra. The full grid is on rooms and rates.
It is a busy month for couples and for safari travellers who finish on the coast, and a small hotel with six rooms can lose a whole date band to one booking. If you can move to the first days of March in 2027, the low-season rate applies from 1 Mar and the weather is still warm, though the rains are close.
Ramadan 2027
Does Ramadan overlap with February 2027?
Yes. Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 and to run to roughly the second week of March, with the exact start set by the moon sighting. At Matlai dinner and drinks at Zatiny stay as they are. Outside the gate, the villages go quieter by day, some independent restaurants shorten their hours, and we ask visitors to dress modestly and not to eat, drink or smoke visibly in public in daylight. The beaches are emptier than usual, which some guests choose it for. Everything practical is on Ramadan on Zanzibar's east coast.
Who it suits
Who should choose February, and who should not?
Choose February if you want heat, a warm sea, mostly dry days and a long beach day, and you can accept some humidity and the odd line of seaweed. It suits couples, families who want warm pools, and anyone pairing the coast with a safari: the Great Migration calendar shows what the herds are doing, because they decide the safari half of the trip. Choose another month if you want a cool breeze and the clearest water; June to September is better for both, and the best time to visit Zanzibar page sets all twelve months side by side.
Pack for heat: light cotton, a hat, strong sun cream and swimwear for the pool as well as the sea. Nothing formal. For a hotel on the south-east coast in particular, see the best time to visit Michamvi Pingwe, and compare coasts on where to stay in Zanzibar. This page is part of the Zanzibar travel guide.
Where these facts come from
Official sources
- NOAA and the World Meteorological Organization: Climate Normals 1991-2020, Zanzibar (station 63870): The monthly air temperature, rainfall and rainy-day averages for 1991 to 2020 at the Zanzibar airport station, which is on the west side of the island.
- NOAA Coral Reef Watch: daily 5 km sea surface temperature: The daily satellite sea temperature for the cell off Michamvi, averaged by month for 2017 to 2025 (2016 and 2022 not retrieved)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Tanzania safety and security: The rainy seasons (end of March to May, October to mid-December) and what heavy rain does to travel.
- Tanzania Meteorological Authority: The official forecasts for Unguja (Zanzibar) and the seasonal rainfall outlooks.
Checked on 26 October 2026. We link to the bodies that set the rules, not to summaries of them. Rules change: check the page itself before you travel.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
What guests ask before booking February, answered with the same sourced numbers as the table.
Is February a good time to visit Zanzibar?
Yes, if you want heat, a warm calm sea and mostly dry days. Days average 33.2°C, the sea 28.8°C and only about 4 days in the month bring 1 mm or more of rain. The costs are humidity, some drift seaweed on the beach now and then, and high-season prices. For cooler, breezier weather choose July or August.
Does it rain in Zanzibar in February?
A little. At the Zanzibar weather station February averages 51 mm on 4 days with 1 mm or more, and 1 days with 10 mm or more. In 30 years the driest February had 0.0 mm and the wettest 257.6 mm, so a wet one is possible. The long rains arrive after it: March already averages 177 mm.
How hot is Zanzibar in February?
It is the hottest month of the year: 33.2°C by day and 24.3°C at night, against 29.0°C by day in July. The north-east wind, the Kaskazi, is light, so the heat is humid. The pool is warmer than in the dry months, the sea is 28.8°C and a day by the water is easy.
Is there seaweed on the beach in February?
Somewhat more than in other months, though some years bring very little. Seaweed comes over the reef on the highest spring tides, around full and new moon, and the Kaskazi pushes more of it towards the east coast from December to March. Our beach is long and open, so the tide usually carries it out again within days, and staff clean the beach every evening. We never promise a seaweed-free beach, and swimming is always possible.
Is Ramadan in February 2027?
Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February 2027, a date confirmed only when the new moon is sighted, and to run to roughly the second week of March. Dinner and drinks at Zatiny stay as they are; the change is in the villages outside the gate. Our Ramadan page has the details.
Is February high season at Matlai?
Yes. In 2027 high season runs from 4 Jan to 28 Feb, and low season starts on 1 Mar. An Asili House double room is US$670 a night in high season, per room with half board, tax included. The Zanzibar infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night is extra.
Can I swim off the beach in February?
Yes, in the 2 to 4 hours around high tide, straight from the sand. At low tide you swim the channel to the Mchanga sandbank. The tide comes about 50 minutes later each day, and every room has the tide table.
Your stay at Matlai
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Why guests book Matlai
- A team of butlers on call, 07:00 to 22:00. One message and it is arranged.
- Half board with a chef’s menu that changes daily: three courses, plus two à la carte kitchens at every table, Zatiny (Indian Ocean fusion) and Duyên (Vietnamese).
- Dine where you like: in the restaurant, in the garden or on your own balcony. A private table by the beach or a candlelight dinner can be arranged at an extra charge.
- Six rooms in two villas, a pool for each villa, shared by its rooms, and every room facing the sunrise over the ocean.
- Bustani, the garden spa; the sandbank in front of the hotel at low tide; a quiet beach lined with small, family-owned hotels.
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