Zanzibar Travel Guide
Zanzibar in January
Quick answer
January is hot, humid and mostly dry.
Zanzibar in January is hot, humid and mostly dry. Days reach 32.6°C, nights stay at 24.5°C, the sea is 28.4°C and rain averages 74 mm over 6 days. The north-east wind, the Kaskazi, is light. At Boutique Hotel Matlai the first three nights of 2027 are festive, and high season runs from 4 Jan to 28 Feb.
| Air, day and night | 32.6°C / 24.5°C |
| Sea | 28.4°C on average |
| Rain | 74 mm on 6 days; 0 to 277 mm in 30 years |
| Wind | Kaskazi (north-east), light |
| Rate season | Festive 1 Jan to 3 Jan, then high to 28 Feb (2027) |
| Good to know | Some drift seaweed is possible; never promised away |
| Last verified | 31 October 2026 |
The numbers
What is the weather in Zanzibar in January?
January sits in the warm half of the year, after the short rains of November and December. The table shows December and February beside it, because the difference between them is the rain. Daytime air is 32.6°C on average and the nights are 24.5°C. A rainy day here means 1 mm or more; January has 5.6 of them, and 2.2 days with 10 mm or more.
| Month | Day / night air °C | Rain (mm) and rainy days | Sea °C |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | 31.8 / 24.0 | 168 mm, 12.2 days | 28.7 |
| January | 32.6 / 24.5 | 74 mm, 5.6 days | 28.4 |
| February | 33.2 / 24.3 | 51 mm, 3.6 days | 28.8 |
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.
The air and rain figures come from the weather station at Zanzibar airport, on the west side of the island and about 35 km from our beach in a straight line. It is the nearest official long record, not a reading taken here. We have no measured figure for the south-east, so we print none.
Heat and showers
How hot is January, and can it rain?
January is 3.6°C warmer by day than July, and only a little cooler than February, the hottest month in the record. The Kaskazi, the north-east monsoon, is light, so the heat is humid rather than breezy. If you want a fresh wind and the clearest water, the Kusi months of June to September suit you better.
The rain is small but not zero. In 30 years the driest January had 0 mm and the wettest 276.5 mm, so a wet fortnight is possible. When it comes, tropical rain tends to arrive as an afternoon burst that clears within the hour. Keep a spare day before an international flight, and read the Tanzania Meteorological Authority forecast in the week you travel.
Sea, tide and seaweed
How warm is the sea, and will there be seaweed?
The sea off Michamvi Pingwe averages 28.4°C in January, from 26.8°C on the coolest day in the record to 29.6°C on the warmest. That is 2.2°C warmer than in July. Offshore, the big-fish season for tuna and marlin runs from October to March, according to the charter company our guests fish with.
Seaweed is the objection we hear most about the east coast, so here is the plain version. 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. The 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. Our tides and swimming guide explains the cycle.
Price and crowds
What does January cost at Matlai?
The first three nights of 2027 (1 Jan to 3 Jan) are festive nights on our rate sheet, and high season follows from 4 Jan to 28 Feb. An Asili House double room is US$770 a night on the festive nights and US$670 in high 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.
The turn of the year is the busiest stretch of the winter, and a small hotel with six rooms can lose a whole date band to one booking. The Christmas and New Year page covers the festive weeks.
Who it suits
Who should choose January, and who should not?
Choose January if you want heat, a warm sea and long beach days in the northern winter, and you can accept humidity and the odd line of seaweed. It suits couples, families who want warm pools, and anyone pairing the coast with a safari. 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. Zanzibar in February is the drier neighbour.
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. This page is part of the Zanzibar travel guide.
Planning around the weather? Match the month to the coast in our guide to the best beaches in Zanzibar, which explains what the tide does on each.
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.
- Auswärtiges Amt: Tansania, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise: Germany's travel advice, including its outlook of above-average rain in parts of Tanzania from October to December 2026 (version of 26 October 2026)
- Tanzania Meteorological Authority: The official forecasts for Unguja (Zanzibar) and the seasonal rainfall outlooks.
Checked on 31 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 January, answered with the same sourced numbers as the table.
Is January a good time to visit Zanzibar?
Yes, if you want heat, a warm sea and mostly dry days. Days average 32.6°C, the sea 28.4°C and about 6 days in the month bring 1 mm or more of rain. The costs are humidity, some drift seaweed now and then and high-season prices. For cooler, breezier weather choose June to September.
Does it rain in Zanzibar in January?
A little. At the Zanzibar weather station January averages 74 mm on 6 days with 1 mm or more. In 30 years the driest January had 0 mm and the wettest 276.5 mm, so a wet one happens. The short rains of November and December are behind you, and the long rains of April and May are still ahead.
How hot is Zanzibar in January?
Hot and humid: 32.6°C by day and 24.5°C at night, against 29.0°C by day in July. The north-east wind, the Kaskazi, is light, so the heat sits on the island. The pools are warmer than in the dry months and the sea is 28.4°C.
Is there seaweed on the beach in January?
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 January high season at Matlai?
Yes. In 2027 the nights of 1 Jan to 3 Jan are festive, and high season runs from 4 Jan to 28 Feb. An Asili House double room is US$770 a night on the festive nights and US$670 in high season, per room with half board, tax included. The Zanzibar infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night is extra.
Is January wetter than February?
Slightly. January averages 74 mm against 51 mm in February, and 6 rainy days against 4. February is the drier of the two, and March is when the long rains start to build.
Can I swim off the beach in January?
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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