Zanzibar Travel Guide
Zanzibar in March
Quick answer
March has the warmest sea and the first of the long rains.
Zanzibar in March is hot, humid and increasingly showery. Days reach 32.5°C, nights stay at 24.5°C, the sea is 29.4°C, the warmest of the year, and rain averages 177 mm over 11 days as the long rains begin. At Boutique Hotel Matlai low season starts on 1 Mar in 2027.
| Air, day and night | 32.5°C / 24.5°C |
| Sea | 29.4°C on average, the warmest month |
| Rain | 177 mm on 11 days; never a dry March in 30 years |
| Wind | Kaskazi (north-east), last month of the season |
| Rate season | Low from 1 Mar (2027) |
| Good to know | The long rains start to build; Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027 |
| Last verified | 31 October 2026 |
The numbers
What is the weather in Zanzibar in March?
March is the hinge between the dry warm months and the long rains. The table puts February and April beside it, because the story is the rain: 51 mm in February, 177 mm in March and 409 mm in April. Daytime air is 32.5°C on average and the nights are 24.5°C. A rainy day here means 1 mm or more; March has 11.0 of them, and 5.1 days with 10 mm or more.
| Month | Day / night air °C | Rain (mm) and rainy days | Sea °C |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 33.2 / 24.3 | 51 mm, 3.6 days | 28.8 |
| March | 32.5 / 24.5 | 177 mm, 11.0 days | 29.4 |
| April | 30.6 / 24.5 | 409 mm, 17.5 days | 29.1 |
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, and we have no measured figure for the south-east to put against it.
The rain
Is March wet all day, or only some of it?
March is rarely a washout and rarely dry. In 30 years the driest March still had 29.9 mm and the wettest 425 mm, so the month always brings some rain and the amount swings widely from year to year. The UK government gives the rainy seasons on the Tanzanian coast as the end of March to May, so the last days of the month are the ones most likely to turn.
Tropical rain on this coast tends to arrive as a burst that clears within the hour, and with 11 wet days in the month you should plan on a shower on roughly every third day. Keep a spare day before an international flight, because heavy rain can slow roads and flights, and read the Tanzania Meteorological Authority forecast in the week you travel.
Sea and beach
How warm is the sea in March?
The sea off Michamvi Pingwe reaches 29.4°C in March, from 27.9°C to 30.8°C in the daily readings, the warmest month in the record and 3.2°C above July. The big-fish season for tuna and marlin runs from October to March, according to the charter company our guests fish with.
The tide ignores the month. 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. Drift seaweed is somewhat more common until March, arrives on the highest spring tides and can be absent altogether, so we never promise a seaweed-free beach. The tide and seaweed calendar lists the spring tides, and our tides and swimming guide explains the cycle.
Price, Ramadan and Easter
What does March cost, and what else falls in it?
In 2027 high season ends on 28 Feb and low season runs from 1 Mar to 14 Jun. An Asili House double room is US$550 a night in low season 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.
Two dates shape March 2027. Ramadan is expected to run to roughly the second week of March, with the exact end set by the moon sighting; Ramadan on Zanzibar's east coast has the practical detail. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, and the Easter whole-villa page has the rates and the dates the hotel is open.
Who it suits
Who should choose March, and who should not?
Choose March if you want a very warm sea, a green island and a lower rate, and you can enjoy a book on the terrace while a shower passes. It suits couples and travellers who flex their dates. Choose another month if you need dry days for a fixed week: February is drier, June to September far drier, and the best time to visit Zanzibar page sets all twelve months side by side. For what follows, see Zanzibar in April and May.
Pack light clothes, a thin rain layer, sun cream and sandals you do not mind getting wet. 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 March, answered with the same sourced numbers as the table.
Is March a good time to visit Zanzibar?
It can be, if you accept showers in exchange for the warmest sea of the year and lower prices. Days average 32.5°C, the sea 29.4°C, and about 11 days in the month bring 1 mm or more of rain. It is not the month for guaranteed dry weather: February is drier and June to September is far drier.
Is March the rainy season in Zanzibar?
It is the edge of it. The UK government gives the rainy seasons on the Tanzanian coast as the end of March to May and October to mid-December, with a length that varies. March is where the long rains start to build.
How much does it rain in Zanzibar in March?
On average 177 mm over 11 days with 1 mm or more, and 5 days with 10 mm or more, at the Zanzibar weather station. In 30 years no March was dry: the driest still had 29.9 mm, the wettest 425 mm. That is more than three times February's average of 51 mm.
How warm is the sea in March?
About 29.4°C on average off Michamvi Pingwe, between 27.9 and 30.8°C in the daily readings of 2017 to 2025. It is the warmest month of the sea in the record.
Is March low season at Matlai?
Yes, in 2027. Low season runs from 1 Mar to 14 Jun, and high season ended on 28 Feb. An Asili House double room is US$550 a night in low season, against US$670 in the high season before it, per room with half board, tax included. The Zanzibar infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night is extra.
Is Easter in March in 2027?
Yes. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. We have a page for guests who want a whole villa over the holidays, with the rates and the dates the hotel is open.
Is there seaweed on the beach in March?
Possibly a little. Drift seaweed is somewhat more common from December to March and arrives on the highest spring tides, around full and new moon, but some years bring very little. 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.
Your stay at Matlai
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Booking with the hotel itself? Ask us what we can offer for your dates.
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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