Best time for kitesurfing in Zanzibar — and the rest of the activity calendar

Start here

Kitesurfing has two seasons in Zanzibar, and every other activity answers to a different mix of wind, rain and tide. A kitesurfer and a diver may want opposite months; a family who want calm swimming want a third. The calendar below draws on operator and wildlife sources (listed at the foot of the page) and runs the wind seasons through every activity. For the plain weather question, see best time to visit Zanzibar; for how the rains behave, see Zanzibar in the rainy season.

The detail

The two winds, explained once

Kaskazi — the north-east monsoon — blows from roughly mid-December to March. It is the warmer, lighter wind (typically 12–18 knots on the east coast), the sea is generally calmer and clearer, and it brings the hot, bright weather of the festive season. Kusi — the south-east monsoon — runs from about June to September, sometimes starting in May and lasting into October. It is cooler and stronger, gusting higher, and tends to build through the afternoon, and pushes seaweed on to east-facing beaches. Sources differ on strength: operators quote anywhere from 15 to 25-plus knots in the kusi, so ask your school for the week's forecast. The long rains of March to May sit in the lull between them; the short rains of November sit in the lull on the other side. Everything below follows from that.

Kitesurfing, month by month

Kitesurfing. Two windows suit most riders. The one kite-specific guide we used gives beginners mid-June to mid-October and late December to mid-March, and experienced riders mid-June to mid-September and late December to late February. Read as a whole, the warmest, steadiest wind is January and February (kaskazi), while July and August bring the most power (kusi). December, March, June and September are shoulder months, where the wind is usually workable but less certain. Late October and November are the lulls, though early October often still has kusi wind. Two things decide a day on the water. At Paje the lagoon is shallow and flat at low tide, but the launch area is small at high tide, so the tide decides how much room there is to launch. And kusi pushes seaweed on to east-facing beaches, which can spoil the water even when the wind is good. Your school will know the week's forecast and tide, so ask them before you pack. For the lagoon, the schools and the kit, see Kitesurfing in Paje.

The calendar

●● prime · ● good · ○ possible, conditions vary · – off-season or unlikely. This table is an editorial summary of the sources below. Wildlife rows show when sightings are usual, never a promise. Sources differ on kusi wind strength and on the humpback peak, so read those months as approximate. For kiting, early October is still good and late October is a lull.

The short verdict

Reading the rows

Diving and snorkelling. Water sits between about 25 and 29°C all year and visibility ranges from roughly 12 to 40 metres depending on wind, plankton and tide. The calmest, clearest water on the north and north-east reefs — Mnemba in particular — usually comes in the kaskazi and the October–November lull; the kusi can bring swell and chop that cuts visibility and cancels boats on exposed sites, though sheltered sites still dive well. The long rains cloud the water with run-off. See Diving in Zanzibar and Snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll.

Turtles. Green turtles nest on quiet beaches around the island between about February and July, with hatchlings emerging 55 to 75 days after laying — so from roughly April to September. Nesting happens at night and sightings are rare and unplanned; please decline any operator offering to "find" one. The Mnarani pond at Nungwi rehabilitates turtles and releases hatchlings. Rehabilitation ponds keep turtles for a time before release. If you visit one, do not handle or feed the animals, and treat it as a rescue project rather than a wildlife sighting.

Whale sharks. The reliable whale-shark season in this part of the Indian Ocean is at Mafia Island, south of Zanzibar, from October to March, with the best balance of sightings and weather around February. It is a separate island with its own flights; our Mafia Island or Zanzibar? guide weighs it up. Whale sharks turn up at Zanzibar itself only rarely and unreliably.

Humpback whales. Humpbacks migrate past the Zanzibar channel in the southern winter, from July to October, with most sightings reported August to October; sources vary on the peak. Nobody runs guaranteed whale trips here, and that is as it should be.

Dhow and sandbank days. A sandbank picnic needs a falling tide and a calm sea; both are likelier in the kaskazi and the October–November lull than in the teeth of the kusi. The Menai Bay trips from the south-west are more sheltered than the open north-east in windy months. See Dhow sailing and the Swahili coast.

Ramadan. In 2027 Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February and end around 8 March, with Eid around 9–10 March, moving about eleven days earlier each year; resorts run normally while Stone Town is quieter by day. How to travel well in that month is in Visiting Zanzibar during Ramadan.

Key facts

Kitesurfing: kaskazi mid-Dec–Mar (peak Jan–Feb, 12–18 kn) and kusi Jun–Sep (peak Jul–Aug; sources quote 15 to 25-plus kn, so check the week's forecast). Diving/snorkelling: clearest usually Oct–Mar; water 25–29°C; visibility 12–40 m. Turtle nesting: ~Feb–Jul; hatchlings ~Apr–Sep. Whale sharks: Mafia Island, Oct–Mar. Humpbacks: Jul–Oct offshore, most sightings Aug–Oct (sources vary). Off-season on the water: April–May. Ramadan 2027: ~8 Feb to ~8 Mar; Eid ~9–10 Mar.

Planning it with Nobu

A beach week is a sequence of mornings, and the tide and the wind decide what each one can hold. We plan the order of days on the water around this calendar: the kite lagoon on a kusi afternoon, Mnemba on a kaskazi morning, Stone Town when the wind drops. It is a planning aid built from the sources in the claims table, not a record of our own days on the water.

Is it right for you?

This calendar is right for you if your Zanzibar is about doing something — kiting, diving, sailing — and you are choosing dates to suit it. If you want warm, calm, swimmable sea above all, the kaskazi months and October–November serve you best; if you want wind, come in July–August for power, or January–February for steadier, lighter wind. If you are a beginner kitesurfer, the lighter kaskazi wind and the low-tide lagoon are the gentler classroom. If your dates are fixed, tell us and we will say which activities they favour and which they do not. It is not for you if you want one guaranteed month for wildlife; sightings are never scheduled.

Journeys to consider

• Shores of Zanzibar — the island journey, timed to the water. → Shores of Zanzibar journey
• Southern Safari & Spice — Tanzania's south, then the coast, with the activities set to the season. → Southern Safari & Spice journey