Tanzania — where to go and when
2 destinations covered
Zanzibar is the entry point to Tanzania published here, and it is an island with a history far older and stranger than its beaches suggest: a Swahili trading archipelago that spent centuries connected to Oman, India and the Gulf by monsoon winds, and whose stone-built old town shows it in carved doors, coral-rag walls and narrow lanes designed for shade. Our figures place local costs around four-fifths below French ones, which is the widest gap on this site along with Egypt, and it means a modest budget stretches into weeks rather than days. The caveat is that the saving applies to local life, not to the resort strip on the east coast, where pricing is international. Tanzania suits travellers who want warm water and a genuine cultural layer under it, who are comfortable with heat and humidity, and who plan for a mainland extension if wildlife is the real objective.
When to go
June, July and August are the months our data favours on the mainland, while Zanzibar itself now clears none, and the logic is dryness rather than temperature: this is the equator, and the thermometer barely moves. The warmest month reaches 33.4 °C and the coolest still holds 29.3 °C by day, so heat is a constant rather than a variable. Rain is what changes, with 193 rainy days a year and a heavily seasonal pattern, the wettest month alone delivering 393.5 mm. Avoid the long rains of spring.
The places we cover, side by side
| Place | Favourable months | Warmest month, avg. high (°C) | Coldest month, avg. high (°C) | Rainy days a year (≥ 1 mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilimanjaro | June, July, August | 33.0 | 26.1 | 106 |
| Zanzibar | none | 33.4 | 29.3 | 193 |
Figures measured at the weather station nearest each place, then averaged over the warmest and the coldest months of the year — not over a fixed calendar season. Each destination page carries its own month-by-month table, its station and its sample size.
Getting around
The island is reached by ferry from the mainland port, a crossing of around two hours, or by a short flight; the mainland airport lies 79 km away and the island's own field only 7 km from the old town. On the island, shared minibuses run the main roads cheaply and slowly, while private drivers cover the same routes in a fraction of the time. The old town is walked, because vehicles cannot use most of its lanes.
Budget
Country price level compared with France : −79 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
Destinations in Tanzania
KilimanjaroKilimanjaro rises alone out of northern Tanzania, a snow-capped volcano standing over hot savannah with nothing else near its height for hundreds of kilometres. Trekkers base themselves in…
ZanzibarAn island off the Tanzanian coast with a Swahili trading town at one end and reef-sheltered beaches all round the rest. The reference station, 6.2 km from the…Frequently asked questions
How long should I spend on Zanzibar?
Two nights in the historic town and four or five on a coast give a balanced week. The town deserves more than a transit stop, since its architecture and market are the cultural core of the island. Beach villages differ considerably: the eastern shore has wide tidal flats, the north has swimmable water at all states of the tide.
Can Zanzibar be combined with a safari?
Yes, and that is the usual structure. The mainland parks are reached by internal flights of one to two hours from the island, and most itineraries put the wildlife first and the coast afterwards as a rest. Budget the internal flights carefully: they are the single largest transport cost of such a trip.
Updated on 21 September 2026