Malindi weather in March
March in Malindi: sweltering, a little rain, with clean air — fine if you can take 38°C afternoons.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#5 of 12 months in Malindi · #203 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 89/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 33°C
- Nights
- 26°C
- Wet days
- 9
- Sun
- 10.8 h
- Humidity
- 77%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Traveller notes on Malindi in March
Notes from nearby Lamu (137 km away)
Malindi doesn't have its own notes for March yet — these are about Lamu, close enough to share the season.
The coast here is run by two winds with their own names, and March is where one hands over to the other. The kaskazi, the north-east monsoon, has held since November or December and keeps the first part of the month hot and dry. Then the wind swings east and south-east - the kusi - and the long rains follow, triggered around the equinox on about the 22nd, which is why regulars say the rains can arrive in the last few days of March. April, May and June are wet enough that coastal properties close and do not reopen until mid-June or early July. Our row reads the dry three-quarters: 29.1mm across 6.7 days, with 31.5C over 26.4C nights feeling like 37C and 31C. The record: 11 hours of sun, a 28.6C sea and AQI 33.
Other months in Malindi
Kenya's forum draws a clear line between inland 'winter' and the coast: Malindi stays warm and humid through August, one of the coolest stretches of the year here but still tropical, rarely genuinely cold even in the evenings. The typical rain pattern is rain-sun-rain-sun rather than an all-day soak, and it's common for one beach to get a shower while another just a couple of miles up the coast stays completely dry. Posters were clear that a rain forecast means a chance of a passing shower, not a washed-out day.
Forum posters describe February as hot, dry and sunny by day along Kenya's coast, including Malindi, with warm, balmy evenings and an onshore breeze that keeps things feeling pleasant rather than oppressive even when daytime temperatures run high. Posters are consistent that Kenya's rainy periods are fairly predictable - a shorter one around this time of year and a longer, heavier one from roughly late March through May - positioning February squarely within the drier stretch. Posters do note that even when a forecast shows rain, it typically means just a chance of a shower rather than an all-day washout, and rain in one part of the coast doesn't necessarily mean rain everywhere along it. Posters generally rate February as one of the more reliably good months for a Malindi beach visit.
Add your own note from Malindi's card on the map.
Malindi climate normals — March
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Malindi in March
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsRamadan, Eid al-Fitr, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Malindi's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherMalindi's weather doesn't swing hard through the year — comfort stays fairly steady in every month.
What's on in Malindi in March
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Holiday
Ramadan
17 Feb – 19 MarClosuresMalindi's old town has a long Swahili Muslim history and keeps the fast seriously: daytime kitchens close and hours shift there, even as the resort strip along the beach carries on for the winter charter crowd. Source ↗
- Holiday
Eid al-Fitr
20–23 MarRamadan & EidClosuresThree days of celebration end the fast, with the old town's streets and the beachfront full of families in new clothes. Transport and the popular restaurants book up locally. Source ↗
- Season
Italian winter season
1 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyWinter-sun seasonCrowdedMalindi's high season is driven by Italian charter flights and long-staying visitors escaping Europe's cold, running from early December through Easter. Restaurants along the seafront still post their menus in Italian first. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Malindi — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Malindi?
Malindi in March — FAQ
- Is March a good time to visit Malindi?
- March in Malindi: sweltering, a little rain, with clean air — fine if you can take 38°C afternoons. It ranks #5 of 12 months for Malindi on SeasonMap's comfort score (89/100).
- What is the weather like in Malindi in March?
- In March, Malindi averages a daily high of 32.5°C and a low of 26.4°C, with about 34.5 mm of rain over roughly 8.6 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Malindi in March?
- Malindi has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 33 in March.
Within 300 km: Mombasa's Green turtle nesting around 1 Mar – 31 Jul, and Lamu's Kaskazi, the calm season around 1 Dec – 15 Mar.