Nungwi weather in April

Zanzibar's forum is direct that April is the wettest month of the year, deep in the long rains that run mid-March through May, with many beach hotels closing entirely for the stretch. Regulars are split on how bad it actually is in practice — some report rain that comes and goes rather than lasting all day, others warn of genuinely torrential, relentless downpours — but the consensus is to shift a trip toward mid-May if the dates are flexible.

The long rains. I went once — cheap, empty, and it rained in hard bursts rather than all day, so it wasn't a write-off. But several hotels close outright in April, so check before you commit to the score.

Zanzibar forum threads describe January as the middle of the hot, dry season here - genuinely humid but with little rainfall, and posters rated January/February alongside July/August as some of the best windows for wind-driven water sports on the island. That said, regulars noted wind in Nungwi specifically picks up and drops off unpredictably through the year, making it impossible to count on rideable conditions every day even in a favorable month - Paje on the east coast was mentioned as generally more consistently windy than Nungwi. Kitesurfing infrastructure has expanded here too, with schools now operating directly out of Nungwi rather than only the traditional east-coast spots.

Forum posters describe September as excellent - falling within Zanzibar's dry season - with little to no rain and sea temperatures around 25-26C. Posters do note that early September's very dry conditions start giving way as the month progresses into the lighter 'short rains' that build through October-November, so the back half of September can see the occasional short, morning shower before clearing to a bright, sunny afternoon - nothing like the heavier 'long rains' that hit March-May. Since September counts as Zanzibar's cooler winter season, posters recommend packing a light sweater or pashmina for cooler evenings even though daytime beach conditions stay warm and comfortable.