What's on in Nungwi, Tanzania through the year

Peak crowds — Kaskazi, the calm season, Christmas and New Year peak

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Kaskazi, the calm season (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually)), Christmas and New Year peak (18 Dec – 5 Jan)

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Kaskazi, the calm season

• Nature

  Turtle release day

  1–28 Feb · usuallyTurtle nesting

  The Mnarani conservation pond by the lighthouse holds its annual release each February, returning rehabilitated turtles to the sea after a year of visitors paying to see them in the tidal pools. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  17 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Nungwi's fishing village keeps the fast, with daytime kitchens shut there even as the beach hotels serve guests as normal. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidCrowded

  Local families fill the public stretches of Nungwi's beach for four days of celebration at the end of the fast, alongside the usual resort crowd. Source ↗

Still on: Kaskazi, the calm season (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Season

  Masika, the long rains

  20 Mar – 31 May · usuallyMonsoonClosures

  The wettest stretch of the year empties the beach: several guesthouses close for refurbishment and the dive centres cut back their schedules, but what stays open is at its cheapest.

Still on: Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar)

Busy — April short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), Masika, the long rains (20 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Masika, the long rains (20 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Mid-year break in Tanzania, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Kusi, the windy season

  1 Jun – 30 SepWind season

  The southeast monsoon turns the point into Zanzibar's steadiest kitesurfing water, with wind reliable most afternoons even as it chops up the swimming shallows at low tide.

Busy — Mid-year break in Tanzania, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Kusi, the windy season (1 Jun – 30 Sep)

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Kusi, the windy season (1 Jun – 30 Sep)

Busy — September short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Kusi, the windy season (1 Jun – 30 Sep)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Vuli, the short rains

  1 Nov – 15 Dec · usuallyMonsoon

  Short, heavy showers rather than settled rain bring the quietest, cheapest weeks on the point before the Kaskazi crowds arrive. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Kaskazi, the calm season, Christmas and New Year peak

• Season

  Kaskazi, the calm season

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyMonsoonCrowded

  The northeast monsoon brings hot, still weather and the flattest water of the year off the point, the easiest conditions for the dive centres and the busiest stretch on the beach.

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year peak

  18 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The fortnight around Christmas and New Year is the busiest and dearest stretch of the dry spell between the rains. Hotels, lodges and climbs book out months ahead, and many add festive supplements or minimum stays. Source ↗

Still on: Vuli, the short rains (1 Nov – 15 Dec (usually))