Maldives and Zanzibar are both strong holiday picks — but their weather differs through the year. Here's how they compare on temperature, sunshine and rain, using twenty years of climate data.
| Month | Maldives Temp °C | Zanzibar Temp °C |
|---|---|---|
| January | 27.4°C | 28°C |
| February | 27.7°C | 28.3°C |
| March | 27.8°C | 28.2°C |
| April | 28.5°C | 26.5°C |
| May | 28.3°C | 25.8°C |
| June | 28.3°C | 25.2°C |
| July | 28°C | 24.5°C |
| August | 28°C | 24.6°C |
| September | 27.7°C | 25.4°C |
| October | 27.6°C | 26.1°C |
| November | 27.3°C | 26.6°C |
| December | 27.3°C | 27.4°C |
Maldives is the warmer choice overall across the year.
For a midsummer beach week, Maldives has the edge in July.
For winter sun (Nov–Feb), Maldives stays more reliably warm and bright.
If avoiding rain matters most, Maldives is the safer bet.
Choose Maldives if you want the warmer, sunnier option.
Choose Zanzibar if you'd rather have the driest possible week.
Maldives is the warmer of the two across the year, based on twenty years of climate averages.
For a July beach trip, Maldives scores higher on our warm-and-dry profile; Maldives is best around February, January, March and Zanzibar around January, February, March.
Maldives has fewer rainy days a week on average across the year.