Kenya vs Zanzibar

Large resort pool with blue loungers, thatched-roof structures, and palm trees lining the Baobab Beach Resort & Spa grounds.

Thatched-roof pavilion with blue curtains surrounded by palm trees, flowering plants, and a small pool at The Palms Zanzibar.

Kenya and Zanzibar, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

By the numbers

Kenya compared with Zanzibar
Kenya	Measure	Zanzibar
Level 3: Reconsider Travel	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (better)
16 (better)	Resorts in our catalog	15
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.6 (better)
$97–$313/night pp	Nightly rates	$93–$723/night pp (better)
0 of 16	Adults-only resorts	0 of 15
No hurricane season	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season
Long rains April–May, short rains October–November	Rainy season	Long rains mid-March to May (April is the wettest month), short rains in November
December–March and July–September (the latter pairs with Masai Mara migration season)	Sweet spot	June to October and December to February

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.

On the map

Kenya

Zanzibar

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Kenya and Zanzibar
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Kenya · high °F	90	91	91	88	84	83	82	82	84	86	88	89
Zanzibar · high °F	89	90	90	87	84	84	83	83	84	86	88	89
Kenya · rain (in)	1.0	0.7	2.5	6.1	9.3	3.4	2.8	2.5	2.6	3.4	3.8	2.4
Zanzibar · rain (in)	3.0	2.4	5.9	15.3	7.8	1.9	1.1	1.4	2.0	3.5	8.0	5.5

Approximate climate normals for Diani / Mombasa coast and Zanzibar (ZNZ): planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.