Maldives Outer Atolls vs Zanzibar

Overwater bungalow with thatched roof at Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa Maldives, featuring a furnished deck with loungers and colorful cushioned seating.

Maldives Outer Atolls23 resorts · ★ 4.7 average

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

Maldives Outer Atolls 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

Maldives Outer Atolls compared with Zanzibar
Maldives Outer Atolls	Measure	Zanzibar
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
23 (better)	Resorts in our catalog	15
★ 4.7 (better)	Average guest rating	★ 4.6
$101–$3121/night pp	Nightly rates	$93–$723/night pp (better)
2 of 23	Adults-only resorts	0 of 15
No hurricane season	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season
May–November (southwest monsoon), wettest September–November, and the manta season	Rainy season	Long rains mid-March to May (April is the wettest month), short rains in November
January–March	Sweet spot	June to October and December to February
January–March driest; May–November is the wetter monsoon and the manta season	Season	June to October and December to February; long rains mid-March to May

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

Maldives Outer Atolls

Zanzibar

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Maldives Outer Atolls and Zanzibar
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maldives Outer Atolls · high °F	86	87	88	88	87	86	86	86	86	86	86	86
Zanzibar · high °F	89	90	90	87	84	84	83	83	84	86	88	89
Maldives Outer Atolls · rain (in)	4.5	2.0	2.9	5.2	8.5	6.5	5.8	6.9	9.6	8.7	9.1	9.0
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 Malé (the atolls share one climate; the far south is less seasonal) and Zanzibar (ZNZ): planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.