Riviera Maya vs Zanzibar

Aerial view of Barceló Maya Palace resort showing blue pool complex, palm-lined grounds, beachfront buildings, and Caribbean Sea.

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

Riviera Maya 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

Riviera Maya compared with Zanzibar
Riviera Maya	Measure	Zanzibar
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
43 (better)	Resorts in our catalog	15
★ 4.6	Average guest rating	★ 4.6 (better)
$55–$829/night pp (better)	Nightly rates	$93–$723/night pp
13 of 43	Adults-only resorts	0 of 15
In the hurricane belt	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season (better)
Generally May–October; winter nortes can also bring rain and rough seas	Rainy season	Long rains mid-March to May (April is the wettest month), short rains in November
December–April	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

Riviera Maya

Zanzibar

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Riviera Maya and Zanzibar
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Riviera Maya · high °F	82	83	85	87	89	90	90	91	89	87	84	82
Zanzibar · high °F	89	90	90	87	84	84	83	83	84	86	88	89
Riviera Maya · rain (in)	3.5	2.0	1.5	1.5	4.0	6.5	4.0	4.5	8.5	8.5	4.0	3.5
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 Playa del Carmen–Tulum and Zanzibar (ZNZ): planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.