Good Time to Visit
Weather
The climate of Tanzania is tropical, with the coastal areas particularly hot and humid all year. The interior is hot and dry, whilst the northern highlands are cool and temperate. The rainy season lasts from March to June, with a shorter season running from November to December. More details may be found in the Climate of Tanzania section.
Visitors are advised to bring tropical clothing throughout the year, although jackets and sweaters may be needed for the evenings in the cooler season (June to September).
Festivals
The main annual event in Tanzania is not a festival, but the migration of over two million animals from the Serengeti's southern plains to Kenya's Maasai Mara in April. On Zanzibar, the Swahili Music and Cultural Festival is celebrated in February in Stone Town, whilst July sees the largest African film festival take place with the Zanzibar International Film Festival. In the same month, the Festival of the Dhow Countries is held in Stone Town - East Africa's largest cultural event. The festival celebrates the unique cultural heritage of the "Dhow" countries: the African continent and the Indian Ocean region and their global Diaspora.
The Zanzibaris also mark the Shirazi New Year in July with a traditional event known as the Mwakakogwa Festival. Originating from Persia, Mwakakogwa is marked by dances, sacrifices and field fighting. In addition to the tourists from abroad, it draws participants from the whole of East Africa.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Tanzania:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| 12 January | Zanzibar Revolution Day |
| March/April (variable) | Good Friday |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| 26 April | Union Day |
| 1 May | International Labour Day |
| 7 July | Saba Saba (Industry's Day) |
| 8 August | Nane Nane (Farmer's Day) |
| 14 October | Nyerere Day |
| 9 December | Independence and Republic Day |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Boxing Day |
| Variable* | Birth of the Prophet |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Kebir |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.