Weather locations in Tanzania

Tanzania combines a hot Indian Ocean coast, endless dry savanna and high mountains that include Africa's highest peak. Its climate is tropical overall, but altitude and the pull of the Indian Ocean monsoon create sharply different conditions across the country.

Main climate types

Most of the country is tropical savanna or steppe in type, while the coastal strip, the islands and the lake regions are tropical as well. The highlands, including the Kipengere range south of Njombe, the Southern Highlands and the land around Kilimanjaro, have a distinctly cooler climate with their own rainfall peak in the short rains. Above about 4,000 metres the air is thin and cold, and permanent ice and snow lie on the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Temperatures

On the coast January means run about 27 to 28 degrees, falling to around 24 in July. Inland, Dodoma averages about 25 in January and 23 in July, with large daily swings between afternoon and night. Arusha, at about 1,400 metres, averages about 20 degrees in both January and July, while the Ngorongoro highlands can fall to 0 at night in the dry season.

Rainfall

Annual totals are roughly 900 to 1,100 millimetres on the coast and in central Tanzania, rising to 1,500 to 2,000 in the highland belt and over 2,000 on parts of the eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro. There are two rainy seasons: the long rains from March to May, which come with the north-east monsoon, and shorter ones from October to December. July and August are usually dry everywhere.

When to go

For the northern circuit the long dry season of June to October is best, with clear skies, good visibility and game concentrating around water. January to February is also dry and less crowded. The short rains of October and November and the long rains of March to May bring green countryside, fewer tourists and heavy afternoon showers, though some roads become difficult.