Zanzibar, island in the Indian Ocean, lying 22 miles (35 km) off the coast of east-central Africa.

The best time to visit the Zanzibar Archipelago is from July to September – the dry season. However, travel is good at most times of the year, due to frequent sunshine and balmy temperatures. The only time when rain would affect your trip is during April and May, the peak of the long rains.

It has abundant tropical fish species, sea grasses and coral reefs. Mangrove forests are seen in many small islets. The aquatic species reported are moray eels, scorpion fish, lion fish, large groupers, octopuses, lobsters, rays, manta rays, whale sharks, sea turtles, various dolphins,sperm whales and humpback whales

Zanzibar Island hosts over 353 bird species some of the bird found here include Blue-cheeked bee-eater; Spottedflycatcher, Osprey (rare), Willow Warblers and Eurasian Orioles are regular winter visitors.

The climate is tropical, hot all year round, with a hotter period from December to March, and a relatively cool period from May to August. There are two rainy seasons: one more intense, known as the “long rains” season, from March to May, with the peak in April, and the other less intense, known as the “short rains” season, between mid-October and December.