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Dongwe

Zanzibar South & Central · Paje · Kusini

Part of Paje →

lagoon

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
- Hazards
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

no season named

Months riders and schools name

How windy

8–11 kt

Modelled monthly average; no knot figure published

See Month by month

Room to launch

room to launch not rated

no access rules on record

Water

lagoon

27–29 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate only

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

ZNZ - Abeid Amani Karume International Airport

no transfer time published

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

The spot

Dongwe is the stretch of beach between Paje/Bwejuu and Michamvi on Zanzibar's southeast coast, on the same reef-protected lagoon as its neighbours and with a fraction of the traffic. There is no kite school on this sand. Paje operators such as Aquaholics use it as a satellite for wave-surfing excursions, which means no full-time staff and no rescue cover if something goes wrong out on the lagoon.

Wind and data

The wind is the same Kaskazi (Dec-Mar) and Kusi (Jun-Sep) monsoon that Paje and Jambiani run on, and nothing specific to Dongwe has been measured: no averages, no direction, no tide log.

Water temperature and hazards

The water is warm all year, 27-29 C in the summer months and 25-26 C in winter, so boardshorts are the regional norm. Reef and seaweed farms are the hazards, the same as up and down this coast.

Who should come

Come if you are self-sufficient and want the lagoon to yourself; learn at Paje instead.

The wind

locals call it Kaskazi / Kusi monsoon

Direction

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Modelled monthly average: 8–11 kt — see Month by month

The same Kaskazi (Dec-Mar) and Kusi (Jun-Sep) monsoon system that governs Paje and Jambiani. Nothing has been measured at Dongwe itself.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan31
Feb21
Mar13
Apr6
May24
Jun48
Jul33
Aug25
Sep16
Oct11
Nov2
Dec8

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

10 ktJan29°
10 ktFeb30°
9 ktMar30°
9 ktApr29°
10 ktMay29°
11 ktJun28°
10 ktJul27°
10 ktAug26°
10 ktSep27°
9 ktOct28°
8 ktNov29°
8 ktDec29°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	31%	9.8 kt	NNE	27.5 °C	29.2 °C
Feb	21%	9.5 kt	NE	28.1 °C	29.5 °C
Mar	13%	8.8 kt	NE	27.8 °C	29.8 °C
Apr	6%	8.5 kt	S	26.1 °C	29.2 °C
May	24%	10.1 kt	S	26.4 °C	28.6 °C
Jun	48%	10.8 kt	SSE	25.6 °C	27.7 °C
Jul	33%	10.4 kt	SSE	24.9 °C	26.8 °C
Aug	25%	10.1 kt	SSE	25.1 °C	26.3 °C
Sep	16%	9.9 kt	SE	25.5 °C	26.7 °C
Oct	11%	9.4 kt	ESE	26.2 °C	27.5 °C
Nov	2%	8.3 kt	ESE	26.6 °C	28.5 °C
Dec	8%	8.1 kt	NE	27.4 °C	29.3 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

lagoon

Tides

A reef-protected lagoon, so the tide almost certainly runs the session as it does everywhere on this coastline, though that is unconfirmed for Dongwe specifically.

Temperature

27–29 °C summer · 25–26 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 26–30 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts year-round (regional norm)

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

beginner: not ratedadvanced: not rated

A quieter alternative to the Paje crowds, with no full-time kite staff on the beach, which suits self-sufficient or experienced riders. It is not set up as a teaching base.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat water

Uncrowded and undeveloped next to Paje.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch is not rated

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

3 spots nearby

All 3 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No permanent on-site kite rescue: the operators who use this beach run it without full-time staff.

Rules & access

1 min read

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ride with someone: there is no on-site kite rescue and no permanent staff on this beach.
Base at Paje or Bwejuu and drive the coast road over for the empty sessions.
Time the session with the tide as on the rest of this lagoon coast, and look at the reef and the seaweed-farm stakes before you go out.
Boardshorts are enough: 27-29 C in the summer months and 25-26 C in winter.

Getting there

Airport

ZNZ - Abeid Amani Karume International Airport

Route

On the same coast road as Paje and Bwejuu.

Photos

FAQ

Is Dongwe suitable for beginners?

Dongwe suits confident, self-sufficient riders more than beginners since there is no full-time kite school or on-site instruction; it is a quieter alternative to Paje's crowds.

Is there a kite school at Dongwe?

No permanent kite center is based at Dongwe; Paje-based operators such as Aquaholics use it mainly as a satellite location for wave-surfing excursions.

What is the water like at Dongwe?

Dongwe shares a reef-protected lagoon system with its neighbors Paje and Bwejuu, offering flat water inside the reef.

What are the main hazards?

Riders should watch for the reef, seaweed farms, and the lack of on-site kite rescue support, since operators run trips there without permanent staff.

The bigger pictureEverything about Paje

Last updated: August 2026