The current time in Mombasa, Kenya follows East Africa Time (EAT), UTC+3. Kenya does not observe daylight saving time, so Mombasa remains three hours ahead of UTC throughout the year.
Check the live Mombasa time and current temperature below, then see this week’s sunrise, sunset and tide times further down the page.
Time in Mombasa
Mombasa is in the same time zone as the rest of Kenya. The city remains on East Africa Time throughout the year, three hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time.
There are no seasonal clock changes. If it is 10:00 in Nairobi, it is also 10:00 in Mombasa, Diani, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu.
This is particularly useful when planning flights, SGR journeys, hotel check-ins, tours and other activities before arriving on the Coast.
Sunrise and Sunset in Mombasa
Mombasa lies close to the equator, so the length of the day changes much less during the year than it does in places farther north or south.
Sunrise is generally around the early morning and sunset around the early evening throughout the year. Today’s sunrise and sunset times are shown in the seven-day table below.
For travellers, sunset time is useful when planning beach walks, photography, boat trips and journeys back from places where transport becomes less frequent after dark.
Moonrise, Moonset and Moon Phase
Moon conditions can be particularly useful when planning an evening on the beach, night photography or simply understanding the lunar cycle alongside the tides.
The Moon is one of the main forces influencing the Earth’s tides. Around new and full moons, the combined gravitational effects of the Moon and Sun generally produce a larger tidal range known as spring tides. Around the first and third quarter moons, the difference between high and low water is generally smaller.
This Week’s Tide Table — Mombasa
Mombasa normally experiences two high tides and two low tides during approximately each lunar day, although the exact timing and height change from one tide cycle to the next.
The table below shows the predicted tides for the next seven days together with sunrise, sunset and lunar information.
Sun and Moon times are calculated locally for Mombasa. Tide predictions are for trip planning only and not for marine navigation.
Tide predictions are useful for planning activities around the shoreline but should not be treated as real-time measurements of sea level. Actual conditions can also be affected by wind, waves and weather.
The Mombasa tide predictions shown here are based on tide information published by the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). Heights are shown in metres and times use East Africa Time.
Understanding Mombasa’s Tides
Tides make a noticeable difference along Mombasa’s reef-protected coastline.
At low tide, the sea can retreat considerably from parts of the shore, exposing reef flats, rock pools and stretches of shallow water. This can make some beaches less suitable for swimming but better for carefully exploring the intertidal area.
At high tide, water reaches farther up the beach and swimming may be easier in some locations. The exact effect varies from beach to beach because the shape of the shoreline, reef and seabed is different around Mombasa.
A tide height should therefore not be interpreted as a universal measure of how deep the water will be at every beach.
Planning Around the Tide
For swimming, a rising or higher tide may provide deeper water closer to shore at some reef-protected beaches, although local currents, waves and weather still matter.
For reef walks and rock pools, lower tides may expose considerably more of the intertidal reef. Wear suitable footwear, avoid stepping on living coral and make sure you know when the tide begins returning.
For snorkelling, conditions depend on more than tide height. Visibility, wind, waves, currents and the specific site can be just as important.
For boat trips, fishing and marine excursions, follow the advice of the operator. Departure times may be chosen around tides, weather and sea conditions rather than simply around the clock.
For beach walks and photography, checking both the tide and sunset can help you decide when more sand will be exposed and how much daylight remains.
Mombasa Weather Today
The current weather shown at the top of this page is refreshed periodically rather than every time a visitor opens the page. This allows Exploring Mombasa to provide useful current conditions without slowing down the page with repeated external requests.
Weather at the Coast can change quickly, particularly during rainy periods, so use the live conditions as a guide rather than assuming they will remain unchanged throughout the day.
For plans involving the sea, pay attention to actual conditions at the beach as well as the forecast.
Before You Go
Time, tides, weather and daylight can all affect a day around Mombasa differently. A beach that is ideal for swimming at one point in the tide cycle may look completely different several hours later.
Before heading out, check the live information above, allow enough daylight for your return journey and follow local safety advice around the sea.
Live time, weather and tide information updates automatically. Editorial information last reviewed August 2026.