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VIDEO ⟶ AERIAL · EAST COAST · DHOW · 8s LOOP · 1.6MB AVIF— ZANZIBAR · INDIAN OCEAN · UNGUJA ISLANDAfter the safari,
After the safari,
the water.
Zanzibar is 3–7 days of doing nothing very well. We add it to most safaris — it's the right way to end a Tanzania trip.
26°CSea temp · year-round
4Coastal regions to choose from
95kmStone Town to Nungwi · 90min
11th CStone Town founded
— Why · 01
The natural ending to a Tanzania trip.
After seven days of 05:45 game-drive alarms, you've earned a few mornings where the only decision is which side of the hammock. Zanzibar is a 90-minute flight from Arusha — easier than driving to most of the parks — and the cultural shift from savanna to Swahili coast is the trip's quiet third act. We arrange it as a single seamless booking with your safari.
— Where to stay · 02
Four coasts. Different islands, basically.
Zanzibar isn't one beach — it's a sixty-by-twenty-kilometre island with very different feels on each coast. Tap a region on the map (or a card) to see what fits.
1 North · party + beach2 East · quiet luxury3 South-east · kitesurf + boho4 West · cultural
1
Nungwi & Kendwa
FROM $140/nightThe north tip — the only coast where the tide doesn't recede a kilometre at low water, so the swimming is always there. Bigger resorts, livelier evenings, sunset bars on Kendwa. The classic Zanzibar postcard.
Best for: first-timers · couples · sunsets2
Matemwe & Pwani Mchangani
FROM $240/nightThe east coast's premium stretch — small luxury lodges set back from broad reef-protected lagoons. Mnemba Atoll snorkelling fifteen minutes offshore. Tide goes out far each afternoon, but the lodges have pools.
Best for: honeymoons · quiet · snorkellers3
Paje & Jambiani
FROM $95/nightThe south-east — long flat beaches, steady reef-funnel wind, and the kitesurf capital of East Africa. Boutique guesthouses, beach yoga, mid-range crowd. Cheapest end of the island.
Best for: kitesurf · younger crowd · budget4
Stone Town
FROM $110/nightThe west-coast historic capital. UNESCO World Heritage, Swahili-Omani architecture, narrow alleys, spice markets, Forodhani night food market. Not a beach base — but 2–3 nights here changes how you see the island.
Best for: culture · 1–2 nights · historyWant the full breakdown? See our where-to-stay guide — every beach area, lodges we book with, when to go to which.
— Packages · 03
Three add-on lengths.
We don't sell Zanzibar as a standalone trip — that's a different kind of holiday. These are the three durations we recommend after a Tanzania safari, with logistics and transfers handled as one booking.
QUICK ADD-ON3days · 2 nights3-Day Zanzibar Beach.
The minimum that's worth it. Two nights on the east coast, snorkel trip on the middle day, fly home from Zanzibar direct.
Arusha ✈ ZNZ→Matemwe · 2 nights→Fly home
$890 / pp twinSee details
★ MOST POPULAR5days · 4 nights5-Day Stone Town & Beach.
One night in Stone Town for the history, three on the east coast for the water. The right rhythm if you're combining with a 7-day safari.
Stone Town · 1n→Matemwe · 3n→Fly home
$1,490 / pp twinSee details
FULL ISLAND7days · 6 nights7-Day Zanzibar Immersion.
Two nights Stone Town, two Nungwi, three Matemwe. You see the whole island — culture, north sunsets, east-coast quiet — and it stops feeling rushed.
Stone · 2n→Nungwi · 2n→Matemwe · 3n
$2,290 / pp twinSee details
— Do · 04
Six things genuinely worth your day.
Zanzibar is mostly about not doing things. These are the six day-trips that are worth interrupting the not-doing for. We arrange any of them.
HALF DAY · STONE TOWN01 · CULTURAL
Stone Town walking tour.
Three hours with Hamza, our Stone Town guide — the slave-trade memorial, the Old Fort, the Persian baths, the spice market, ending at Forodhani Gardens for fresh-grilled seafood.
HALF DAY · INLAND02 · CLASSIC
Kizimbani spice farm tour.
Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom — Zanzibar's "spice islands" name earned in your hands. The farm visit ends with a fresh-fruit tasting and a Swahili lunch in the gardens.
HALF DAY · BOAT03 · OFFSHORE
Prison Island tortoises.
Twenty-minute boat ride to Changuu Island — the giant Aldabra tortoises gifted from Seychelles in 1919, now 100+ years old. Snorkel off the reef on the way back.
FULL DAY · DHOW04 · ★ BEST DAY OUT
Mnemba Atoll snorkel.
The island's signature snorkel — a private reef around Mnemba Atoll with butterflyfish, parrotfish, occasional turtles, dolphins on the way out. Boat lunch grilled on board.
EVENING · BEACH05 · SUNSET
Sunset dhow sail.
Two hours on a traditional lateen-sail dhow as the sun goes down behind Stone Town or Nungwi. Sundowner drinks, soft Swahili music, no engine after the first kilometre out.
PAJE · 3-DAY COURSE06 · ACTIVE
Kitesurfing lessons in Paje.
Paje's lagoon is among the world's best kitesurf classrooms — steady cross-shore wind, knee-deep reef-flat at low tide. We arrange a 3-day beginner course with our partner school. You'll fly your first kite by day two.
— When · 05
When the weather works.
Zanzibar is good most of the year. The exceptions: April–May long rains and (less severely) November short rains. The map below shows our honest read on each month.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Peak | Peak | Good | Wet | Wet | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Good | Showers | Peak |
| Avg high (°C) | 32 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Sea temp (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Crowd | Busy | Quieter | Quieter | Quiet | Very quiet | Quiet | Busy | Peak crowd | Busy | Quieter | Quiet | Peak crowd |
| Best for | Beach | Beach | Beach | Skip | Skip | Combo | Combo | Combo | Combo | Diving | Diving | Beach |
Peak weather · dry, hot, low humidity Good · still dry, slightly cooler Short rains · brief afternoon showersLong rains · we'd avoid these weeks
Our honest take: avoid 15 April – 25 May entirely. November is fine but pack a light rain shell. The June–October corridor lines up exactly with peak safari season, which is why most of our guests do both.
— Combine · 06After seven days in the Serengeti,
After seven days in the Serengeti,
four days here is the right rhythm.
Our most-booked Tanzania trips combine 5–10 days of safari with 3–7 days on the island. Same booking, same operator, transfers handled. Three combinations that work especially well:
Combo · 01 · Quick beach finish
5-day Northern Safari + 3-day Zanzibar
Safari · 5d→Beach · 3d
The compressed version — Tarangire/Manyara/Crater/Serengeti, then two nights on the east coast. Eight days door-to-door, fits a fortnight's holiday.
Combo · 02 · ★ Our most-booked7-day Classic Safari + 5-day Zanzibar
Safari · 7d→Stone Town · 1n→East · 3n
The flagship Tanzania combo — full Northern Circuit safari plus Stone Town and three beach nights. Twelve days, both halves earn their keep.
Combo · 03 · Climb + safari + beachKilimanjaro + 5-day safari + 7-day Zanzibar
Climb · 8d→Safari · 5d→Beach · 7d
The full-fat Tanzania — Lemosho, the Northern Circuit safari, and the whole island. Three weeks, more recovery time than you'd expect to need, every part of the country.
— Questions · 07
Six Zanzibar questions, answered.
After. Almost always. The energy of a safari is "up early, drive hard, be alert" — Zanzibar is the opposite. Sequencing the beach after lets you decompress, sleep in, and fly home rested. The rare exception: if you're climbing Kilimanjaro after the safari, then beach first (Zanzibar → safari → climb) so you're fresh for the mountain.
Yes — and we tell you because operators usually don't. The east-coast tide recedes hundreds of metres at low water, leaving a long flat of seaweed and exposed reef. From roughly 11:00 to 16:00 the swimming is back. Lodges all have pools so it's never a real problem, but if you specifically want walk-into-water swimming all day, stay in Nungwi instead.
Generally yes — Zanzibar is conservative Muslim (95%+) and harassment-light compared to more touristed beach destinations. Solo women travellers report comfortable experiences. Practical tips: dress modestly in Stone Town and villages (shoulders covered, shorts to knees), beach attire stays on the resort property, and avoid walking the beach alone after dark in deserted stretches. Resort areas are safe; we'll brief you per stay.
Daily 90-minute flights from Arusha (ARK) and from Kilimanjaro (JRO) to Zanzibar (ZNZ). We use Precision Air and ZanAir; both are fine. Ferries from Dar es Salaam run twice daily — 2 hours — and we'd avoid them unless budget is the deciding factor. There's a third option: Zanzibar has direct flights from Europe (KLM, Turkish, Qatar) on most days, so flying home directly from ZNZ is easy.
For a comfortable east-coast week: $200–350/night for a good mid-range lodge half-board, plus $40–80/day on excursions and meals out. Premium tier (Mnemba Lodge, Zuri, etc.): $600+/night, dropping in our combo packages because we book volume. Our 5-day Stone Town + Beach package is $1,490 pp twin-share all-in. The full-island 7-day immersion is $2,290 pp.
No — Zanzibar is part of Tanzania. Your Tanzania tourist visa covers you. You may be asked for travel insurance proof on arrival at ZNZ (this is enforced more strictly than on mainland Tanzania entry); make sure you have a printed policy summary in your bag.
— Plan
Add Zanzibar to your safari.
Tell us your dates and which safari you're doing. We'll come back with a Zanzibar option that fits the rhythm — lodge by coast, flights, transfers, all of it as one booking.
REPLY WITHIN 3 HOURS · NO HARD SELL · NO HIDDEN MARGINS ON BEACH LODGES