Why a full week
Most Zanzibar trips squeeze the island into three or four nights at a single beach. A full week lets you see the rest of it: the Stone Town history, the spice country in the centre, the southern coast where the conditions favour diving and the dolphins still play near Kizimkazi, and the calmer northern coast for the closing days.
The three transitions — Stone Town to south, south to north — are by road, between 90 minutes and two hours each, with the spice tour and a couple of lunch stops folded in. It's the right amount of movement to keep the trip from feeling like one repeated beach day, without being so much that you spend the holiday in transit.
The south
Paje on the east coast is the kitesurfing capital of East Africa — Force 4 to 6 reliable wind from June through September, half a dozen kite schools at fair prices, a young international crowd in the evenings. Kizimkazi at the southern tip is the place for dolphin swims (the resident pod is around 100 bottlenose and humpback dolphins, encounters are common rather than guaranteed) and for diving Menai Bay's coral reefs.
The north
Same as the shorter packages — Nungwi for atmosphere, Matemwe for quieter water and Mnemba snorkelling.
The dhow sunset
Included on day six. A traditional sailing boat from Nungwi or Kendwa, two hours on the water, snacks and a drink on board, sunset behind Tumbatu island. The kind of evening that does most of the work of justifying the trip.
- Two nights Stone Town
- Two nights southern coast (Paje or Kizimkazi) for diving
- Three nights northern coast (Nungwi or Matemwe)
- Spice tour, walking tour, dhow cruise included