Travel to Zanzibar

worth combining lodges on a beach and in town

Zanzibar is a wonderful, romantic, historic and stunningly beautiful tropical island.

The island is a low-lying coral atoll, covered by scenic palm tree plantations, some limited rice and cassava agriculture, plus extensive areas of coral scrub.

The coast is lined with stunning coral lagoons and broad white-sand beaches, especially along the eastern side, which has to be considered one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth, it truly is remarkable.

There is a vast range of things to do, notably some sensational diving, snorkelling and kite-surfing, as well as some superb historic and cultural activities.

It combines fantastically with safari and trekking options on the mainland and offers a very wide range of accommodation.

The main potential downsides are that Zanzibar has become a very popular and relatively busy destination, which unfortunately now attracts a mass market packaged holiday crowd, meaning that you need to take care in which parts of the island you choose to stay.

Of all the diverse beach locations that can be added to a safari in East Africa, Zanzibar is by far the most popular and therefore tends to feature in a high proportion of trips.

The usual stay duration is 3-7 nights.

Seasonality

The climate on Zanzibar Island is tropical, with predominantly hot, humid and sunny conditions.

There is rain on most days of the year, usually taking the form of light showers. During the Nov-Dec and Mar-May rainy seasons these can turn into heavy and persistent downpours.

There can also be very strong winds during the May-Jun early dry season period.

The best times down on the coast are therefore considered to be Jul-Oct and Jan-Mar, when there is usually slightly less rain and wind.

Unfortunately these best periods happen to coincide with the two peak seasons for visitor traffic.

Getting around

The majority of visitors to Zanzibar Island arrive via the international airport just southeast of Stone Town.

People including Zanzibar at the front end of their trip may arrive into Dar es Salaam over on the mainland, from where it is a short hop by light aircraft to the island.

Once on the island it is usual to travel around by guided overland transfers. Self-drive is most definitely not recommended.

Where to stay

Zanzibar Island contains a very wide range of accommodation options, from simple, lower cost local guesthouses to large, high-end international resorts.

We generally prefer to recommend mid-sized beach lodges, which tend to be more intimate and work best with the better quality safari camps on the mainland.

Your specific choice of beach accommodation could come down to any number of factors, but here’s a few general rules of thumb which might be helpful.

If you are primarily interested in diving, then you will most likely head to the Matemwe area in the northeast, possibly supplemented by the Kizimkazi area in the southwest (as well as options on neighbouring Pemba and Mafia islands).

If you are primarily interested in a more conventional beach break, then most likely the areas to the east of Zanzibar Island will offer the best options, such as Matemwe, Pongwe, Michamvi, Bwejuu and Paje.

If you specifically want to get off the beaten track, then you look at the Matemwe, Pongwe, Michamvi, Kizimkazi and Fumba areas, although you may be better off looking at Pemba or Mafia islands, or the mainland coast at Pangani, Ras Kutani, Kilwa or Mikindani.

If you are particularly interested in the fabulous history of the Swahili Coast, then we strongly recommend spending at least one night at the end of your stay in Zanzibar Stone Town.

We know all these places intimately and can walk you through all the options when we come to help with your trip, so you don’t need to get too bogged down in this now.

the most popular beach location in East Africa