Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Zanzibar is an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania, and most visitors mean its main island, Unguja, when they use the name. It combines two very different trips in one.
This guide covers the best places to visit in Zanzibar, from historic Stone Town and the spice farms to the forests, reefs and beaches of the north and east coasts. You will also find advice on food, where to stay, the best season, getting around and a suggested itinerary.
Few islands carry as much history as Zanzibar. For centuries it was a hub of the Indian Ocean monsoon trade, and in the nineteenth century the Sultans of Oman moved their capital here, building palaces and growing clove plantations.
Then there is the sea. The east coast has broad tidal flats where seaweed farmers work at low tide and kitesurfers ride the lagoons when it fills. The north offers deeper water for swimming at any hour, and the reefs around Mnemba Atoll are among the best snorkeling sites in East Africa.
This seafront park is the social heart of Stone Town. By day it is a shady place to rest between sights; around sunset, vendors set up grills and the gardens become a busy night market.
Forodhani Gardens hosts a nightly street food market on the Stone Town waterfront. Photo: Moongateclimber, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Next to Forodhani, the Old Fort, known locally as Ngome Kongwe, was built by Omani Arabs in the late seventeenth century. Its courtyard holds craft stalls and an amphitheater used for performances and festivals.
The Old Fort, or Ngome Kongwe, was built by Omani Arabs in the late seventeenth century. Photo: Erasmus Kamugisha, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Anglican cathedral was built in the 1870s on the site of the last open slave market in Zanzibar, after the market was closed under British pressure. The adjoining exhibit on the East African slave trade, the preserved underground chambers and the sobering memorial sculpture of chained figures make this the most important historical visit on the island.
Christ Church Cathedral stands on the site of Zanzibar's last open slave market. Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The best way to experience Stone Town is to wander. Look for the carved wooden doors, many with brass studs and inscriptions, that signal the status of the families who built them.
Carved wooden doors, many with brass studs, are a signature of Stone Town architecture. Photo: Eric Kilby, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
A short boat ride from the Stone Town waterfront, Changuu Island was once intended as a prison and later used as a quarantine station. Today it is known for its colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, some of them very old. The island has a small beach and snorkeling spots nearby.
Changuu, or Prison Island, is home to a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Zanzibar is nicknamed the Spice Island, and a spice tour is a hands-on introduction to that heritage. Farms north of Stone Town, around villages such as Kizimbani, let you see, smell and taste cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, lemongrass and black pepper growing.
Zanzibar's only national park protects the largest remaining area of native forest on Unguja, along with mangroves fringing Chwaka Bay. It is the best place to see the Zanzibar red colobus, an endangered monkey found only on this island, which often feeds close to the paths.
The Zanzibar red colobus is found only on Unguja island and is easiest to see in Jozani Forest. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
On the northern tip of the island, Nungwi and neighboring Kendwa are the best beaches for swimming at any time of day, since the tide does not retreat as far as on the east coast.
Nungwi, on the northern tip of Unguja, has a long tradition of dhow building. Photo: Jang Woo Lee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Off the northeast coast, the waters around Mnemba Atoll are a protected conservation area with clear water, coral gardens, reef fish, turtles and frequently dolphins. Boat trips leave from Nungwi, Kendwa and Matemwe.
The east coast villages of Paje and Jambiani sit on a wide lagoon protected by an outer reef. At low tide the water recedes far out, revealing seaweed farms tended mainly by local women; at high tide the lagoon fills with turquoise water.
Paje's shallow lagoon and steady trade winds make it a center for kitesurfing. Photo: Mehmet Ratip, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Michamvi peninsula, north of Paje, faces west across Chwaka Bay, giving it rare east-coast sunsets. Just off Michamvi Pingwe, The Rock is a long-running restaurant built on a coral outcrop; you can walk to it at low tide, and at high tide a small boat ferries diners across.
The Rock restaurant sits on a coral outcrop off Michamvi Pingwe and is cut off by the sea at high tide. Photo: Rod Waddington, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Zanzibari cooking blends Swahili, Arab, Indian and Persian influences. Look for pilau, rice cooked with cloves, cinnamon and cardamom; biryani; coconut-based fish and octopus curries; and mishkaki, marinated meat skewers grilled over charcoal.
Seafood is the star along the coast: grilled kingfish, lobster, prawns and octopus caught the same day.
Popular dishes to try in Zanzibar
Stone Town suits travelers who love history, architecture and food, with restored merchant houses converted into boutique guesthouses and rooftop terraces overlooking the sea. Spend at least two nights here.
Paje and Jambiani on the east coast suit kitesurfers, younger travelers and anyone after a laid-back village feel.
Where to stay in Zanzibar
The main dry season runs from June to October, bringing sunny days, lower humidity and steady winds that suit kitesurfing.
The long rains usually fall from March to May, with heavy downpours and some lodges closing, though rates drop.
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, just outside Stone Town, receives international flights from the Middle East, Europe and East Africa, plus frequent domestic hops from Dar es Salaam, Arusha and safari airstrips.
Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so Tanzanian visa rules apply; check whether you need an e-visa before travel. Visitors to Zanzibar must also buy the island's mandatory inbound travel insurance, which can be purchased online in advance.
Settle into Stone Town.
Visit Darajani Market in the morning, then take a boat to Prison Island to see the giant tortoises.
Drive to Jozani Forest in the morning to see red colobus monkeys, then continue to Paje or Jambiani and spend the afternoon on the lagoon.
Try a kitesurfing lesson or walk the tidal flats at low tide, then head to the Michamvi peninsula for sunset and dinner at The Rock.
Transfer north, take a snorkeling trip to Mnemba Atoll and end with a sunset dhow cruise from Nungwi.
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