Africa's most romantic island destination the UNESCO-listed lanes of Stone Town, spice plantations that once made the island fabulously wealthy, and Indian Ocean beaches ranging from calm northern shores to kitesurfing hotspots in the east.
Zanzibar is Africa's most romantic island destination a spice-scented archipelago of coral islands in the Indian Ocean 35km off Tanzania's coast, where Arab, Persian, Indian, Portuguese and Swahili cultures have fused over millennia to create one of the world's most distinctive and captivating places. The main island, Unguja (Zanzibar Island), combines the labyrinthine lanes of UNESCO-listed Stone Town with some of the Indian Ocean's most beautiful beaches, making it the ideal finale to any East African safari. Stone Town, Zanzibar's historic capital, is one of Africa's most extraordinary urban environments a UNESCO World Heritage City of winding stone alleys, carved wooden doors, coral-built merchant houses and minarets that reveal the island's extraordinary history as the East African hub of the Arab spice and slave trade. The Omani Arab sultans who ruled Zanzibar from the 17th to 19th centuries built a city of wealth and sophistication whose architectural legacy survives largely intact as a living, breathing urban heritage zone. Zanzibar's beaches are among the Indian Ocean's finest. The northern beaches (Nungwi, Kendwa) offer calm turquoise water year-round with vibrant beach bar culture, while the eastern beaches (Paje, Jambiani, Matemwe) face the open ocean with dramatic tidal changes and excellent kitesurfing conditions. The southern tip hosts the extraordinary Menai Bay conservation area. Beneath the surface, Zanzibar's fringing reefs support outstanding snorkelling and scuba diving, with coral gardens, sea turtles, manta rays and dolphin pods all accessible from shore. For most travellers completing a Uganda or Tanzania safari, Zanzibar is the perfect beach recovery turquoise water, fresh seafood, Swahili culture and winter sunshine combining to create one of East Africa's most rewarding travel experiences.
Zanzibar at a Glance
UNESCO-listed
Stone Town, a labyrinth of coral-built merchant houses and carved wooden doors.
Indian
Ocean beaches ranging from the calm turquoise north to world-class kitesurfing in the east.
World-class
snorkelling and diving at Mnemba Atoll, with coral gardens, turtles and manta rays.
The
perfect beach finale after a Uganda or Tanzania safari.
A labyrinth of winding stone alleys, carved wooden doors and coral-built merchant houses the legacy of Omani Arab sultans who ruled Zanzibar from the 17th to 19th centuries and built a city of wealth on the spice trade.
Calm, turquoise water year-round with a vibrant beach bar culture, making the north of the island the most reliable choice for swimming and spectacular sunsets.
The east coast faces the open ocean with dramatic tidal changes and world-class kitesurfing conditions, while tranquil, upscale Matemwe sits closest to the Mnemba Atoll.
The southern tip of the island hosts the extraordinary Menai Bay conservation area, home to wild spinner and bottlenose dolphins and a rich fringing reef ecosystem.
One of the Indian Ocean's finest snorkelling and diving sites, accessible from Matemwe or Nungwi coral gardens, sea turtles, reef fish and occasional whale sharks in exceptionally clear water.
Explore the UNESCO city's maze of alleys with a knowledgeable guide, visiting the old slave market, House of Wonders, Arab Fort and the carved door gallery.
Join locals at Stone Town's famous evening waterfront market for fresh Zanzibari pizza, grilled octopus, samosas, sugar cane juice and spiced Zanzibari coffee.
Visit a working Zanzibar spice plantation to smell, taste and learn about cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, black pepper, cardamom and the other spices that made Zanzibar fabulously wealthy.
Take an early morning dhow to the southern tip to swim alongside wild spinner and bottlenose dolphins in the open Indian Ocean.
Sail on a traditional Zanzibari dhow at sunset with sundowners, watching the Stone Town waterfront glow gold as the Indian Ocean turns crimson.
Zanzibar is served by Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) on the main island, with direct flights from Dar es Salaam (25 minutes), Nairobi (1.5 hours) and Kilimanjaro/Arusha (45 minutes), plus some international connections. The Zanzibar fast ferry from Dar es Salaam takes 90 minutes and operates multiple times daily.
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