Where a safari usually ends, and should
Zanzibar is an archipelago off the Tanzanian coast, dominated by the main island of Unguja and its quieter neighbour Pemba. It carries white sand beaches and a reef, but its more interesting half is Stone Town, a trading port layered with Swahili, Omani, Indian and European history and listed by UNESCO.
The island’s coasts behave differently and choosing wrongly is the most common Zanzibar mistake. The north, around Nungwi and Kendwa, has the least tidal variation, so you can swim at any hour. It is also the busiest and most developed.
The east coast, around Paje, Jambiani and Bwejuu, has dramatic tides that pull the water far out twice a day, leaving seaweed flats. It is beautiful, much quieter and the centre of the kitesurfing scene, but if your picture of the trip is walking into the sea from your room at any time, the east will disappoint you.
The southwest and the small offshore islands are quieter again, and Pemba, an hour further, is for people who want reef and almost nobody else.
Stone Town rewards walking without a plan, but a guided walk gets you the layers: the old dispensary, the former slave market site and Anglican cathedral, the Omani fort, the House of Wonders and the night food market at Forodhani gardens.
Inland, the spice farms are a genuine working agricultural visit rather than a show, and Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park holds the Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found nowhere else on earth. Between roughly October and March the waters off the south coast are used by dolphins, though the tourism around them has a poor reputation for pressuring the animals and is worth asking about before booking.
Seasons shift year to year. Treat these as a guide and confirm with your operator.
Dry, breezy and reliable. Pairs with the northern circuit dry season.
Hot, calm and clear. The best underwater visibility of the year.
Long rains. Many smaller places close and the sea is rough.
Short rains, usually brief afternoon showers rather than washouts.
Three nights on the beach plus one in Stone Town is the common shape.
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