The Best Things To Do In Zanzibar

Zanzibar is small, but it is not quick to move around: the roads are slow and the tides shape when things happen. Choosing well matters more than fitting everything in. These are the experiences that consistently justify a day of your holiday.

Snorkel Mnemba Atoll

The protected reef around Mnemba, off the north-east coast, has the clearest and calmest water on the island. Go early, when the light is best and the wind is down. The island itself is private — the snorkelling is what you go for.

Spend a day on a sandbank

Nakupenda, off Stone Town, only exists at low tide: a strip of white sand in the middle of turquoise water where the crew sets up lunch. It is the single most photographed experience on Zanzibar, and it earns it.

Take a full day on a dhow

Safari Blue from Fumba is the classic: lagoon, sandbank, mangrove swim and a long seafood lunch on Kwale Island. It is a whole day and worth planning around rather than squeezing in.

Walk Stone Town with a guide

Stone Town rewards context. A local guide turns a maze of lanes into a readable history of the Swahili coast, the spice trade and the town today. Go in the morning or late afternoon.

See the red colobus at Jozani

Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is the only place in the world with a reliable population of Zanzibar red colobus monkeys. It is a flat, shaded, short walk with a mangrove boardwalk — easy and genuinely worthwhile.

Plan around the tide, not the clock

The east coast lagoon empties a long way twice a day. That is not a problem, but it changes what a day looks like. Boat trips leave when the tide allows, and swimming at Paje or Jambiani is easiest either side of high tide.