Zanzibar

Zanzibar is best known for its white sandy beaches, turquoise Indian Ocean, and rich marine life. The combination of African, Arabian, Indian, and Persian cultural influences is sure to excite the senses. It is the ideal place to rest up at the end of your safari trip.

Zanzibar Island, also known as Unquia, is the largest and most famous of the islands that make up the Zanzibar Archipelago, and the diverse coastline ensure that there are plenty of different experiences.

Zanzibar is the ideal destination to either begin or end your Tanzanian holiday. The island-style living with tropical waters and palm-fringed beaches are perfect for relaxation and exploration.

Stone Town

Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located in the historic heart of Zanzibar. Stone Town is a bewildering maze of twisting streets and alleyways ready to enchant you.  Appreciate the many cultural influences like African, Arab, Indian and European as you follow the winding narrow streets filled with bazaars, churches and mosques.

Taste local cuisine with a visit to Faridani Market – a night time food marker famous for its seafood, Zanzibari pizza, and other local specialities. From sunset, it is a bustling melting pot of cultures and tourists.

Stone Town, also known as Mji Mkongwe (Old Town) in Swahili, is home to many of the Zanzibari museums, like the People’s Palace Museum and The Old Slave Market.

Browse the busy markets for African and Asian inspired souvenirs, aromatic herbs, spices, trinkets and clothing.

Matemwe

Matemwe beach offers fine white sands and remains reasonably unspoiled.  At low tide the beach turns into a desert full of coral flats. Matemwe village is the perfect starting point for diving drips to the archipelago’s best reefs, the Mnemba Atoll.

Jambiani

Jambiani is an idyllic, low-key Zanzibar destination where coral stone and thatch roof houses huddle close together and the turquoise sees gently lap the white sandy beaches.

Jambiani has a strong seaweed culture with many farms dotting the coastline and employing 15,000 locals, mainly women.

Nungwi and Kendwa

Nungwi and Kendwa are the most popular beaches on Zanzibar because it is blessed by not having to deal with high and low tides – making it the perfect place to swim around the clock.

Nungwi is the most popular resort, boasting quality restaurants, bars and hotels that provide ample entertainment and variety.

Kendwa has a beautiful beach and the deeper water on the northwestern strip means that swimming is possible throughout the day.

The Mafia and Pemba Islands

Pemba Island is a beautiful, quiet island to the north of Zanzibar. It offers world-class diving and is a huge producer of spices. The beaches here are slightly less pristine than those found on Zanzibar, but they are much more exclusive and stunning.

Mafia Island is located to the south of Zanzibar and offers some phenomenal snorkelling, including the opportunity to swim with whale sharks. Mafia Island has fewer white-sand beaches, as mangroves fringe a lot of the island. However, the laid-back feeling of an undeveloped island in the middle of the Indian Ocean more than makes up for this.

Activities/Visits/Excursions:

  • Beaches
  • Big game fishing
  • Biking – day trip + multi-day circuit
  • Butterfly centre and Jozani forest tour
  • Catamaran cruises
  • Day trip to eco island Chumbe
  • Dhow building tour
  • Dhow sunset trips
  • Dhow trips
  • Dolphin safaris
  • Excursions to exposed sandbanks in the ocean
  • Full moon beach parties
  • Golf
  • Historical tours and markets
  • Horse riding
  • Jozani Forest + butterfly farm
  • Kayaking
  • Kite surfing
  • Livingstone House Museum
  • Local cuisine
  • Mangrove swamps
  • National Museum
  • Old Fort
  • PADI diving
  • Palace Museum
  • Princess Salme Museum
  • Prison Island tour
  • Quadbiking
  • Reef walks
  • Safari Blue
  • Shopping
  • Skydiving
  • Slave Market Museum
  • Snorkelling
  • Spice farm tours
  • Stand-up paddle boarding
  • Sundowners
  • Swahili cooking lesson
  • Swimming
  • Swimming in Kuza Cave
  • Swimming with whale sharks (Mafia Island, October – March) Sightings are not guaranteed during these months, but it is one of the best places in the world to see whale sharks.
  • Village walks
  • Walk the streets

Book your safari

Nature Discovery holds a privileged position among safari outfitters, offering 30 years of expertise as a fully licensed tour operator running photographic wildlife safaris and treks in Tanzania.

All of our trips are custom designed and we take your interests and budget into account while planning your trip.

Email us to discuss ideas and to get a quotation.

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