Zanzibar Highlights - Travel Trips & Tours

Zanzibar Archipelago

Beaches
Zanzibar, an island located just off Dar es Salaam, is blessed with a coastline of picture perfect beaches. There are miles of white sand leading into shallow turquoise water lined with offshore reefs and dotted with small fishing villages sheltering under coconut palms.
Beaches
Dhow Cruises
At high tide all the dhows sail in to the various beaches and harbours on Zanzibar and lively bartering for the day’s catch ensues. Cruising around the islands on a traditional dhow boat is one of the best ways to experience Zanzibar.
Dhow Cruises
Diving & Snorkelling
Mafia is the site of Tanzania’s first marine national park, covering 800 square kilometres and with over 460 species of fish and fantastic corals. There are a wide variety of dive and snorkel spots in the Archipelago with something to offer for all abilities.
Diving & Snorkelling
Rest & Relaxation
There are some very busy beaches, backed by large resorts which we don’t use. We have driven all round the island and found quiet beaches with small boutique hotels and simple lodges. We’ll drive you across the island to these and you can relax in peace.
Rest & Relaxation
Swahili Culture
Flanked by the sea, Stone Town is exotic and steeped in Swahili history. Laden dhows sail in to the port, crumbling buildings cast shadows over labyrinthine streets and the smell of spices fills the air. Much of Stone Town was built in the 19th Century and remains unchanged to this day.
Swahili Culture
Turtles
The most commonly found turtle in Zanzibar is the green turtle, followed by the hawksbill. Both nest in Zanzibar and Pemba is one of the best places to see them. There are several projects being run to help protect these endangered animals and their nesting sites.
Turtles

Africa and The Indian Ocean

By Post Download Online 32122251

Highlights of Zanzibar Archipelago

Snorkel off Chumbe Island
The whole of Chumbe Island's land and sea is a nature reserve. Just off the beach is the coral reef crest ideal for snorkellers.
-6.29047278183954
39.1887474060059
Zanzibar Archipelago
-4.7
40.25
-8.25
38.5

Relax on the Mafia Islands
Mafia Island is located just south of Zanzibar and is a quiet, traditional and natural place to relax and get away from it all.
-7.85794025722418
39.74853515625
Zanzibar Archipelago
-4.7
40.25
-8.25
38.5

Go diving off Pemba Island
Pemba is a quiet island with only a couple of hotels. It’s an ideal place for divers, snorkellers and people looking to escape to somewhere very quiet.
-5.22087892106821
39.8007202148438
Zanzibar Archipelago
-4.7
40.25
-8.25
38.5

Stroll around historic Stone Town
Stone Town is busy and bustling and a very exotic place to explore, to eat out at some fabulous restaurants and pick up a few presents to take back home.
-6.16197424772345
39.1921806335449
Zanzibar Archipelago
-4.7
40.25
-8.25
38.5

Enjoy the pristine white beaches of Zanzibar Island
Zanzibar is a group of fifty islands but most people stay on Zanzibar Island, which has the famous Stone Town as well as some of the most stunning beaches.
-6.19107261377624
39.3461608886719
Zanzibar Archipelago
-4.7
40.25
-8.25
38.5

Our country specialists have travelled the length and breadth of Zanzibar Archipelago - here are a few of their favourite things to do

The fifty islands of the Zanzibar Archipelago lie in aquamarine seas under a blazing equatorial sun.

They are hot, sultry, exotic and idyllic. There are tiny coral atolls with tumbling green creepers and turtles’ nests on the beach. Sugar white sandbanks are exposed at low tide, sloping gently to crystal clear waters and perfect for swimming among reefs teeming with life.

Mafia Islands

The Mafia Islands are covered in rainforest and almost totally undeveloped, with local life proceeding at a sedate pace by the warm water’s edge. On the large islands of Unguja (Zanzibar Island) and Pemba there is mile upon mile of white sand, flanked by tall coconut palms. The azure seas are littered with reefs, with pink sea anemones swaying in warm currents and butterflyfish, angelfish and parrotfish darting between the corals.

Stone Town

Zanzibar has more than just beaches though. Monsoon winds blowing from Persia, Arabia and India have led traders to these islands for over 2,000 years. In Zanzibar’s Stone Town, labyrinth alleys lead to sultans’ residences with thick stone walls and intricately carved doors studded with gold. Inland, there are crumbling palaces and spice plantations where piles of curling cinnamon bark and rich brown nutmegs lie in the sun. Villages shade under papaya trees and the air is filled with the smell of drying cloves. At sunset Zanzibar is spectacular as hundreds of silent dhows set sail for the night, their billowing white sails tinged pink in the sun.

With a warm breeze blowing this is the place to unwind, to relax and enjoy. Just a short flight from some of Tanzania’s wildest parks, Zanzibar is an ultimate finale for any safari.