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6.16° S · 39.20° E · Tanzania
Zanzibar
Couples and safari travellers who want a relaxed beach week, Swahili culture and a warm sea.
Local time
Zanzibar lies off the coast of Tanzania, a low coral island of white sand, palm groves and spice farms. Its old quarter, Stone Town, is a maze of carved wooden doors, coral stone houses and mosques, shaped by centuries of Swahili, Arab, Indian and European trade. Beyond it, the coast is a ring of quiet villages, seaweed farms and long beaches washed by a warm, milky turquoise sea.
For many travellers Zanzibar is the natural end to a safari: the flight from Arusha or the Serengeti airstrips is short, and a week on the beach after early game drives feels well earned. It also suits couples on its own, with small adults-only hotels, kitesurfing on the east coast and snorkelling around Mnemba Atoll. The tides here are large, and they shape every beach and every choice of hotel.
When to go
The year in Zanzibar
The best months are July to October and December to February: dry, sunny and warm, with a cooling breeze in the southern winter and more heat and humidity around the turn of the year. March and June are good shoulder months. The long rains fall from about April to May, with heavy downpours, and some hotels close for the period. A shorter rainy spell in November usually brings brief showers rather than lost days.
Typical long term values, indicative. Weather in any single year can differ.
Where to stay
Resort styles here
The north around Nungwi and Kendwa is the least affected by the tides, so you can swim at almost any hour, and the sunsets face west. The east coast, from Matemwe and Kiwengwa down to Paje and Jambiani, has long beaches, kitesurfing and a tide that withdraws far across the reef flats. The Michamvi Peninsula has both: the open ocean on one side and the calm, west-facing shore of Chwaka Bay on the other. Stone Town has characterful hotels in restored merchant houses.
Getting there
From Europe, Zanzibar is reached by seasonal nonstop flights from a few cities or with one change in the Gulf, Istanbul, Addis Ababa or Nairobi, around nine hours at best. The airport lies just outside Stone Town, about an hour by car from most north and east coast hotels.
Guides that mention Zanzibar
Read before you go
Photo: Four Seasons
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How to Choose a Beach Resort: Sand, Reef, Wind and Orientation
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