Zanzibar
Carved doors and an Omani fort in Stone Town, beaches facing east, a sea near 28 °C, and a runway five kilometres from the old quarter.
- Arrival
- Abeid Amani Karume International · ZNZ
- To the east coast
- Just over an hour by car to Paje
- Private jets
- Land at ZNZ, with local handling agents
- Best time
- January to February · June to October
The city
An old trading town, then the eastern shore.
Stone Town, on UNESCO’s list since 2000, keeps the fort the Omanis built in 1699, the House of Wonders where East Africa saw its first lift, and wooden doors carved in Indian and Omani styles. After sunset, the Forodhani Gardens on the seafront fill with stalls of grilled seafood.
The beaches lie across the island on the east coast, at Paje and Dongwe, about an hour from the airport. The long dry season runs from June to October, with a shorter one in January and February. April is the wettest month, at close to 400 mm.
Arriving
Five kilometres from Stone Town.
Abeid Amani Karume International lies about five kilometres south of Zanzibar City. Its Terminal 3, opened in 2021, takes the international flights.
- Nairobi 1 h 10
- Kigali 1 h 45
- Abu Dhabi 5 h 15
- Kuwait City 5 h 35
- Hong Kong 11 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
January to February, and June to October.
Close to the equator the island never cools: 28 to 32 °C in the afternoon, and the Indian Ocean at 25 to 29 °C. June to October is the long dry season, and January and February a shorter one. The long rains fall from March to May, the short rains in November and December.
- 32° J 86 28°
- 32° F 54 28°
- 32° M 150 29°
- 30° A 385 29°
- 29° M 254 28°
- 29° J 70 27°
- 28° J 50 26°
- 29° A 48 25°
- 30° S 52 26°
- 31° O 96 26°
- 31° N 216 27°
- 31° D 184 28°
What to see and do
Days in and around Zanzibar.
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Landmark
The Old Fort
Built by the Omanis in 1699, the oldest building in Stone Town, with music and dance in its courtyard.
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Landmark
Christ Church
An Anglican cathedral raised on the site of the island’s largest slave market, its altar where the whipping post stood.
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Landmark
Forodhani Gardens
A seafront park restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, and a night market of grilled seafood.
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Wildlife
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
Zanzibar's endemic red colobus monkeys live in this forest of some 50 square kilometres, crossed by a raised boardwalk through the mangroves.
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On the water
Mnemba Atoll
Divers and snorkellers find green and hawksbill turtles and several species of dolphin on the oval reef around this island, 3 km off the northeast coast.
Official site -
Wildlife
Changuu Island
Aldabra giant tortoises, descended from four sent by the governor of the Seychelles in 1919, roam this islet off Stone Town, also called Prison Island.
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On the water
Menai Bay Conservation Area
Wooden dhows sail out from Fumba for a day of reef snorkelling, a sandbank stop at low tide and lunch on Kwale Island.
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Food & wine
Kizimbani Spice Farm
Cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom grow on this farm, where guides show how each spice is planted, harvested and processed.
Official site -
Food & wine
Darajani Market
Built in 1904 for Sultan Ali bin Hamud, Stone Town's main market sells fish, meat, fruit and spices under its old hall.
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Culture
Maruhubi Palace ruins
Sultan Barghash built this palace on the west coast in 1882; after the fire of 1899, arched walls, columns, bathhouse remains and a garden pond survive.
Where to stay
On the eastern shore.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
A rooftop table in Stone Town.
No MICHELIN restaurant guide covers Tanzania. The MICHELIN Guide’s page on the Emerson Spice hotel calls its rooftop Tea House one of the most highly regarded tables in town.
- Tea House at Emerson Spice MICHELIN Guide, hotel page Zanzibari, five-course tasting menu Rooftop of Emerson Spice, Stone Town, on the west coast
Flying to Zanzibar?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.