Explore Zanzibar and Tanzania with local experts

Zanzibar is generally a safe destination and violent crime against visitors is rare. The sensible precautions are the ones you would take anywhere: keep valuables in the hotel safe, avoid walking alone on unlit beaches at night, use arranged transport rather than flagging down unknown vehicles, and take care with bags in busy areas such as Darajani market.

Zanzibar is a predominantly Muslim society. Clothing covering the shoulders and knees away from the beach is appreciated and avoids unwanted attention. Beachwear belongs on the beach.

Our drivers and guides are known to us and work with us regularly. If anything feels wrong during your stay, call or message us and we will deal with it.

June to October is the most reliable window: dry, breezy, comfortable temperatures and the best conditions for snorkelling and boat trips. It is also the busiest period alongside Christmas and New Year.

December to February is hot, humid and bright, and pairs well with the wildebeest calving season in the southern Serengeti if you are combining Zanzibar with a safari.

March to May brings the long rains. Some smaller properties close, but the island is green, quiet and considerably cheaper, and the rain usually falls in heavy bursts rather than all day.

Ramadan changes the rhythm of the island, particularly in Stone Town. The dates move each year. Ask us and we will tell you where they fall for your trip.

Yes. We meet every flight at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport with a name board in the arrivals hall, and we run transfers to hotels anywhere on the island.

The price is agreed before you travel and does not change. We monitor your flight, so a delay costs you nothing and the driver waits. Vehicles are air-conditioned and drivers speak English. Child seats are available at no extra cost.

We also meet the ferry at the Zanzibar seaport in Stone Town, and run drop-off transfers timed from your check-in rather than guessed.

Both. Most of our excursions run either way and you choose when you book.

A private tour means the guide, the vehicle and the schedule belong to your party alone. You set the pace, stop where you like and start at a time that suits you. It costs more per person, particularly for one or two travellers.

A shared tour joins a small group. It is better value and often more sociable, with a fixed departure time and route.

Every tour page shows whether that experience runs private, shared or either. If you are unsure, tell us your party and we will advise which makes sense.

Yes, on every excursion, from hotels anywhere on Unguja. Hotel pickup and drop-off is included in the price of our tours rather than added as an extra.

Pickup times vary by area, because the drive from the east coast to Stone Town takes considerably longer than from the city. We confirm your exact pickup time the evening before, and for tide-dependent trips such as Nakupenda Sandbank or Safari Blue the time shifts day to day.

Tell us your hotel name and area when you book and we will handle the rest.

Yes. We arrange safaris on both the northern circuit, covering the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, and the southern circuit, covering Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha.

The southern parks are reached by light aircraft directly from Zanzibar in about an hour, which makes them the practical choice for guests already on the coast. The northern circuit is the classic route and the one with the wildebeest migration.

We handle the park fees, the 4x4 vehicle and driver guide, the camps and lodges, the internal flights and every transfer, with one point of contact from start to finish.

Yes, and it is the trip we build most often. The usual shape is safari first, beach second: game drives mean early starts and long days in a vehicle, so finishing on the coast means you travel home rested.

A workable minimum is four nights on safari and four in Zanzibar. Seven to fourteen nights in total gives a comfortable trip with time in more than one safari area.

Internal flights connect the two halves. From the northern circuit you fly from the Serengeti or Arusha to Zanzibar. From the southern circuit you fly directly between Zanzibar and the park airstrip.

Send us your dates, your party and your budget and we will come back with a costed itinerary.

Yes. Tailor-made planning is a large part of what we do, and it costs no more than booking the same components separately.

Tell us your arrival and departure dates, who is travelling, what interests you and roughly what you want to spend. We come back with a suggested itinerary covering hotels, transfers, excursions and any safari, and then adjust it until it fits.

We build honeymoons, family holidays, group trips, corporate travel and multi-centre trips combining Zanzibar with mainland Tanzania.