Nungwi

Nungwi sits at the northern tip of Unguja and is the liveliest beach destination in Zanzibar. Its main advantage is geographic: the tide here does not retreat far, so the sea stays swimmable through the day. On much of the east coast the water disappears for hours at low tide, and on this stretch it does not.

The shoreline is lined with restaurants, beach bars, dive centres and hotels of every size, giving Nungwi an energetic mix of local residents, international visitors and water sports crews. It has the most nightlife of anywhere outside Stone Town.

Behind the beach the village carries on much as it always has. Nungwi is the last place on the island where ocean-going dhows are still built by hand, and the boat yards, rope makers and net weavers work on the sand within sight of the hotels. The natural turtle rehabilitation pool sits here too.

Nungwi suits travellers who want the sea available all day, plenty of places to eat and something happening in the evening. Anyone looking for quiet should look at Matemwe, Michamvi or Mtende instead.

Nungwi combines a beach swimmable at any tide with a working fishing and boat-building village. Very few beach destinations anywhere still build ocean-going wooden boats by hand a hundred metres from the sun loungers.

June to October is dry, breezy and the most comfortable.
December to February is hot, bright and busy.
March to May brings the long rains and the quietest beaches.
The north coast catches the best sunsets on the island through most of the year.

Nungwi has the widest range of accommodation on the island, from large beachfront resorts to boutique hotels and simple guesthouses in the village. We book across every category and will match the property to your budget and the kind of stay you want.

About an hour and fifteen minutes by road from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, on good tarmac most of the way. We meet every flight with a name board and a fixed price agreed in advance.