Things To Do in Zanzibar

Zanzibar rewards people who leave the beach for a day or two. Below is everything we run, grouped by the kind of day it makes.

Culture and history

The Stone Town walking tour is the single most worthwhile half day on the island. Add the spice farms, the Nungwi village tour and a Swahili cooking class for a fuller picture of how people actually live here.

Sea and sandbanks

Nakupenda Sandbank, Safari Blue from Fumba, Mnemba atoll snorkelling from Matemwe and the sunset dhow cruise. These are the days people remember.

Nature and wildlife

Jozani Forest for the endemic red colobus monkey, the butterfly centre next door, the turtle sanctuary at Nungwi, and the natural coral caves at Paje, Jambiani and Kizimkazi.

Adventure

Quad biking through the villages, ziplining over the forest canopy, horse riding on the beach, transparent kayaking with drone footage, and kitesurfing at Paje.

Food

The Forodhani night market in Stone Town, a Swahili cooking class, the spice farm tasting and dinner at The Rock.

All our experiences

Culture and history

Zanzibar Spice Farm Tour

  • Spice farms outside Stone Town, Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 3 to 4 hours
  • Private or shared

See, smell and taste the crops the Spice Islands were named for. A half-day walk through a working farm with cloves, vanilla,…

Beach and ocean

Prison Island Tour

  • Changuu Island, off Stone Town, Zanzibar
  • Half day, approximately 4 to 5 hours
  • Private or shared

A thirty-minute boat ride from Stone Town to Changuu Island, home to a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, a 19th-century prison building…

Nature and wildlife

Jozani Forest Tour

  • Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 4 hours
  • Private or shared

Zanzibar's only national park and the one place on earth to see the endemic Kirk's red colobus monkey, plus a mangrove boardwalk…

Beach and ocean

Mnemba Island Half-Day Tour

  • Mnemba atoll, off Matemwe, north-east Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 4 to 5 hours
  • Private or shared

Snorkel the protected reef around Mnemba atoll off the north-east coast, with a good chance of swimming near wild dolphins on the…

Adventure activities

Safari Blue Zanzibar

  • Fumba and Menai Bay, south-west Unguja
  • Full day, approximately 8 hours
  • Private or shared

A full day on a traditional dhow from Fumba: snorkelling, a seafood lunch on an uninhabited island, sandbanks, a mangrove lagoon and…

Adventure activities

Zanzibar Aquarium and Caves

  • Paje, Jambiani, Kizimkazi and Nungwi, Zanzibar
  • Half day, 2 to 3 hours at the sites
  • Private or shared

Swim in a natural coral cave and visit the turtle aquarium. Kuza Cave at Jambiani, Maalum Cave at Paje and Salaam Cave…

Adventure activities

Zanzibar Quad Bike Tour

  • Village tracks and farmland, central Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 3 to 4 hours
  • Private or shared

Ride a quad through rice fields, sugar cane and village tracks no car reaches, with a safety briefing, a local guide and…

Beach and ocean

Sunset Dhow Cruise

  • Stone Town, Nungwi or Kendwa, depending on your hotel
  • Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Private or shared

Two and a half hours on the water as the sun goes down, with welcome drinks, snacks and a friendly captain who…

Culture and history

Nungwi Village Tour

  • Nungwi, northern Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 4 hours
  • Private or shared

Known locally as the Thousand Hands of Zanzibar. Meet the boat builders, weavers and craftspeople whose work supports the north coast.

Culture and history

Zanzibar Cooking Class

  • Stone Town area, Zanzibar
  • Half day, approximately 4 hours
  • Private or shared

Cook Swahili food with a local chef, from choosing ingredients to plating up. Includes traditional dress, local music and the meal you…

Adventure activities

Zanzibar Zipline Adventure

  • Forest zipline course, Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 3 hours
  • Shared

Fly across steel cables strung above the forest canopy, with a guided forest walk, suspension bridges and full safety equipment.

Adventure activities

Horse Riding Experience

  • Coastal stables, Zanzibar
  • Approximately 2 to 3 hours including transfers
  • Private or shared

Ride along the shoreline and through coastal trails on well-trained horses, with a stop to swim in the shallows with your horse.

Beach and ocean

The Rock Restaurant Experience

  • Michamvi Pingwe, south-east Unguja
  • Half day including transfers, allow 4 hours
  • Private

Lunch or dinner at the restaurant built on a rock in the sea off Michamvi Pingwe, with return transfers and the table…

Beach and ocean

Sea Turtles Sanctuary

  • Nungwi, northern Unguja
  • Approximately 1 hour at the site, half day with transfers
  • Private or shared

A natural tidal pool set in the coral rock where rescued marine turtles are rehabilitated. Feed them, swim with them and learn…

Adventure activities

Transparent Kayak and Drone Experience

  • Nungwi and Kendwa, northern Unguja
  • Approximately 1 hour on the water, half day with transfers
  • Private or shared

Paddle a clear-bottomed kayak over the reef at Nungwi or Kendwa while a professional drone films the whole thing from above.

Family experiences

Jozani Forest and Butterfly Centre

  • Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, Unguja
  • Half day, approximately 5 hours
  • Private or shared

The red colobus monkeys of Jozani plus the neighbouring butterfly centre, home to chameleons, bush babies and elephant shrews.

Culture and history

Stone Town and Spice Farm

  • Stone Town and the spice farms, Unguja
  • Full day, approximately 7 hours
  • Private or shared

History in the morning, spices in the afternoon. The UNESCO old town followed by a working plantation where you smell and taste…

Culture and history

Stone Town and Jozani Forest

  • Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park and Stone Town
  • Full day, approximately 8 hours
  • Private or shared

Endemic red colobus monkeys in the island's only national park, then the UNESCO old town in the afternoon.

Beach and ocean

Spice Farm and Prison Island

  • Spice farms and Changuu Island, Zanzibar
  • Full day, approximately 7 to 8 hours
  • Private or shared

A morning on a working spice plantation, then the boat to Changuu Island for the giant tortoises, a snorkel and a swim.

Not sure where to start? Tell us how many days you have and what you enjoy, and we will put together a plan.

Ask us what to do