Zan Maldive Tours and Safaris

Area: Jambiani

  • Jambiani

    Jambiani runs for several kilometres along the south-east coast, just south of Paje, and it is one of the few places on the island where the village and the beach are genuinely the same place. Houses, small hotels, fishing boats and seaweed drying racks share the same strip of sand.

    The water is a startling turquoise over white sand, protected by the same reef that shelters Paje. At low tide it retreats a long way, exposing seaweed farms worked mostly by the women of the village and firm sand you walk for kilometres. At high tide the lagoon fills and turns swimmable.

    The pace here is slower than at Paje and considerably slower than the north coast. There are no large resorts, no nightlife to speak of and very little pressure. People come to read, walk, swim on the tide and watch a working village get on with its day.

    Kuza Cave, the natural coral swimming cave with a strong Swahili cultural programme, sits a few minutes inland.

  • Zanzibar Aquarium and Caves

    Zanzibar sits on ancient coral rock, and where the rock has collapsed inward the island has opened up a set of natural freshwater caves. Three of them are open to visitors and each has its own character: Kuza Cave near Jambiani, tied to Swahili cultural heritage; Maalum Cave near Paje, a deep blue swimming pool under an open roof; and Salaam Cave at Kizimkazi, small, dark and lit by candlelight.

    The water in the caves is fresh, cool and still, filtered through the coral rock. Swimming in them is a different experience from the ocean and a welcome break from the heat.

    The tour pairs the caves with a visit to the natural turtle aquarium, a large tidal pool set in the coral rock behind the beach. It began as a rehabilitation and study site for marine turtles and now works to protect the local population. A keeper explains the work, and you are able to feed the turtles seaweed or get into the pool for a closer encounter.

    The visit takes two to three hours and works well as a half-day for guests staying on the east or south coast.