Zan Maldive Tours and Safaris

Area: Kiwengwa

  • Hotel Transfers

    Zanzibar is bigger than it looks on a map, and the coastal roads vary considerably in quality. Getting from a hotel in Nungwi to a restaurant in Michamvi, or from Stone Town out to Jambiani, is a proper journey rather than a short hop.

    We run point-to-point transfers between any two places on the island: hotel to restaurant, hotel to a dive centre, hotel to a village, hotel to the spice farms. The vehicle is private to your party, the driver speaks English and the price is agreed before you set off.

    For anyone eating at The Rock, taking a sunset cruise from a different coast or heading to an activity outside their area, this is the sensible way to travel. Taxis on the island rarely have fixed pricing and the driver quality is inconsistent.

    Ask us for a return transfer with a wait, or for the driver to stay with you for the day, if that suits your plans better.

  • Mnemba Island Half-Day Tour

    Mnemba is a small private island off the north-east corner of Unguja, ringed by a marine conservation area with the healthiest coral and the clearest water on the island. The island itself is a private resort and closed to visitors, but the reef around it is open, and it is the best snorkelling ground in Zanzibar.

    Boats leave from the beach at Matemwe or Kiwengwa in the morning, when the water is calmest. On the way out the crew look for the resident pods of bottlenose and spinner dolphins. Sightings are common but never guaranteed, and the crew keep a respectful distance and follow local guidelines on how to enter the water.

    At the atoll you snorkel over the coral gardens. The reef here drops away gently, so the shallows suit beginners while the edge rewards confident swimmers. Angelfish, parrotfish, moray eels and turtles are all seen regularly. Gear and life jackets are provided.

    At low tide the boat will also stop at a sandbank near the atoll before returning. Fruit and soft drinks are served on board, and you are back at your hotel in time for lunch.

  • Kiwengwa

    Kiwengwa runs along the east coast of Unguja and has the broadest sweep of sand on that side of the island. It is where most of Zanzibar’s larger all-inclusive resorts are, particularly at the northern end, and it has been popular with European package travellers for years.

    The beach is wide, white and backed by palms and casuarina. Like the rest of the east coast the tide is significant, and at low water the sea retreats to expose a wide sandy flat before returning in the afternoon.

    What Kiwengwa offers is space and facilities. Water sports run from the beach, the resorts have pools for the low-tide hours, and the boats to Mnemba atoll leave from this stretch of coast. Behind the hotels the village carries on quietly, and the cave systems inland are worth a morning.

    Kiwengwa suits families, groups and anyone who wants a full-service resort with a wide beach and easy access to the best snorkelling on the island.

  • Zanzibar Quad Bike Tour

    Most visitors see Zanzibar from a minibus on the tarmac road. A quad takes you off it. The route runs on sand tracks and field paths through rice paddies, banana and sugar cane plots and small villages in the island’s interior, on ground no ordinary vehicle reaches.

    The morning opens at the quad base with a safety briefing and a lesson on the controls. The machines are 450cc automatics, so no gear changing is involved, and beginners are common. You ride solo or two up with a companion.

    An English-speaking guide leads the group, sets the pace and stops regularly for photographs, questions and a stretch. One stop is at a village, where you meet people going about their day and see rural Zanzibar as it is, away from the beach hotels.

    The ride takes about half a day including the briefing. Complimentary fruit and soft drinks are served, and safety equipment is provided.