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Last checked: October 2026

Paje beach guide: Bwejuu, kitesurfing, stays and food

Low-tide beach with a red boat, kites in the sky and two women walking on the sand

Day tour

Zanzibar: Jozani Forest & Salaam Cave + Pickup & Entry fees

fromUS$80

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Getting your bearings

Paje and Bwejuu on the east coast

Jambiani 7 km south of Bwejuu3

Paje is a village on Unguja’s east coast, set between Bwejuu and Jambiani1. It spreads along a 5 km strip of coast, starting about 1 km south of Bwejuu2.

Bwejuu sits immediately south of the Michamvi Peninsula3, so the Michamvi Peninsula’s beaches are your next stop north. Going the other way, Jambiani to the south lies 7 km south of Bwejuu3.

The short verdict

Is Paje worth visiting?

Yes, if you want wind, shallow water and a slow pace. Paje has good conditions for kitesurfing, and the beach keeps a laid-back feel, with fewer beach boys and merchants2 on the sand.

What you get by basing yourself here:

  • A village Wikivoyage calls a sleepy fishing village2 on a fine stretch of shore.
  • One of the island’s kite beaches: Paje is known for kiteboarding4.
  • Warm weather all year round5.
Paje beach at low tide, rippled white sand under clear shallow water
Paje beach at low tide, rippled white sand under clear shallow water

On the lagoon

Kitesurfing in Paje: wind and seasons

Paje’s lagoon suits kitesurfing because it stays shallow with a sandy bottom at low tide1. Wikipedia notes side-onshore winds for most of the year1, and Kite Centre Zanzibar puts the average wind at about 16 knots6.

Average wind about 16 knots6

Best months for beginner kitesurfers in Paje
  • Best beginner kite months
  • Best for part of the month
  • Outside the best windows

For beginners, Kite Centre Zanzibar’s best windows are mid-June to mid-October and late December to mid-March6. Experienced riders get a tighter window: mid-June to mid-September and late December to the end of February6.

Outside the wind, plan around the weather and the calendar:

  • Rain peaks in March, April and May5.
  • The travel agency The Africa Specialists counts April and May7 among the least appealing months to visit.
  • Ramadan runs 8 February to 8 March 20278, inside the winter kite window.

Off the water

What to do in Paje off the kite

Paje’s other draws are diving, a famous dinner spot up the coast and easy day trips. The map shows what’s in and around the village.

Map of the attractions in Paje, numbered as in the list below.

Drawn to scale from the attractions' Google Maps locations.

  1. Maalum Cave
  2. Paje Cave
  • Scuba diving: you can dive straight from Paje, for example with Buccaneer Diving2.
  • Dinner at The Rock: the restaurant sits on a rock in the ocean off Michamvi Pingwe Beach9. A return taxi from Paje runs about TSh 40,000, or hire a Vespa for US$25 a day2.
  • Jozani Forest: the forest has nature trails4, and a Jozani Forest and Salaam Cave tour covers it in one outing.
  • Kuza Cave: check the Kuza Cave entry fee and hours before you set off.
  • Reef trips: Unguja has sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs5; for a boat day on the west side, read up on snorkelling Chumbe Island.
Wooden direction signpost on Paje beach with a thatched sunshade and the sea behind
Wooden direction signpost on Paje beach with a thatched sunshade and the sea behind

Lodges to beach resorts

Where to stay in Paje and Bwejuu

Paje is mostly small lodges and boutique hotels, while Bwejuu has the bigger beach resort. These are the named places the facts cover:

Cheapest room on Kayak: £1814

  • Ndame Beach Lodge: 14 bungalows with 31 rooms2 in a tropical garden.
  • Summer Dream Lodge: Dutch-owned, about 2 minutes from the beach2, and Wikivoyage’s tip for a cheaper stay.
  • Hakuna Majiwe Beach Lodge: 20 rooms2 in beach bungalows facing the ocean.
  • Dhow Inn: describes itself as a boutique hotel on Paje Beach10.
  • Sea Side Resort: its own website calls it a beachfront resort in Paje11; Expedia places it within 2 km12 of Paje and Bwejuu beaches.
  • Breezes Beach Club & Spa: on Bwejuu Beach, on the south-east coast13.

Room prices vary a lot by date. Here’s what the booking sites showed:

What Price Source
Cheapest Paje room found
£1814
Kayak (booking agent)
Average in January14, the cheapest month
£4114 a night
Kayak (booking agent)
Average on a Saturday14, the cheapest night
£8014
Kayak (booking agent)
Breezes Beach Club & Spa, per person sharing
from US$23515 (checked October 2026) a night
Safari.com (booking agent)
Aerial view of a thatched beach hotel with a pool among palm trees on the Zanzibar coast
Aerial view of a thatched beach hotel with a pool among palm trees on the Zanzibar coast

To widen the search, compare beachfront hotels by beach area, browse upscale stays in Zanzibar or see where to stay elsewhere in Zanzibar.

Arriving

How do you get to Paje from the airport?

A taxi from the airport takes about 1 hour2 to Paje, and you’ll pay less if you pick one up just outside the airport. Shared shuttles and the daladala are the budget options.

Airport taxi about 1 hour2

Getting to Paje: fares and times
OptionFareTimeSource
Taxi from the airport
About US$60
1 hour
Wikivoyage
Taxi or minibus from just outside the airport
Around US$40
–
Wikivoyage
Taxi from the airport or Stone Town
From TSh 50,000
About 1 hour
Wikivoyage
Shared shuttle
US$10
–
Wikivoyage
Daladala 309 or 340 from Stone Town
TSh 2,000
Not much slower than a taxi
Wikivoyage

Wikivoyage

The daladala from Stone Town costs TSh 2,000 (checked October 2026) and runs on routes 309 and 3402.

Once you’re here, getting around is easy: you can rent a bike, scooter or motorcycle2, and many resorts have their own rental office.

Food and bars

Eating and drinking in Paje

Eating out in Paje is moderately priced: local meals cost about US$5–72, while pizza and pasta cost more.

Local meals about US$5–72

Place What to expect Source
Utalli Restaurant
Simple, good-value local food: rice or ugali with vegetable sauces, fish optional2
Wikivoyage
Mapacha Food Court
Open-air food court with independent stalls: burgers, grills and more2
Wikivoyage
Oxygen Restaurant
Beachfront seafood and drinks, with raised views over the beach2
Wikivoyage

Most bars open from late morning until around 10pm2, later on event nights.

Before you book

Questions people ask

Is Paje in Tanzania?

Yes. Paje is on Unguja, Zanzibar's main island, and Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania.

How warm is it in Paje?

Warm all year. Monthly averages in Zanzibar City, across the island, usually sit between 25.1 and 28.8 °C.

Is it cheap to stay in Paje?

Not especially: Wikivoyage says Zanzibar doesn't offer much cheap accommodation, though it tips Summer Dream Lodge in Paje for a cheaper stay.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Pexels. Authors and licences: image credits

Checked against 16 sources · last checked October 2026
  1. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  2. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  3. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  4. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  5. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  6. Kite Centre Zanzibar (operator) · checked October 2026
  7. The Africa Specialists (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  8. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  9. The Rock Restaurant Zanzibar (operator) · checked October 2026
  10. Dhow Inn (resort) · checked October 2026
  11. seasidehotelzanzibar.com (resort) · checked October 2026
  12. Expedia (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  13. Kuoni (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  14. Kayak (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  15. Safari.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  16. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 21 October 2026