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Last checked: October 2026

Zanzibar vs Mauritius: beaches, seasons and costs compared

Wide view of a white-sand beach at low tide with palms on the left and sun behind clouds

Day tour

Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice tour & Prison Island with Lunch

fromUS$55

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See dates on GetYourGuide

Both islands at a glance

Side by side: Zanzibar and Mauritius

Zanzibar gives you an old town, spice-trade history and a handful of very different beaches. Mauritius gives you a much longer coastline with sheltered lagoons.

Mauritius: 150+ km of beaches3

Thatched beach bars and huts under palm trees along a white-sand beach

Zanzibar

An island off the coast of Tanzania, famous for history, culture and white sand beaches

  • Stone Town, the old centre, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Monthly averages of 25.1–28.8 °C in Zanzibar City
  • Sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs

Mauritius

About 2,000 km off south-east Africa, east of Madagascar

  • More than 150 km of white sandy beaches
  • Lagoons behind what Wikipedia calls the world's third-largest coral reef
  • Capital Port Louis; currency the Mauritian rupee

Weather and seasons

Zanzibar and Mauritius run on different calendars, so your travel month may make the decision for you.

Season Zanzibar Mauritius
Dry, cooler months
July4: dry season in full swing
Cool, dry winter June to September3
Wettest or stormiest
Rain peaks March to May1
Cyclones possible January to March3
Busiest and priciest
July is peak season; hotels dearest in December5
No checked data
Diving
Kendwa is good for scuba diving2
Best visibility November to April6

Zanzibar is warm all year round1, so the real question is rain and crowds. Expert Africa rates the dry season as Zanzibar’s best few months, but that’s also when prices climb.

Mauritius has a warm, humid summer from November to April3. If you’re planning a holiday by the weather, the Zanzibar month-by-month page has the detail.

Flying in from Cape Town

Airlink flies non-stop from Cape Town to both islands, so the day you can leave may settle it. The Cape Town to Zanzibar flight takes just over six hours7.

Airlink non-stop flights from Cape Town

Time Out (news)

Cape Town to Zanzibar

  • Sat 08.15–14.30

Cape Town to Mauritius

  • Tue 10.05–17.15
  • Fri 10.05–17.15

Local times. The Zanzibar route only started on 3 October 2026: confirm with Airlink before booking.

South Africans also don’t need a visa for Tanzania8, which takes a cost off the Zanzibar side.

Fees, rooms and car hire

Costs compared

Zanzibar’s fixed entry costs come before you land, while Mauritius adds a small fee for every night you stay. The checked sources hold far fewer Mauritius prices, so some cells stay blank.

Zanzibar insurance: US$44 per person9

Zanzibar and Mauritius costs side by side
CostZanzibarMauritius
Tourist visa
US$50 single entry (some nationalities differ)
No checked figure
Compulsory extras
Inbound insurance US$44 per person
Tourist fee €3 per night, aged 12 and over
Cheapest rooms
Stone Town double from TSh 25,000; beach rooms from TSh 50,000
Self-catering bungalows and flats, many on the beach
Budget hotel
TSh 45,000–90,000, low season
No checked figure
Resort night
Meliá Zanzibar from €344 (Nov 2026 search); Riu Palace US$344 for 2 (Oct–Nov 2026)
International brands and Mauritian-owned luxury hotels; no checked rates
Car hire
No checked figure
About €25 a day
Local beer
No checked figure
Pint of Phoenix about Rs 30

us.tzembassy.go.tz (official); jp.tzembassy.go.tz (official); mra.mu (official); Wikivoyage; halalbooking.com (booking agent); Priceline (booking agent)

Wikivoyage says Zanzibar doesn’t offer much cheap accommodation2, so book early if you’re on a budget. To compare resorts beach by beach, browse these nice hotels in Zanzibar, or see the full breakdown of a Zanzibar trip’s costs.

Make the call

Which island suits whom

Choose Zanzibar for history, a busy beach scene and wind sports. Choose Mauritius for long beaches, lagoons and self-catering on the sand.

Choose Zanzibar if…

  • You want history with your beach time: Zanzibar was an important stop in the spice trade, and the airport is about 5 km2 from Zanzibar City.
  • You want to swim whenever you like: at Kendwa you can swim at any time of day10.
  • You kiteboard: Paje, a small village on the east coast, is the place to base yourself.
  • You want a night out: Kendwa Rocks hosts Full Moon Parties10 on the Saturdays either side of a full moon.
Yellow two-storey prison building with blue doors on Changuu (Prison Island)

Day tour · 7 hours · GetYourGuide

Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice tour & Prison Island with Lunch

4.5 (1,341 reviews) on GetYourGuide, checked October 2026

Free cancellation · Pickup included

fromUS$55

See dates on GetYourGuide

Choose Mauritius if…

  • You want long beaches: the west coast has some of the island’s best and longest white sandy beaches6.
  • You like to self-cater: bungalows and apartments are another option, many right on the beach6.
  • You’re happy on public transport: Wikivoyage says the bus is the cheapest way to get around6.

Kendwa or Nungwi: which Zanzibar beach suits you?

Kendwa suits swimmers and divers, Nungwi suits people who want a resort town with village sights, Paje suits kiteboarders and Jambiani suits a fishing-village stay. Kendwa is a couple of miles from Nungwi2, so you can stay in one and visit the other.

Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje and Jambiani compared
BeachWhat it isGood for
Nungwi
Resort town on the northern tip, once a dhow-building village
Village sights: the island's oldest lighthouse and a sea-turtle aquarium
Kendwa
Small fishing village near Nungwi with fine white sand
Swimming at any time of day, reading, scuba diving; Full Moon Parties
Paje
Small village on the east coast
Kiteboarding
Jambiani
Fishing village stretched along the beach
Staying in a working fishing village

Wikivoyage; Wikipedia

Paje beach at low tide, rippled white sand under clear shallow water
Paje beach at low tide, rippled white sand under clear shallow water

For rooms, tides and the party calendar, see Kendwa’s beach and hotels.

Quiet stretch of Nungwi beach in morning light, with thatched shelters under the trees
Quiet stretch of Nungwi beach in morning light, with thatched shelters under the trees

Questions people ask

Why is Mauritius so famous?

Wikivoyage says it is known for its multicultural society, tropical climate, beaches and water sports. It was also the only known home of the dodo.

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

Checked against 18 sources · last checked October 2026
  1. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  2. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  3. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  4. Expert Africa (tour company) · checked October 2026
  5. The Africa Specialists (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  6. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  7. Bizcommunity (news) · checked October 2026
  8. za.tzembassy.go.tz (official) · checked October 2026
  9. jp.tzembassy.go.tz (official) · checked October 2026
  10. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  11. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  12. Time Out (news) · checked October 2026
  13. us.tzembassy.go.tz (official) · checked October 2026
  14. mra.mu (official) · checked October 2026
  15. halalbooking.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  16. Priceline (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  17. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  18. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 21 October 2026