Things to do in Zanzibar: sights, beaches and day trips

Stone Town walking tour

Stone Town is the historic centre of Zanzibar City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site², on the western coast of Unguja³. Start here if you want the island’s history before the beach.

A simple walking tour with a local guide who explains the history is easy to arrange⁴ once you’re in town. If you’d rather book a longer tour that covers more, this day tour adds a spice farm and Prison Island.

Prison Island (Changuu)

Prison Island (Changuu) is the classic short boat trip, and the cost depends on what you bundle with it. These are the operators’ own prices:

The Nakupenda add-on gives you a sandbank stop after the island: read the Nakupenda Sandbank visitor guide first. For a cheaper shared boat, look at the Prison Island and Nakupenda boat trip with lunch, and see our page on planning a Prison Island boat trip.

Jozani Forest and a spice farm tour

Jozani Forest is home to red colobus monkeys, which are native to the island and now nearly extinct¹. Expert Africa calls Jozani the best place to see the island’s endemic red colobus⁸, and the forest has nature trails¹ to walk.

Pair it with a Spice Tour: Expert Africa says its Spice Farm Tour combines particularly well with the Jozani Forest Tour⁹. On TUI’s version you see how vanilla, pepper and cardamom¹⁰ are grown and taste them straight from the tree. Zanzibar was an important stop in the spice trade¹, hence the Spice Island nickname.

• Plan it on your own: see red colobus walks at Jozani Forest.
• Book it with transport: Jozani Forest and Salaam Cave with pickup and entry fees.
• Spice farm with a cooking angle: the Swahili Spice Experience.

Mnemba Island: snorkelling only

You can snorkel around Mnemba Island, but you can’t step ashore. Mnemba sits about 3 km off the north-east coast of Unguja¹¹, and its conservation fee is in the fees table under Tips.

Before you book a boat, our guide to visiting Mnemba Island covers the reef and the trips that go there.

Is the Kizimkazi dolphin tour worth it?

It can be, but go in with open eyes: Wikivoyage calls the Kizimkazi dolphin tour intense but ‘not necessarily moral’¹. You’re watching wild animals from a boat, and you may be one of many boats.

Kizimkazi is a small village on the south coast and the starting point for dolphin tours¹. Daily boat tours¹² go out to watch bottlenose dolphins and swim with them. In Menai Bay, a count recorded 160 resident bottlenose and 69 humpback dolphins in 1998¹³.

• Boat with snorkel gear: from US$40 per boat¹ (checked October 2026)
• Full-day tour from town: leaves at 8am and returns at 5pm¹
• Turtles too: swimming with turtles at Salaam Cave is also in Kizimkazi

Staying in the north? This shorter trip from Kendwa combines Mnemba and a dolphin snorkel:

Snorkelling · 4 hours · GetYourGuide

From Kendwa: Mnemba Boat Trip and Dolphin Snorkel Adventure

4.7 (1,465 reviews) on GetYourGuide, checked October 2026

Free cancellation · Pickup included

fromUS$55

See dates on GetYourGuide

Kendwa Beach and Kendwa Rocks

Kendwa Beach is the place to swim whatever the tide: there are only a few metres between high and low tide, so you can swim at any time of day¹⁴. Kendwa is famous for its beach of fine white sand¹⁴.

Kendwa Rocks lights a bonfire on its beach every evening at sunset¹⁵. It also hosts Full Moon Parties on the Saturdays before and after a full moon¹⁴.

Getting there:

• On foot from Nungwi: about 3 km along the beach at low tide, around 30 minutes¹⁴
• Private boat from Nungwi: from TSh 20,000, taking 10 minutes¹⁴
• Daladala from Stone Town towards Nungwi: about TSh 2,000¹⁴ per person
• Taxi or private car from Stone Town: at least TSh 70,000¹⁴

Nungwi: turtles, aquariums and the lighthouse

Nungwi is a resort town on the northern tip of the island¹, and traditionally a fishing village and dhow-building centre¹⁶. Plenty of hotels sit right on Nungwi Beach¹⁷, so these are easy short outings.

• Turtles: a small aquarium with sea turtles has been created in Nungwi village¹⁶.
• Mnarani Aquarium: Wikivoyage gives entry as TSh 7,000; sources put it between US$5 and US$10¹⁸.
• Baraka Natural Aquarium: you pay per activity (swim with turtles, feed them or visit the zoo), and it’s open every day from 8am to 6pm¹⁹. It publishes no price for guided tours²⁰, so ask.
• Ras Nungwi lighthouse: the oldest on the island, a three-stage square stone tower painted white, at the northern tip of Unguja²¹.

Kiwengwa Caves

Kiwengwa Caves is in the Kiwengwa Forest Reserve²², part of a reserve 20 km from Zanzibar Town with coral caves with stalactites and stalagmites²³. It’s an easy outing with children: the Cave Walk has flat chamber floors and well-maintained steps²².

Every visitor gets a disposable face mask, a hard hat and a rechargeable headlamp²². Prices for adults and children are in the fees table below.

Kizimkazi Mosque

The Kizimkazi Mosque was built in 1107 CE²⁴, according to a preserved Kufic inscription. Despite the name, it stands in Dimbani, 4.8 km from Kizimkazi, at the southern tip of the island²⁴.

It fits neatly into a dolphin morning in the south.

Kae beach, Michamvi

Kae is not a separate village but the beach area of Michamvi, on Chwaka Bay, directly west of Pingwe²⁵. TUI says Michamvi Kae is one of the only places on Zanzibar’s east coast where you can see the sunset²⁶.

Allow for the last stretch: the road ends before the coast, and a rocky beach track covers the rest of the way²⁶.

Dhow sunset cruise and kitesurfing

Wikivoyage reckons traditional dhows make a wonderful sunset cruise¹, and it’s the easiest evening plan on the island. For something more active, Paje is a small village on the east coast known for kiteboarding¹, with good conditions for kitesurfing²⁷.

Fumba Stadium

Fumba Stadium isn’t open yet, but it’s coming. The Daily News reported on 19 August 2026 that it was 81% complete, with officials expecting it finished by December 2026 or January 2027²⁸. It’s on track to host matches at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations²⁸.

• Carry shillings: Zanzibar’s currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TSh)¹, and Kendwa’s boats and daladalas are priced in it.
• Need a guide in another language at Kiwengwa Caves? Give 48 hours’ notice by email or WhatsApp²².
• Comparing a bundle against booking trips one by one? See what’s included in Zanzibar packages.
• After dark, the UK government advises particular care at night, when crime is higher, and warns that bags are sometimes snatched from cars or motorbikes³⁰.