Zanzibar is the easiest island to visit wrongly. You book a beach hut, your sun lounger and your all-inclusive — and you miss the real island completely. After twenty years of Tanzania travel, this is what I want you to know.
1. Stone Town is mandatory — but go early in the morning
Stone Town is UNESCO World Heritage, and rightfully so. The narrow alleys, the carved wooden doors, the smell of spices and coffee. But go at 7 in the morning, not at 11. Then the tourists aren't there and the city is yours.
2. Learn the tidal schedule of your beach
The east coast (Paje, Matemwe) has an extreme tidal difference. At low tide you sometimes walk 300 metres over sand before reaching knee-deep water. Ask your hotel for the tidal schedule and plan your swimming around it.
3. Eat at Forodhani Gardens
The night market by the waterfront in Stone Town is the best street food on the island. Fresh octopus grilled before your eyes, Zanzibar pizza (a local snack dish, not Italian), sugar cane juice. Go on an empty stomach.
4. Don't rent a scooter if you have no experience
I say this every year and every year people get hurt. The roads are narrow, there are no zebra crossings, and local drivers drive the way they always have. If you want to travel: take a local driver.
5. Mnemba Atoll for snorkelling
The best coral reef in the area. By boat from Matemwe or Nungwi. Dolphins, turtles, colourful fish — everything in crystal clear water. Go early in the morning for the best visibility.
6. Respect the clothing on the island
Zanzibar is an Islamic island. On the beach, Western swimwear is fine. But in Stone Town, at the market, in the villages: cover your shoulders and knees. It's not just polite — it opens doors.
7. The spice tour is better than you expect
Almost everyone thinks it sounds like a tourist trap. Almost no one is disappointed. You smell nutmeg from the tree, taste cardamom directly from the leaf, see where vanilla comes from. Take the tour with a local guide, not through the hotel.
8. Kendwa for sunsets
Nungwi is larger and busier. Kendwa is quieter and has better sunsets. If you have one evening for a sundowner cocktail with feet in the sand — Kendwa.
9. Zanzibar dollar is not the Tanzanian shilling
Local people pay in shillings. Tourists sometimes pay double in dollars. Take out shillings from the ATM and pay locally — you pay more fairly and the proceeds go to local entrepreneurs.
10. Always combine it with safari
Zanzibar alone is wonderful. Zanzibar after a week in the bush is transformative. You step out of the vehicle after three days of early starts, dust and game drives — and then that warm seawater on your skin is literally the best sensation on earth. Do it in that order.