6 Days Zanzibar Beach Holiday

The capital of Zanzibar, located on island of Unguja as Zanzibar Town and it is cultural and historic Swahili City. Stone town is  located about 36 km off the coast of mainland Tanzania.

THE ZANZIBAR ARCHIPELAGO

The Zanzibar archipelago consists of two main islands, Unguja (in Kiswahili) and Pemba, which are surrounded by a series of smaller islands. It is located 25 miles from the east coast of Tanzania (Mainland).
The name seems to derive from the Persian word zanj, which means black, and from the word bar, which means coast: hence Zanzibar, the black coastal population.
The archipelago portrays an interesting biodiversity: it includes a tropical rainforest, mangroves and lush coasts that are home to a wide variety of plants, as well as various species of mammals, birds and invertebrates.

THE ISLAND OF UNGUJA

The island of Unguja, more commonly called Zanzibar with its islands and coral reefs, offers many opportunities for snorkeling and scuba diving while surrounded by hundreds of species of fish and corals, turtles, dolphins and much more. In particular, and thanks to its bright white beaches (for more information read our article Guide to Zanzibar's best beaches), the east coast is protected by coral reefs and features very pronounced tides, thus with amazing colorful landscapes.
Kirk’s red Colobus, a monkey which is endemic to the island, reigns the Jozani forest, where you can admire the vegetation that covered almost the entire island before the introduction of clove and coconut palm plantations.
Stone Town city, whose first stone buildings were built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, later became the capital of the sultanate and an important trading center for spices, ivories and slaves during the Omani Arabs period. Stone Town, with its old neighborhood and ancient buildings with richly inlaid portals, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and included among the 100 most important historical centers in the world worthy of special attention.
Strolling through its crowded streets, which have remained almost unchanged since 1850, it feels like you could still meet the explorers Burton and Speke...

The island is 86 kilometers in length and 36 kilometers in width.
From Stone Town you can easily reach both the north and south, and the east coast of the island in about 1 hour and 20 minutes (by car).

Best time to visit the island.

Zanzibar is a destination that can be visited throughout the year, although the best time is between mid-June and mid-October (Zanzibar spring, which corresponds to our Italian summer) when the temperature is around, 75-76 °F (24-26 degrees Celsius) and a southeast wind blows (Kuzi).

Temperatures are higher (just over 86 °F, 30 degrees Celsius) in the period going from December to March (which corresponds to our Italian winter).
The weather is hot and dry, with a humid wind blowing from the northeast (Kazkazi).

Rainfall is more frequent in November and from April to early June.

For those who want to practice Kitesurfing the best months are July, August and December, January, when the winds blow stronger.

The tide.

The presence of the coral reef (which creates large areas of shallow waters) combined with the gravitational attraction effect give rise to a distinctive tide around the island of Zanzibar, with the exception of the north-west stretch of coast between Kendwa beach and Nungwi.
Within 24 hours, the phenomenon continuously changes.
High and low tide alternate every 6 hours. This means that there will be a whole cycle of high and low tide peaks every 12 hours, repeating.

To get to know ahead of time when the high and low tide times in Zanzibar are, we suggest visiting tide-forcast.com.

The tide’s effect, which is seen as a problem for many, is often a pleasant surprise.

When the sea recedes, there are many wonders you can see and experiences you can enjoy. For example:

• admire the fantastic colors of the beach and water as it slowly recedes;
• walk to the coral reef where you can see starfish, small fish and very colorful corals (warning! we recommend that you always wear rubber sea shoes to protect yourself and do not take sand, corals or shells away because they are part of the site’s ecosystem);
• walk on the extremely white beach, stopping to freshen up in the small turquoise pools of water that form;
• meet local fishermen with whom you can communicate while they get their nets and boats ready and wait to leave to go fishing;
• watch the local women as they care for the famous algae plantations. Introduced towards the end of the 1980s to create employment and promote sustainable exploitation of resources, they are the second largest item in the island's economy following tourism;
• discover and try new local restaurants along the coast;
• mountain biking along the beach;
• tour and maybe buy some souvenirs in local markets.

• Excursion to Nakupenda Island (which means "I love you” in Swahili) opposite Stone Town, which only emerges at low tide;
• Discover the wonders of Menai Bay during the famous Blue Safari excursion;
• Swim with dolphins in Kizimkazi;
• Snorkel and scuba dive, especially around Mnemba Island;
• Visit Prison Island and its turtles;
• Day trips to the Jozani Forest and the Butterfly Park;
• Visit Stone Town, the "city made of stone", walking with a guide;
• Visit Freddie Mercury's home;
• Spices tour;
• Kitesurfing;
• Golf at the Sea Cliff Resort&SPA;
• Discover Swahili culture;
• Picnic on the beach;
• Sunset cruises on typical Dhow boats;
• Cruises around the islands;
• Attend the Sauti za Busara, the Zanzibar Music Festival held in February;
• Attend the Zanzibar International Film Festival (between June and July).

• by plane from Dar es Salaam to Stone Town: a more or less 20-minute flight;
• by boat from Dar es Salaam to Stone Town: crossing duration of about 2 hours.

Tour "THE NORTHERN PARKS" with an extension by the sea in ZANZIBAR.

A Safari meant for the discovery of the best Parks in Northern Tanzania combined with a stay on the magnificent island of Zanzibar.
PRICE*: from 4.015 USD - WRITE US FOR A PERSONALIZED ESTIMATE