15 truly unmissable things to do in Zanzibar

Just to be sure you know where in the world we're talking about ... the famous Zanzibar Archipelago sits among the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean about 30 km (19 miles) off the northeast coast of Tanzania.

The two biggest islands of the Zanzibar Archipelago are Unguja and Pemba, which you can see in the map above. Most visitors fly into Zanzibar City on the west coast of Unguja, and spend all (or most) of their trip on this beautiful island. You see a map of Unguja below.

Map of Zanzibar's Unguja Island

Now that you've got the lay of the land in mind, here's what we think are 15 truly unmissable things to do in Zanzibar when on holiday there!

A pineapple-framed shot of a typical Zanzibari beach

Zanzibar offers that idealised beach holiday we all fantasise about when enduring a tough winter. The white, powdery sands of the beaches invite you to plop down on a towel or deckchair, bury your feet, and just be. And the blue, blue waters make an ocean dip more appealing than ever before!

Spending time in a hammock is a must when on holiday on Zanzibar

There are many absolutely gorgeous, palm-fringed beaches all around the main island of Umguja to visit. You won't want to limit yourself to just one. So visit a few and give yourself plenty of time to just soak it all in and let the warmth and sea views work their restorative powers on mind and body.

The north of the island has lots of upmarket hotels and resorts

Some of the best beaches on Unguja Island for swimming, strolling, wading and lazing are:

Look out for starfish on your Kendwa beach strolls

Importantly, the water in Zanzibar is swimmable all year round!

The sea temperature in January and February (the height of summer) is around 29 °C (834 °F). And in August and September (which is winter), the sea temperature is around 25.5 °C (78 °F).

Kids swimming in Zanzibar's impossibly blue waters

Stone Town is the historic centre of what is today Zanzibar City.

For centuries, this port city has been a maritime hub. As such, different civilisations from around the Indian Ocean and even the Mediterranean have interacted and intermingled here, creating a unique society that has clearly been influenced by societies both near and far.

An aerial view of Stone Town on the west coast of Unguja Island

Unsurprisingly, Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The best way to learn about the history of Stone Town, as well as its architectural legacy, is to go on a guided tour. You'll wander winding alleys, see carved doorways, pass colourful small shops, marvel at delicately built mansions, and pass pretty minarets.

You'll also learn about the Omani Sultan's rule in the 1800s, the awful slave trade and its abolition, and the takeover by the British near the end of the century.

Slave Market Memorial and Christ Church, which helped to abolish the slave trade

A guided tour is also an excellent way to familiarise yourself with Stone Town so that you can then meander at another time by yourself, visiting the spots that you wish to explore more. With that in mind, here's our third choice of unmissable things to do in Zanzibar ...

While a guided tour of Stone Town is a must to learn about its history, architecture and more, an unguided amble through its warren-like lanes is also a must!

Stone Town is full of beautiful architectural details

We suggest that you give yourself a few hours one morning or afternoon to wander idly through Stone Town's alleyways. This gives you time to shop its bazaars (markets), sample the street food, poke your nose into shops, browse a museum or two, walk the promenade, explore Forodhani Gardens, soak up the atmosphere ...

An armoured embankment in Stone Town

We also encourage the coffee drinkers among you to make time for a traditional coffee ceremony. Various local coffee shops invite visitors to watch the roasting ceremony. The coffee is then served in delicate Arabian cups, and it goes without saying that it is at its best when paired with a sweet treat!

A spice tour is an important part of any Zanzibar holiday! See, touch, smell and taste the fragrant spices that are synonymous with the islands.

Spice plantations built during Arab rule brought great wealth to Zanzibar. The archipelago even became the world's number one exporter of cloves. Zanzibaris today still farm cloves, as well as cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli, and black pepper.

Nutmeg is one of the many spices grown on Zanzibar

On a spice tour you learn about the growing, harvesting and preparing of spices, as well as how they're used in traditional cuisine.

For those who really love their food, you can take things one step further and combine a spice tour with a cooking class. That way you go home knowing how to replicate the delicious flavours that stole your heart!

Just a note to check which spices and seeds you're allowed to bring back to your country before loading up your suitcases to the brim with them!

Stone Town has plenty of vendors selling appetising seafood kebabs and other tasty specialities.

The street food scene in Stone Town is big

Be sure to visit Zanzibar Street Food Market if you're looking for a tasty and affordable lunch. For dinner, you simply must go to the Forodhani Gardens Night Market on the promenade. Here, the most popular dish is the Zanzibar pizza, which looks and tastes far from the pizzas of Italy! You can learn more about this special night market in Top 7 culturally immersive things to do in Stone Town.

Just off the south coast of Unguja is Uzi Island, a small island with an intertidal causeway. The island is part of Menai Bay Conservation Area, which protects gorgeous mangrove forests, fresh-water forests, sea-grass beds, coral reefs and all the wildlife supported by these intertwined ecosystems.

Menai Bay Conservation Area is a remote and utterly gorgeous ecosystem

What's more is that Uzi Island is mostly untouched by tourism, and so offers a window into an authentic, rural Zanzibari fishing community.

If you have the time, we recommend making a full day's outing of an Uzi Island visit. Though to visit, you must pay attention to the tides. If the tide is in, you paddle to the island on an ngalawa (wooden outrigger canoe), but at low tide you can drive across in a dala dala (bus) on the road that emerges. A visit usually involves a boat ride one way, and a bus ride the other.

While on the island, you can go on a cultural tour in N’gambwa village, and be hosted by a local family who will serve you a traditional lunch. This is a great way to learn about rural life in one corner of Zanzibar.

A secluded beach on Uzi Island

There's time later to swim in the sea at one of the quiet beaches. You can also go on a guided walk (or should we say, wade) through a mangrove forest, which immerses you in a watery world of incredible beauty and ecological diversity. You'll be given reef shoes to wear for the outing.

Prison Island, so named in the 1800s, was never actually used as a prison

A great thing to do while in Zanzibar is take a short boat ride from Zanzibar City to Prison Island (or Changuu Island). It was never actually used as a prison, even though a prison building was constructed on it in the late 1800s.

A woman on Prison Island, which is locally called Changuu Island

Today the island is known for its Aldabra giant tortoises. Did you know that a group of tortoises is called a creep? It makes sense given their super-slow pace!

Stone Town's beautiful waterfront

Another great thing about visiting Prison Island is the fantastic view you get from the boat on the return journey of Stone Town's waterfront buildings. The row of palaces and mansions along the waterfront – built or commissioned in the 1800s by the sultanate – was designed to impress foreigners, who would arrive by sea.

An ideal outing while in Zanzibar is going on a nature walk in Jozani Forest. After the bustle of Stone Town and the heat of the beaches, it's wonderfully refreshing to step into the cool shadow created by the forest's dense and tangled greenery.

A red colobus monkey

You can choose between a guided nature walk or going it solo. And then you have various paths to choose from, which include gentle hour-long walks and half-day hikes.

There's a host of wildlife to look for in Jozani Forest, including endangered red colobus monkeys, blue monkeys and Ader's duikers.

The Pete-Jozani Boardwalk keeps your feet dry in the mangroves

A walk or hike in Jozani Forest mainly has you walking along winding dirt footpaths. There is also a low boardwalk when you come to the coastal mangroves of Chwaka Bay.

A purple-banded sunbird

As to birds, you've got plenty of rarities and beauties to try to spot! The forest is full of various species of waterbirds, raptors, shorebirds ... you name it! Some particularly pretty birds to look for are lilac-breasted rollers, purple-banded sunbirds, blue-cheeked bee-eaters, African pygmy kingfishers and golden-tailed woodpeckers.

On Michamvi Peninsula on the east coast of Unguja Island is the ridiculously picturesque Rock Restaurant Zanzibar.

It doesn't get more magical than this!

The Rock Restaurant Zanzibar isn't just famous for its setting, however – it's also known for its excellent cuisine! Lobster is its primary speciality, but prawns and calamari also get a lot of love.

Note that this is fine dining, so you might want to look at the menu before going there to check that it's within your budget! Also, you need to book a table in advance as seating is naturally quite limited.

The Rock Restaurant at dusk

When the tide is low, you can simply walk the path to the restaurant. When the tide is in, however, you'll have to be ferried across in a little wooden boat. Unless you're an aquaphobe, this simply adds to the charm of the experience!

We highly, highly recommend that you go snorkelling, diving or scuba diving while on your Zanzibar holiday! The coral reefs surrounding the archipelago's islands are heavenly.

Some of the sea animals you might see are shrimp, pipefish, lungfish, dolphins and sharks. In September and October you could see humpback and sperm whales passing through. And from December to April you might spot manta rays and whale sharks.

Red-knobbed starfish and sea urchins

While conditions are good year round for snorkelling and diving, the very best months for calm waters are mid November to January and June to August.

One of the best places to snorkel or dive is Nakupenda Beach, also called Nakupenda Sand Bank. This long sliver of sand is just off the coast of Stone Town and in 2022 it was rated on TripAdvisor as the second best beach in Africa! In fact, the name Nakupenda means "I love you" in English.

Other great snorkelling and diving beaches include Prison Island (as already mentioned), Pungume Island, Mnemba Island, and Tumbatu Island.

An aerial view of Chumbe Island

But by far the best place of all for snorkelling and diving is the privately owned Chumbe Island off the southwest coast of Unguja. Chumbe Reef Sanctuary does in fact host over 90% of all the hard coral species of East Africa!

When it comes to scuba diving, it doesn't get any better than the Zanzibar Archipelago. Seriously.

Scuba diving in the waters off Zanzibar is a super rewarding experience!

Some great spots for scuba diving off Unguja Island are:

Cheetah's Rock is a special reserve on Unguja Island that rescues wild animals, including cheetahs, lions, hyenas, zebras, lemurs, bushbabies, otters and tortoises. It also looks after some animals sent for conservation purposes.

A crouched cheetah under a tree in Cheetah's Rock

Some of the animals at Cheetah's Rock are put back into the wild after rehabilitation, while others who can't be safely released are allowed to live out their lives in safety at the reserve.

A lemur in Cheetah's Rock

One of Cheetah Rock's main sources of income are visits from tourists. Visitors are allowed to interact with many of the animals in really close proximity, a real USP! It's not unusual for visitors to feed and even touch the animals. So visiting this special rescue centre and having safely managed encounters with these beautiful wild creatures is a win–win!

A great way to spend an afternoon in Zanzibar is to take a two- to three-hour dhow cruise from Nungwi. If timed properly, your cruise should end just after sunset so that you can enjoy the spectacle from the dhow.

Local sailors on traditional dhow boats

The village of Nungwi on the northern tip of Unguja Island is the traditional centre of dhow building in Zanzibar, and you can still find craftsmen at work on the beach making these picturesque vessels.

When it comes to choosing a dhow cruise, note that you can opt for a private ride or join a group one. Drinks are usually included in the price.

An iconic Zanzibari image is that of colourfully dressed women working in ankle-deep water in coastal seaweed plantations.

A Zanzibari woman working in a Paje seaweed plantation

The seaweed is grown in rows, as shown below, and makes for one of the prettiest types of farms imaginable!

The seaweed is exported mostly for use in pharmaceutical and cosmetics products. It's local women who do the harvesting, and the trade provides them with much-needed cash. In fact, seaweed has become the archipelago's third largest source of income. It also accounts for nearly 90% of its marine exports.

A seaweed farm

While much of Zanzibar's Unguja Island has been given over to tourist-related infrastructure and activities, we feel it's good to make the effort to visit those areas where traditional industries still thrive, don't you agree?

Visiting Pemba is an important part of a Zanzibar holiday because you get away from all the development and wealthy tourist spots on Unguja. Pemba islanders live more traditionally. The beaches are quieter. And the nature is more protected.

Pemba Island is full of farming communities

There are many things to do on Pemba Island, and if you can stay for more than just a day trip, do! There are beautiful coral reefs, as already discussed, so it's a great place for snorkelling and diving. There are also many great nature paths to walk. You can visit the mediaeval Pujini ruins of the Diba tribe, as well as other, more recent historical ruins. And you can go on cultural village tours.

A colony of fruit bats on Pemba Island

The island is also home to some great wildlife, including Pemba flying foxes, which are large fruit bats with a wing span of 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in). When you find a roost of flying foxes, you'll be astounded by how large they are – there can be up to 850 bats in a single roost!

Since you're reading up on travelling to Zanzibar, here are some other topics that you might find useful:

Finally, if you're wondering why we don't have dolphin swimming in our list of the best things to do in Zanzibar, please read Are there ethical dolphin tours in Zanzibar?