5 great reasons to visit Jozani Forest, Zanzibar

Jozani Forest is located in the centre of Unguja Island, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago. Happily, it's only about an hour's drive from Stone Town, so makes for the perfect day's outing when you're based there. Here are five great reasons to visit Jozani Forest ...

Walkers are dwarfed by trees in Jozani Forest

Jozani Forest is the flagship ecosystem of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park. It's a tropical rainforest, and the largest remaining forest in all of Zanzibar.

You can choose from a variety of great hiking trails to explore the forest. These range from easy one-hour jaunts to half-day hikes. But none are hard – at no point does the forest rise over 50 m (165 ft) above sea level.

The forest has different moods in different spots, so it's worth doing as long a hike as possible. Sometimes you walk straight paths through stands of tall evergreens, other times the trail wends its way through tangled undergrowth that's shaded by sprawling canopies.

The trees you can look forward to seeing in Jozani Forest include hardwoods like mahogany, ironwood and African teak, as well as tropical ones like clove, Indian almond, bauhinia and wild jasmine. There are also over 50 species of fern and dozens of orchid species.

Young colobus monkeys at play

The Zanzibar red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus kirkii) is endemic to Unguja island (meaning it doesn't live anywhere else in the world). So we can't encourage you enough to prioritise going for a hike in Jozani Forest while you're in Zanzibar. Happily, it's very, very common to spot them on a hike.

Naturally, there's plenty of other wildlife to look for too. These include blue (or Sykes') monkeys, red river hogs, diminutive Ader's duikers and suni antelopes, Zanzibar bush babies, black and rufous elephant shrews, and Fischer's chameleons.

Not to be outdone, the birdlife is exciting too. These winged inhabitants include colourful species like blue-cheeked bee-eaters, olive sunbirds, Fischer's turacos, and Zanzibar red bishops.

A section of the Pete Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk

The low boardwalk of Jozani Forest winds for about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) through its mangroves, allowing you a glimpse into this ecologically diverse and waterlogged world. It's an especially lovely walk early in the morning or in the late afternoon when there are few visitors and the dappled light is at its most ethereal.

Try to walk quietly to increase your chances of some great bird sightings. You can hope to spy pied, malachite and mangrove kingfishers, black herons and white-faced whistling ducks, among other species.

Note that you can opt to go on a guided tour of the mangrove, which will ensure you come away with a greater sense of the complexities of this highly important and endangered ecosystem.

Butterflies sip mango nectar at Jozani Forest's Butterfly Centre

For anyone who loves butterflies and also loves to support women, the Butterfly Centre is a must-visit while in Zanzibar!

This netted garden (which is the size of a small soccer field) houses roughly 50 species of butterflies native to Jozani Forest. You can wander the garden yourself, or go on a guided tour, which takes about 40 minutes.

Jozani Forest's precious resources have long been under strain from activities like illegal logging and hunting. The primary intention behind the Butterfly Centre, which was established in 1998, is to provide locals with an alternative and eco-friendly source of income.

Most of the centre's employees are women, who lead tours, tend to the garden, run educational outreach programmes, and farm and sell butterfly chrysalises to international collectors. We therefore highly encourage travellers to visit the centre and so support its important mission.

Three of the endemic butterfly species you can hope to find in the centre's garden are the Zanzibar gem, Zanzibar blue, Zanzibar diadem. You might also be able to find the delicate forest mother of pearl and the striking Zanzibar gull.

Door carving is a very traditional Zanzibari skill

The MOTO Handicraft Workshop and Museum just outside of Jozani Forest is another fantastic social enterprise. The establishment, which aims to safeguard and promote traditional artisanal skills, employs over a hundred locals, mostly women. The staff engage in a wide variety of traditional handicrafts, like wood carving, beaded jewellery-making, cloth printing, basket-making and leather-working.

Many visitors to MOTO simply pop in for a quick look around, and such visits are very much welcomed. There's an onsite shop where you can purchase goods made by the workshop's artisans.

However, for a more immersive experience, we recommend signing up for a comprehensive tour that includes hands-on learning of a few handicraft skills, like plaiting ukili (palm fronds) or batik printing. The excursion ends with a delicious lunch with a local family. This is the ideal option for anyone keen on cultural immersion travel.

So what do you think? Is Jozani Forest calling your name? If you're ready to book a Zanzibar holiday, or simply want to know more, please check out our exciting Zanzibar holiday packages, which all include a visit to beautiful Jozani Forest.