zanzibar

Zanzibar tips & insights
Why it's special
Zanzibar island is home to the historic Stone Town with artistically carved front doors and other rich cultural icons.

It also has palm-fringed white-sand tropical beaches, beautiful lagoons and coral reefs, aromatic spice plantations, and unwinding seaside resorts.

Getting there
It's easy to get to Zanzibar from Arusha. Coastal Airlines has a midday 90-minute non-stop flight from Arusha to Zanzibar. Alternatively, you could fly to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania's largest city) then take a fast, modern ferry to Zanzibar.

When not to come
Wise to avoid the island from late March to late May, the local rainy season.

Stone town
It's the only town on the island. A walking tour through the narrow winding alleys of its old section is fascinating. A tour of the tropical island is also a must.

Geography
Zanzibar lies in the Indian Ocean 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the coast of Africa. The island is approximately 85 kilometers (53 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide.

More Zanzibar tips & insights
Best resort
Zanzibar has a number of beach resorts. By far the best is the Mnemba Island Resort. This is one of the world's foremost conversation piece resorts. It's on its own small, secluded tropical islands barely off Zanzibar's eastern coast. This exclusive, expensive resort has just 10 casual, thatched huts. Everyone - guest and staff - goes barefoot. This adds to the marooned Robinson Crusoe ambiance.

Best hotel
The island's best hotel is the Zanzibar Serena Inn. It has Stone Town's choicest waterfront location.

Best religion
Most Zanzibar citizens are Muslims (in contrast to mainland Tanzania where Christianity is dominant).

Two names
What most of the world calls "Zanzibar" is technically "Unguja". Locally, the word Zanzibar defines a small archipelago that includes Unguja as well as Pemba (another tourist destination). On this website, I use the name Zanzibar (instead of Unguja) because of its widespread world usage.