Zanzibar Tours and Safaris. Discover the Best of Zanzibar Island

Stone Town is Zanzibar's UNESCO listed capital and the starting point for most day tours, including the Stone Town Walking City Tour and boat trips to Prison Island. Nungwi and Kendwa on the north coast are known for calm, tide independent swimming beaches and are the best base for the Dhow Sunset Cruise. Paje, Jambiani and Bwejuu on the east coast are Zanzibar's kitesurfing hubs, close to Jozani Forest. Matemwe is the gateway to Mnemba Atoll and our Mnemba snorkeling tours. Kizimkazi in the south is Zanzibar's dolphin watching village, and Michamvi and Fumba are quieter peninsulas popular for private and luxury stays. Wherever you are staying, we include hotel pickup and drop off as standard.

Jozani Forest is Zanzibar's only national park and the best place to see the endangered Red Colobus Monkey in the wild, along with a mangrove boardwalk trail. Kuza Cave near Jambiani is a natural limestone cavern with a freshwater swimming pool, popular as a cooling stop on east coast day trips. The Rock Restaurant, perched on a coral outcrop off Michamvi, is one of the most photographed dining spots in East Africa and a favorite sunset add on for honeymooners. In Stone Town, Forodhani Gardens comes alive each evening with a waterfront night food market, while the House of Wonders and the Freddie Mercury Museum are must see historic landmarks covered on our Stone Town Walking City Tour. Offshore, Mnemba Island and its surrounding atoll remain Zanzibar's top rated marine conservation area for snorkeling and diving.

Safari Blue is the more active, all day sailing adventure, a traditional dhow cruise through Menai Bay, multiple snorkeling stops, mangrove exploration and a beach barbecue, best for travelers who want a full day on and in the water. Nakupenda Sandbank is shorter and more relaxed, centered on a stunning sandbank that appears at low tide, with lighter snorkeling and more time to simply sit on white sand with turquoise water on every side, best for couples, honeymooners and travelers who want beautiful photos with less time on a moving boat. If you only have time for one, choose Safari Blue for adventure and Nakupenda for relaxation. If you have two free days, we recommend booking both.

A shared group Zanzibar tour is the most budget friendly option and a great way to meet other travelers, with a fixed departure time and shared boat or vehicle. A private tour costs more per person but gives you full control over pickup time, pacing, photo stops and group size, ideal for honeymoon couples, families with young children and travelers with specific dietary or accessibility needs. Every tour listed on this page, from Safari Blue to the Stone Town Walking Tour, can be booked either way. Just tell us your preference on WhatsApp when enquiring.

Zanzibar delivers white sand beaches, coral reef snorkeling, Swahili culture and relaxed island tours, while the Serengeti delivers open plains game drives, the Great Migration in season and Big Five wildlife sightings from a 4x4 safari vehicle. Rather than choosing one, most of our guests fly into Zanzibar first, spend three to five days on island tours, then take a short domestic flight to the Serengeti or Ngorongoro for three to four days before flying home, giving you both a beach holiday and a safari in a single trip. See our Tanzania safari packages for combined itinerary options.

Zanzibar's most photographed marine wildlife includes wild bottlenose dolphins, spotted on our Kizimkazi and Mnemba tours, and seasonal whale sharks that pass through the channel between June and October in some years. On land, the endangered Red Colobus Monkey, found almost nowhere else on Earth outside Jozani Forest, and giant Aldabra tortoises on Prison Island are the island's signature wildlife encounters. Travelers who want to see Africa's Big Five, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, need to extend their trip to mainland Tanzania. Our Tanzania safari packages cover Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Mikumi options that pair naturally with a Zanzibar beach stay.

For a first Zanzibar trip, we recommend at least four to five days, one day for Stone Town and the spice farm, one full day for Safari Blue or Nakupenda Sandbank, one day for Prison Island and a village cultural tour, and one to two relaxed beach days on the north or east coast. If you are planning a seven day Zanzibar travel itinerary, you can comfortably add a Mnemba snorkeling day and a sunset dhow cruise. Combining Zanzibar with a Tanzania safari typically adds three to four days minimum. Most Serengeti and Ngorongoro packages run three nights and four days, while a quick Mikumi safari can be done in as little as one to two days thanks to its short road access from the coast.

Budget half day tours such as the Spice Farm Walking Tour and Village Cultural Tour start around twenty to thirty dollars per person. Full day boat excursions like Safari Blue, Nakupenda Sandbank and the Mnemba snorkeling tours generally range from fifty five to eighty dollars per person, including lunch, equipment and hotel transfers. Private tours cost more than shared group tours but offer a flexible schedule and your own vehicle and guide. Tanzania safari packages from Zanzibar vary widely by park, accommodation level and number of days. Contact us on WhatsApp with your travel dates and group size for an exact, transparent quote with no hidden costs.

For boat and snorkeling tours such as Safari Blue, Nakupenda and Mnemba, bring a swimsuit, reef safe sunscreen, a towel, sunglasses and a dry bag for your phone. For Stone Town, spice farm and village cultural tours, modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is respectful and often required inside religious or historic sites. We recommend closed shoes for Jozani Forest walks and cash in Tanzanian shillings or US dollars for tips and souvenirs. Snorkeling equipment is provided free on all our snorkeling tours.

A typical Zanzibar honeymoon itinerary starts with two to three nights on the quieter northeast coast near Matemwe for a private Mnemba snorkeling day and calm swimming beaches, followed by two to three nights in Nungwi or Kendwa for the Dhow Sunset Cruise and Nakupenda Sandbank Tour, and finishes with a night or two in Stone Town for a private walking tour and a rooftop dinner overlooking the harbor. Every honeymoon booking can be upgraded to a private tour with your own guide and vehicle, and we are happy to arrange surprise touches like a decorated dinner table or a private sandbank picnic on request.

Nungwi and Kendwa are the easiest bases for families because their beaches stay swimmable even at low tide, unlike some east coast beaches with large tidal swings. For tours, the Spice Farm Walking Tour, Prison Island Tour and Village Cultural Tour are gentle, half day options that work well with children, while older kids and teens usually enjoy Safari Blue or the Mnemba snorkeling tours. We can adjust pacing, add extra rest stops and recommend which boat tours are calmest for younger children. Just share ages when you message us so we can tailor the itinerary.

For Tanzania safari game drives, we use pop up roof Toyota Land Cruiser Safari, Land Cruiser Prado and Land Cruiser LX 4x4 vehicles, with Toyota Hilux Safari options for smaller groups. Zanzibar airport transfers and group transport typically run in a Toyota Alphard, Toyota Hiace, Toyota Coaster, Toyota Noah or Toyota Premio, while luxury transfers use a Mercedes V Class, Mercedes Sprinter or Hyundai H1. On the water, our boat tours run on a traditional dhow, with luxury catamaran, speed boat, private yacht and dedicated snorkeling boat options available for private and luxury bookings.

Step one, enquire. Message us on WhatsApp or email with your travel dates, hotel name and the tours you are interested in. Step two, confirm. We reply with a transparent price, what is included and pickup time, with no hidden costs and no obligation. Step three, secure your date. Confirm your booking. Same day confirmations are usually possible outside of peak season. Step four, enjoy your tour. Our driver or guide meets you at your hotel at the agreed time, and you are free to relax while we handle logistics, entrance fees and lunch arrangements.

Tourism is one of Zanzibar's largest sources of income, and how a tour is run affects real people and real reef systems. We use reef safe practices on our snorkeling tours, brief guests on not touching coral or wildlife, and support the Jozani Forest conservation area that protects the endangered Red Colobus Monkey. On our Village Cultural Tour, visits are arranged respectfully with the community rather than treated as a photo stop, and guides are local residents who benefit directly from every booking. Choosing a licensed local operator over an unlicensed reseller also means your money supports Zanzibari guides, drivers and boat crews rather than a foreign middleman.