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A dolphin jumping out of the sea off the coast of Zanzibar

The Best Kendwa Tours

Eighteen experiences ranked for people who are actually staying in Kendwa.

Rankings of “Zanzibar tours” tend to ignore where you are sleeping. From Kendwa that matters: a trip that leaves from the beach in front of your hotel is a different proposition from one that starts with two hours in a minibus. This list is ordered with that in mind.

Ratings and review counts are GetYourGuide’s own, read in October 2026. We earn a commission when you book through these links, and you pay nothing extra — but position on this page cannot be bought, and several of the top places go to some of the cheapest trips.

  1. Best overall

    From Kendwa: Mnemba Boat Trip and Dolphin Snorkel Adventure

    🕒 4 hours 📍 Kendwa beach ⭐ 4.7 (1,407) 💵 from $55

    It leaves from Kendwa itself, it goes to the best reef on the island, and more than 1,400 travellers have rated it 4.7 on average. If you book a single trip, book this one.

    The one boat trip everyone in Kendwa should do

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    A dolphin leaping out of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zanzibar
  2. Best evening

    Zanzibar: Sunset Dhow Cruise in Nungwi & Kendwa

    🕒 2.5–3 hours 📍 Kendwa or Nungwi ⭐ 4.2 (89) 💵 from $14

    A west-facing beach deserves at least one sunset from the water. Two and a half hours on a wooden dhow for about the price of two cocktails.

    First evenings, couples and anyone on a budget

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    The silhouette of a dhow under sail in front of a red Zanzibar sunset
  3. Best day inland

    Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice Tour & Prison Island with Lunch

    🕒 5–9 hours 📍 Hotel pickup (check options for the north) ⭐ 4.5 (1,258) 💵 from $55

    Stone Town, a spice farm with lunch and the tortoises of Prison Island, organised for you end to end. Over 1,250 reviews make it the most proven way to see the island’s history from the beach.

    Seeing the rest of the island in one day

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    A man walking down a narrow lane between old coral-stone houses in Stone Town
  4. Best short snorkel

    Tumbatu Island Snorkelling Tour from Kendwa & Nungwi

    🕒 3 hours 📍 Kendwa or Nungwi ⭐ 4.2 (60) 💵 from $45

    Tumbatu is the island you look at all day from Kendwa. The reef is close, quiet and on the sheltered side — three hours well spent.

    A relaxed snorkel close to home

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    An empty white beach fringed with palms on Tumbatu Island
  5. Best full day at sea

    Zanzibar: Safari Blue Lagoon Trip with Snorkelling and Lunch

    🕒 7 hours 📍 Fumba, south-west coast ⭐ 4.6 (628) 💵 from $90

    Dhows, a sandbank, a mangrove lagoon and a seafood feast. It loses places only because of the long drive from Kendwa to the start in Fumba.

    A big day out when you have a week or more

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    A wooden dhow anchored in turquoise water near Kwale Island in Menai Bay
  6. Best on land

    Zanzibar: Quad Biking Adventure from Kendwa or Nungwi

    🕒 4 hours or more 📍 Kendwa / Nungwi (transfer included) ⭐ 4.9 (1,755) 💵 from $81 per group

    A 4.9 average from more than 1,700 reviews is the best score on the north coast. Quad tracks through villages and farmland show you what lies behind the beach.

    A change from the water, and for restless teenagers

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    A road through a Zanzibar village lined with palms at sunset
  7. Best private day

    Zanzibar: Jozani Forest, Spice Farm & Stone Town Private Tour

    🕒 9–9.5 hours 📍 Your hotel in Kendwa ⭐ 4.8 (115) 💵 from $70

    Your own driver and guide for Jozani’s monkeys, a spice farm and Stone Town. For three or four people it costs little more per head than a group tour and is far more comfortable.

    Families and groups of three or four

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    A Zanzibar red colobus monkey sitting among green leaves in Jozani Forest
  8. Best for photos

    Zanzibar: Transparent Kayak and Drone (Pickup Included)

    🕒 1 hour 📍 Nungwi–Kendwa coast (pickup included) ⭐ 4.8 (569) 💵 from $46

    An hour in a see-through kayak with a drone overhead. Slightly gimmicky, very well reviewed, and the pictures are the souvenir.

    Couples and anyone who wants that aerial shot

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    Sunlight rippling through clear, shallow turquoise water off Zanzibar
  9. Best with a sandbank

    Zanzibar: Prison Island, Nakupenda & Stone Town Tour with BBQ

    🕒 7–8 hours 📍 Stone Town ⭐ 4.4 (678) 💵 from $42

    Prison Island’s tortoises, a barbecue on Nakupenda and a walk through Stone Town. Choose it over our “day inland” pick if you prefer sand to spices.

    History with a beach picnic in the middle

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    Clear shallow water over a white sandbank off Stone Town
  10. Best for wildlife

    Zanzibar: Jozani Forest & Salaam Cave with Pickup & Entry Fees

    🕒 4.5–6.5 hours 📍 Hotel pickup ⭐ 4.8 (447) 💵 from $80

    Red colobus monkeys in the morning, sea turtles at Salaam Cave afterwards, entry fees included. Rated 4.8 by nearly 450 people.

    Animal lovers

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    A young Zanzibar red colobus monkey clinging to its mother
  11. Most booked

    Mnemba: “African Maldives” Day Tour with Optional Lunch

    🕒 3.5–6.5 hours 📍 North and north-east coast ⭐ 4.3 (2,206) 💵 from $55

    The Mnemba trip with the most reviews on the island. A slower format with an optional lunch — dependable rather than dazzling.

    A longer, lazier Mnemba day

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    A lionfish with fanned fins above the reef at Mnemba Atoll
  12. Best when the east is rough

    Dolphin & Tumbatu Island Snorkelling

    🕒 4 hours 📍 North coast ⭐ 4.7 (79) 💵 from $71

    Dolphins off the northern tip and snorkelling at Tumbatu, all on the calm west side. The fallback when Mnemba is blown out.

    Calm-water snorkelling with a chance of dolphins

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    A fisherman poling a dugout canoe across bright turquoise water off Zanzibar
  13. Best for small children

    Zanzibar: Nungwi Turtle Aquarium Guided Half-Day Trip

    🕒 1.5–5 hours 📍 Nungwi (short ride from Kendwa) ⭐ 4.5 (212) 💵 from $19

    Feeding rescued turtles in a rock pool ten minutes from Kendwa. Short, cheap and memorable.

    Families with young children

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    A sea turtle among small fish in the natural tidal lagoon at Nungwi
  14. Best on a budget

    Mnemba Island: Dolphins and Snorkelling with Free Pickup

    🕒 6 hours 📍 Hotel pickup ⭐ 4.2 (114) 💵 from $18

    Mnemba for under US$20 with pickup. Expect a fuller boat and a longer day; the reef is the same.

    Backpackers and tight budgets

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    A small porcelain crab sheltering in an anemone on the reef at Mnemba Atoll
  15. Best in Stone Town

    Zanzibar: 3-Hour Private Stone Town Walking Tour with Guide

    🕒 3 hours 📍 Stone Town ⭐ 4.6 (428) 💵 from $21

    For travellers who spend a night in town: three hours with a private guide, strong reviews, very fair price.

    A night in Stone Town at the start or end of the trip

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    A weathered wooden door in an old Stone Town house
  16. Best ride home

    Zanzibar: Kendwa Full Moon Party with Hotel Pickup & Return

    🕒 1–6 hours 📍 Hotels elsewhere on Zanzibar ⭐ 4.5 (4) 💵 from $40

    Only relevant if you are coming to the Full Moon Party from another part of the island. Very few reviews yet, so read the inclusions carefully.

    Party-goers staying outside Kendwa

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    A group of people silhouetted on a Zanzibar beach at dusk
  17. Best arrival

    Zanzibar: Airport Private Transfer to/from Hotel

    🕒 About 1–1.5 hours to Kendwa 📍 Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) ⭐ 4.8 (463) 💵 from $45 per group

    Not an excursion, but probably the most useful thing you can pre-book: a private car waiting at the airport with the price already agreed.

    Late arrivals and families with luggage

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    The terminal building of Zanzibar’s international airport
  18. Best splurge

    From Zanzibar: Mikumi Safari Day Trip with Flights and Lunch

    🕒 8–10 hours 📍 Zanzibar Airport ⭐ 4.7 (3,083) 💵 from $447

    Fly to Mikumi National Park in the morning, game drives all day, back on the island by evening. Pricey, but 3,000-plus reviews at 4.7 speak for themselves.

    Adding big game without leaving your beach base

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    Giraffes in the grassland of Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

How this ranking works

  • Starting point first. Trips that begin on Kendwa or Nungwi beach, or include a transfer from Kendwa, rank above equally good ones that start far away.
  • Then the experience. Time in the water, group size, quality of guiding, and how wildlife is treated.
  • Then value. What you get for the money, not simply the lowest fare.
  • Then the track record. A 4.7 from a thousand people counts for more than a 5.0 from three.
If you only have four days: Mnemba on the first morning (so there is time to rebook if the weather turns), a sunset dhow that evening or the next, one long day for Stone Town with the spice farm and Prison Island, and one day with no plans at all.

Not decided yet?

The full tours page has live availability for everything above. If you are still working out when to come and how long to stay, start with the Kendwa travel guide.

Live availability: top Kendwa experiences

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Kendwa is the base. The island is the adventure.

Snorkel the reefs of Mnemba and Tumbatu, sail into the sunset on a dhow, meet the giant tortoises of Prison Island and get lost in the lanes of Stone Town. Compare top-rated experiences and book in a couple of taps.

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Good to know

Choosing a tour

Frequently asked questions

What is the number-one tour from Kendwa?

The Mnemba boat trip with dolphin search and snorkelling that departs from Kendwa beach: 4.7 stars from more than 1,400 reviews.

How many excursions make sense in a week?

Three is a comfortable number — one reef trip, one sunset cruise, one day across the island. Add a fourth only if you get restless on the beach.

Mnemba or Tumbatu?

Mnemba for the richest reef and the best chance of dolphins; Tumbatu for a shorter, calmer and less crowded outing. With young children or a nervous stomach, start with Tumbatu.

Is Safari Blue too far from Kendwa?

It is the longest transfer of any trip on this list — the boats leave from Fumba, well over an hour and a half away. Worth it on a longer stay; on a short one, stick to the north.

Can I get a guide who speaks my language?

English is standard. Italian is widely spoken on the north coast, and German, French, Polish and Spanish-speaking guides can often be arranged — check the language filter on the listing.