Eleven places worth leaving the beach for — and the beach itself.
Kendwa’s great talent is making you forget there is an island behind it. Resist for a day or three. Within an hour by boat are two of Zanzibar’s best snorkelling areas; within an hour or two by road are a World Heritage town, a forest of monkeys found nowhere else, and a coastline so different from Kendwa’s that it might be another country.
Each guide below covers what there is to do, how to get there from Kendwa, practical tips and the tours that make it easy.
Kendwa & the north coast Zanzibar’s all-tide swimming beach
A broad, west-facing sweep of pale sand on the north-west coast of Unguja where the seabed drops away quickly enough that the water stays deep at low tide. That, the sunsets and the monthly Full Moon Party are why people choose Kendwa over anywhere else on the island.
Kendwa & the north coast 
Kendwa & the north coast Rescued sea turtles at the tip of the island
Natural tidal pools in the coral rock beside Nungwi’s lighthouse, where sea turtles brought in by fishermen are cared for and later returned to the sea. The best-known is the Mnarani conservation pond.
Reefs, islands & lagoons The island’s best reef, about an hour by boat
A protected ring of coral around a tiny private island off the north-east coast. Boats from Kendwa round the tip of Zanzibar to reach clear water, dense fish life and, on many mornings, pods of dolphins.
Reefs, islands & lagoons The quiet island on Kendwa’s horizon
The long, low island that lies off the coast opposite Kendwa. Its people keep largely to themselves, its reefs are lightly visited, and a short boat ride gets you snorkelling without the crowds of Mnemba.
Reefs, islands & lagoons Giant tortoises off Stone Town
Changuu, a small island about half an hour by boat from Stone Town, where a 19th-century prison that never held prisoners now shares the ground with a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, some of them more than a century old.
Reefs, islands & lagoons Dhows, sandbanks and a seafood feast
A full day under sail in the Menai Bay Conservation Area off the south-west coast: snorkelling, a sandbank that appears with the tide, a mangrove-ringed lagoon and a seafood lunch on Kwale Island.
Stone Town, the forest & the east coast The old Swahili capital
The historic heart of Zanzibar City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: a tangle of lanes, carved doors, mosques, palaces and markets shaped by centuries of African, Arab, Indian and European trade.
Stone Town, the forest & the east coast Home of the Zanzibar red colobus
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park protects the largest remaining stand of native forest on the island and the endangered Zanzibar red colobus monkey, found nowhere else on earth. A mangrove boardwalk completes the visit.
Stone Town, the forest & the east coast Why they call it the Spice Island
Small farms in the green interior north of Stone Town where guides show you cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom and pepper growing — and let you smell, taste and guess your way round.
Stone Town, the forest & the east coast Kites, tides and a different Zanzibar
The south-east coast is Kendwa’s opposite: a shallow lagoon that drains for hundreds of metres at low tide, steady trade winds and the island’s kitesurfing capital. Worth a day trip — or a few nights — if you want wind rather than calm.
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.
