Fly a kite at Kendwa and you will wait a long time for wind. Drive two hours to the opposite corner of the island and you find Paje: a wide, shallow lagoon behind a barrier reef, steady side-onshore trade winds and one of the best-known kitesurfing spots in Africa.
The contrast explains Zanzibar’s beaches in one glance. The east coast (Paje, Jambiani, Bwejuu, and further north Matemwe and Kiwengwa) is wild and photogenic but ruled by the tide, with the sea a long walk away at low water. The north-west — Kendwa and Nungwi — is sheltered and deep, made for swimming. Choose your base by what you want to do in the water.
Top things to do at Paje & the East Coast
Take a kitesurfing lesson
Schools line the beach at Paje and teach in waist-deep water at mid to high tide. The main seasons are roughly June to September, on the south-east trade wind, and mid-December to February or early March, on the north-east monsoon.
Walk out across the lagoon at low tide
When the water goes out, the flats reveal starfish, sea urchins and the seaweed farms tended mostly by local women. Reef shoes are essential.
Pair it with Jozani
The forest is on the way. A morning with the red colobus monkeys and an afternoon on the east coast makes a full, varied day out from Kendwa.
How to get to Paje & the East Coast
- From Kendwa: around two hours by road each way, crossing the island via the edge of Zanzibar City.
- How: hire a driver for the day, or split your holiday — a few nights in Paje for the wind, then Kendwa for the swimming.
Insider tips
- Check the tide table before you go: for swimming you want to arrive around high tide, for the lagoon walk around low.
- Kitesurfers and swimmers share the lagoon; stay out of the launch zones.
- If wind sports are the main reason for your trip, base yourself on the east coast, not in Kendwa.
Best tours & tickets for Paje & the East Coast
These well-reviewed experiences are the simplest way to see Paje & the East Coast from a Kendwa base:
Wildlife from $80 Zanzibar: Jozani Forest & Salaam Cave with Pickup & Entry Fees
Two wildlife encounters in the south of the island in one outing, with the fees already in the price. Almost 450 reviews at 4.8 make it one of the best-regarded nature trips on Zanzibar.
- Rare red colobus monkeys in Jozani Forest
- Swim with sea turtles at Salaam Cave, Kizimkazi
- Pickup and entry fees included
Full-day sea trip from $90 Zanzibar: Safari Blue Lagoon Trip with Snorkelling and Lunch
The famous full day among the sandbanks and islets of the Menai Bay conservation area. It starts from Fumba in the far south-west, so from Kendwa you should allow well over an hour and a half by road each way — an early start, but many visitors call it the best day of their holiday.
- Dhow sailing and guided snorkelling in Menai Bay
- A sandbank stop and a swim in a mangrove lagoon
- Seafood lunch, tropical fruit and soft drinks
