Kendwa.com
A dhow under sail silhouetted against a red sunset off Zanzibar

Kendwa Tours & Tickets

Boat trips from the beach, day tours across the island and the transfers that connect them.

Kendwa is a wonderful place to do very little, and a very practical place to do a lot. The reefs of Mnemba and Tumbatu are a boat ride from the sand, sunset cruises leave from in front of the hotels, and tour drivers collect from Kendwa for everything from Stone Town to Jozani Forest.

All the experiences on this page are booked through GetYourGuide: you see real availability, most can be cancelled without charge up to 24 hours ahead, and many let you reserve now and pay later. Prices are indicative starting rates in US dollars, the currency Zanzibar’s operators work in, and they move with the season — open a card for today’s price in your own currency. We have noted where a trip does not start from Kendwa so that the drive does not come as a surprise.

Choose by how much of the day you want to give up

A couple of hours from the beach

Things that leave from Kendwa or just up the road and have you back on your lounger the same morning or evening.

The silhouette of a dhow under sail in front of a red Zanzibar sunset Sunset cruise from $14
🕒 2.5–3 hours 📍 From Kendwa or Nungwi ⭐ 4.2 (89)

Zanzibar: Sunset Dhow Cruise in Nungwi & Kendwa

Kendwa looks due west, so every clear evening ends with the sun dropping into the sea. Seeing it from the deck of a dhow, with the beach bars lighting up behind you, is the classic north-coast evening — and at this price it is hard to find a reason not to.

  • A traditional wooden dhow under a lateen sail
  • The sun going down behind Tumbatu Island
  • Departures from Kendwa or Nungwi
Check price & availability
An empty white beach fringed with palms on Tumbatu Island Boat trip from $45
🕒 3 hours 📍 From Kendwa or Nungwi ⭐ 4.2 (60)

Tumbatu Island Snorkelling Tour from Kendwa & Nungwi

Tumbatu is the long, low island on the horizon opposite Kendwa. Its fringing reefs are only a short boat ride away and see a fraction of the traffic that Mnemba gets, which makes this the easy half-day snorkel when you do not want a long crossing.

  • The island you see from your sunbed, up close
  • Quiet reefs with far fewer boats than Mnemba
  • Short crossing — back on the beach by lunchtime
Check price & availability
Sunlight rippling through clear, shallow turquoise water off Zanzibar Water activity from $46
🕒 1 hour 📍 From Nungwi–Kendwa coast (pickup included) ⭐ 4.8 (569)

Zanzibar: Transparent Kayak and Drone (Pickup Included)

Part gentle paddle, part photo shoot: you take a clear-hulled kayak out over the pale sand and turquoise water between Nungwi and Kendwa while a drone films from above. Nearly 570 reviews at 4.8 suggest people come away happy with the pictures.

  • Paddle a see-through kayak over the shallows
  • Professional drone photos and video of you from above
  • Only an hour — easy to fit into a beach day
Check price & availability
A road through a Zanzibar village lined with palms at sunset Adventure from $81 per group
🕒 4 hours or more 📍 From Kendwa / Nungwi (transfer included) ⭐ 4.9 (1,755)

Zanzibar: Quad Biking Adventure from Kendwa or Nungwi

The highest-rated activity on the north coast, with well over 1,700 reviews. A guided quad ride through farmland and villages inland of Kendwa shows you the everyday Zanzibar that lies a few hundred metres behind the resorts. Priced per quad, which two people can share.

  • Ride dirt tracks behind the north-coast beaches
  • Stops at two beaches and a local village
  • Free transfer from Kendwa and Nungwi hotels
Check price & availability
A sea turtle among small fish in the natural tidal lagoon at Nungwi Wildlife from $19
🕒 1.5–5 hours 📍 From Nungwi (short ride from Kendwa) ⭐ 4.5 (212)

Zanzibar: Nungwi Turtle Aquarium Guided Half-Day Trip

A guided visit to the turtle lagoon at the tip of Nungwi, ten minutes up the road from Kendwa, where sea turtles are looked after before being released. Short, inexpensive and a reliable hit with younger travellers.

  • See and feed rescued sea turtles
  • Learn how the lagoon’s rehabilitation work is done
  • An easy outing with children
Check price & availability

A morning or a day at sea

Mnemba is the headline, Tumbatu the calm alternative, and Safari Blue the all-day classic in the south.

A dolphin leaping out of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zanzibar Boat trip from $55
🕒 4 hours 📍 From Kendwa beach ⭐ 4.7 (1,407)

From Kendwa: Mnemba Boat Trip and Dolphin Snorkel Adventure

The standout Mnemba trip for anyone sleeping in Kendwa, with more than 1,400 reviews. The boat rounds the northern tip of the island to the atoll, the crew looks for dolphins along the way, and you get a long snorkel over the reef before heading back in time for a late lunch.

  • Leaves straight from Kendwa — no minibus to the east coast
  • Snorkel the coral gardens of the Mnemba conservation area
  • Dolphin search on the way out, snorkel gear included
Check price & availability
A lionfish with fanned fins above the reef at Mnemba Atoll Boat trip from $55
🕒 3.5–6.5 hours 📍 From North and north-east coast ⭐ 4.3 (2,206)

Mnemba: “African Maldives” Day Tour with Optional Lunch

The most-booked Mnemba excursion on the island, with over 2,200 reviews. Scores are solid rather than spectacular, but the flexible format — a short outing or a fuller day with lunch — suits families who want a slower pace.

  • Dolphin watching and reef snorkelling at Mnemba
  • Clear water and white sand around the atoll
  • Choose a short trip or a longer one with lunch
Check price & availability
A fisherman poling a dugout canoe across bright turquoise water off Zanzibar Boat trip from $71
🕒 4 hours 📍 From North coast ⭐ 4.7 (79)

Dolphin & Tumbatu Island Snorkelling

A half-day that combines a dolphin search near Nungwi with snorkelling at Tumbatu, all on the sheltered west side of the island. A good alternative to Mnemba on days when the east coast is choppy.

  • Look for dolphins off the northern tip
  • Snorkel the reefs of Tumbatu Island
  • Stays on the calm west side of Zanzibar
Check price & availability
A wooden dhow anchored in turquoise water near Kwale Island in Menai Bay Full-day sea trip from $90
🕒 7 hours 📍 From Fumba, south-west coast ⭐ 4.6 (628)

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
Check price & availability

Across the island

Stone Town, spices, giant tortoises and red colobus monkeys — long days from the north, but the ones you will talk about at home.

A man walking down a narrow lane between old coral-stone houses in Stone Town Day trip from $55
🕒 5–9 hours 📍 From Hotel pickup (check options for the north) ⭐ 4.5 (1,258)

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

Three of the island’s essential sights in a single day, and by far the most-reviewed way to do them. A long day from Kendwa — Stone Town is over an hour’s drive — but it ticks off the history, the tortoises and the spices in one go.

  • A guided walk through UNESCO-listed Stone Town
  • Boat to Prison Island and its giant tortoises
  • Spice farm visit with a Swahili lunch
Check price & availability
A Zanzibar red colobus monkey sitting among green leaves in Jozani Forest Private tour from $70
🕒 9–9.5 hours 📍 From Your hotel in Kendwa ⭐ 4.8 (115)

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

A private car and guide for the whole day, which is the comfortable way to cover Zanzibar’s long distances from the north. Forest in the morning, spices at midday, Stone Town in the afternoon — and you decide where to linger.

  • Red colobus monkeys and the mangrove boardwalk at Jozani
  • Smell and taste your way round a spice farm
  • Stone Town with your own guide, at your own pace
Check price & availability

Getting around & going further

A fixed-price airport car, a ride home from the Full Moon Party and a one-day safari by plane.

The terminal building of Zanzibar’s international airport Transfer from $45 per group
🕒 About 1–1.5 hours to Kendwa 📍 From Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) ⭐ 4.8 (463)

Zanzibar: Airport Private Transfer to/from Hotel

Not a tour, but the booking that takes the stress out of arrival day: a private car from the airport to your hotel with the fare agreed beforehand. The listed starting price is per group — confirm the rate for Kendwa when you select your drop-off.

  • Private transfers available round the clock
  • Air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver
  • Price fixed in advance, per vehicle
Check price & availability
A group of people silhouetted on a Zanzibar beach at dusk Night transfer from $40
🕒 1–6 hours 📍 From Hotels elsewhere on Zanzibar ⭐ 4.5 (4)

Zanzibar: Kendwa Full Moon Party with Hotel Pickup & Return

A private round-trip ride to the Full Moon Party on Kendwa Beach for people staying elsewhere on the island. If your hotel is in Kendwa you simply walk; if it is in Nungwi, Matemwe or Stone Town, a pre-arranged ride home is worth having. A new listing with only a handful of reviews so far — check what is included, as party entry is normally paid separately.

  • Private vehicle to Kendwa Beach and back
  • No haggling for a taxi at three in the morning
  • Useful if you are staying outside Kendwa
Check price & availability
Live availability

Bookable now around Kendwa

A live feed from GetYourGuide — prices and dates refresh automatically.

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The full list

Every tour we recommend from Kendwa

Eighteen experiences, from a US$14 sunset sail to a fly-in safari on the mainland.

A dolphin leaping out of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zanzibar Boat trip from $55
🕒 4 hours 📍 From Kendwa beach ⭐ 4.7 (1,407)

From Kendwa: Mnemba Boat Trip and Dolphin Snorkel Adventure

The standout Mnemba trip for anyone sleeping in Kendwa, with more than 1,400 reviews. The boat rounds the northern tip of the island to the atoll, the crew looks for dolphins along the way, and you get a long snorkel over the reef before heading back in time for a late lunch.

  • Leaves straight from Kendwa — no minibus to the east coast
  • Snorkel the coral gardens of the Mnemba conservation area
  • Dolphin search on the way out, snorkel gear included
Check price & availability
The silhouette of a dhow under sail in front of a red Zanzibar sunset Sunset cruise from $14
🕒 2.5–3 hours 📍 From Kendwa or Nungwi ⭐ 4.2 (89)

Zanzibar: Sunset Dhow Cruise in Nungwi & Kendwa

Kendwa looks due west, so every clear evening ends with the sun dropping into the sea. Seeing it from the deck of a dhow, with the beach bars lighting up behind you, is the classic north-coast evening — and at this price it is hard to find a reason not to.

  • A traditional wooden dhow under a lateen sail
  • The sun going down behind Tumbatu Island
  • Departures from Kendwa or Nungwi
Check price & availability
A man walking down a narrow lane between old coral-stone houses in Stone Town Day trip from $55
🕒 5–9 hours 📍 From Hotel pickup (check options for the north) ⭐ 4.5 (1,258)

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

Three of the island’s essential sights in a single day, and by far the most-reviewed way to do them. A long day from Kendwa — Stone Town is over an hour’s drive — but it ticks off the history, the tortoises and the spices in one go.

  • A guided walk through UNESCO-listed Stone Town
  • Boat to Prison Island and its giant tortoises
  • Spice farm visit with a Swahili lunch
Check price & availability
An empty white beach fringed with palms on Tumbatu Island Boat trip from $45
🕒 3 hours 📍 From Kendwa or Nungwi ⭐ 4.2 (60)

Tumbatu Island Snorkelling Tour from Kendwa & Nungwi

Tumbatu is the long, low island on the horizon opposite Kendwa. Its fringing reefs are only a short boat ride away and see a fraction of the traffic that Mnemba gets, which makes this the easy half-day snorkel when you do not want a long crossing.

  • The island you see from your sunbed, up close
  • Quiet reefs with far fewer boats than Mnemba
  • Short crossing — back on the beach by lunchtime
Check price & availability
A wooden dhow anchored in turquoise water near Kwale Island in Menai Bay Full-day sea trip from $90
🕒 7 hours 📍 From Fumba, south-west coast ⭐ 4.6 (628)

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
Check price & availability
A road through a Zanzibar village lined with palms at sunset Adventure from $81 per group
🕒 4 hours or more 📍 From Kendwa / Nungwi (transfer included) ⭐ 4.9 (1,755)

Zanzibar: Quad Biking Adventure from Kendwa or Nungwi

The highest-rated activity on the north coast, with well over 1,700 reviews. A guided quad ride through farmland and villages inland of Kendwa shows you the everyday Zanzibar that lies a few hundred metres behind the resorts. Priced per quad, which two people can share.

  • Ride dirt tracks behind the north-coast beaches
  • Stops at two beaches and a local village
  • Free transfer from Kendwa and Nungwi hotels
Check price & availability
A Zanzibar red colobus monkey sitting among green leaves in Jozani Forest Private tour from $70
🕒 9–9.5 hours 📍 From Your hotel in Kendwa ⭐ 4.8 (115)

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

A private car and guide for the whole day, which is the comfortable way to cover Zanzibar’s long distances from the north. Forest in the morning, spices at midday, Stone Town in the afternoon — and you decide where to linger.

  • Red colobus monkeys and the mangrove boardwalk at Jozani
  • Smell and taste your way round a spice farm
  • Stone Town with your own guide, at your own pace
Check price & availability
Sunlight rippling through clear, shallow turquoise water off Zanzibar Water activity from $46
🕒 1 hour 📍 From Nungwi–Kendwa coast (pickup included) ⭐ 4.8 (569)

Zanzibar: Transparent Kayak and Drone (Pickup Included)

Part gentle paddle, part photo shoot: you take a clear-hulled kayak out over the pale sand and turquoise water between Nungwi and Kendwa while a drone films from above. Nearly 570 reviews at 4.8 suggest people come away happy with the pictures.

  • Paddle a see-through kayak over the shallows
  • Professional drone photos and video of you from above
  • Only an hour — easy to fit into a beach day
Check price & availability
A lionfish with fanned fins above the reef at Mnemba Atoll Boat trip from $55
🕒 3.5–6.5 hours 📍 From North and north-east coast ⭐ 4.3 (2,206)

Mnemba: “African Maldives” Day Tour with Optional Lunch

The most-booked Mnemba excursion on the island, with over 2,200 reviews. Scores are solid rather than spectacular, but the flexible format — a short outing or a fuller day with lunch — suits families who want a slower pace.

  • Dolphin watching and reef snorkelling at Mnemba
  • Clear water and white sand around the atoll
  • Choose a short trip or a longer one with lunch
Check price & availability
A fisherman poling a dugout canoe across bright turquoise water off Zanzibar Boat trip from $71
🕒 4 hours 📍 From North coast ⭐ 4.7 (79)

Dolphin & Tumbatu Island Snorkelling

A half-day that combines a dolphin search near Nungwi with snorkelling at Tumbatu, all on the sheltered west side of the island. A good alternative to Mnemba on days when the east coast is choppy.

  • Look for dolphins off the northern tip
  • Snorkel the reefs of Tumbatu Island
  • Stays on the calm west side of Zanzibar
Check price & availability
A sea turtle among small fish in the natural tidal lagoon at Nungwi Wildlife from $19
🕒 1.5–5 hours 📍 From Nungwi (short ride from Kendwa) ⭐ 4.5 (212)

Zanzibar: Nungwi Turtle Aquarium Guided Half-Day Trip

A guided visit to the turtle lagoon at the tip of Nungwi, ten minutes up the road from Kendwa, where sea turtles are looked after before being released. Short, inexpensive and a reliable hit with younger travellers.

  • See and feed rescued sea turtles
  • Learn how the lagoon’s rehabilitation work is done
  • An easy outing with children
Check price & availability
A group of people silhouetted on a Zanzibar beach at dusk Night transfer from $40
🕒 1–6 hours 📍 From Hotels elsewhere on Zanzibar ⭐ 4.5 (4)

Zanzibar: Kendwa Full Moon Party with Hotel Pickup & Return

A private round-trip ride to the Full Moon Party on Kendwa Beach for people staying elsewhere on the island. If your hotel is in Kendwa you simply walk; if it is in Nungwi, Matemwe or Stone Town, a pre-arranged ride home is worth having. A new listing with only a handful of reviews so far — check what is included, as party entry is normally paid separately.

  • Private vehicle to Kendwa Beach and back
  • No haggling for a taxi at three in the morning
  • Useful if you are staying outside Kendwa
Check price & availability
The terminal building of Zanzibar’s international airport Transfer from $45 per group
🕒 About 1–1.5 hours to Kendwa 📍 From Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) ⭐ 4.8 (463)

Zanzibar: Airport Private Transfer to/from Hotel

Not a tour, but the booking that takes the stress out of arrival day: a private car from the airport to your hotel with the fare agreed beforehand. The listed starting price is per group — confirm the rate for Kendwa when you select your drop-off.

  • Private transfers available round the clock
  • Air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver
  • Price fixed in advance, per vehicle
Check price & availability
Make the most of Zanzibar’s calmest beach

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.

Browse Kendwa tours Compare all tours
Good to know

Booking questions

Frequently asked questions

Do tours pick up from hotels in Kendwa?

Many do. Boat trips to Mnemba and Tumbatu and the sunset cruises leave from Kendwa or Nungwi beach; quad biking and the kayak session include a transfer; island day tours generally offer pickup from the north, sometimes for a supplement. The pickup options are shown on each listing before you pay.

What is the cheapest good thing to book?

The sunset dhow cruise, from around US$14 per person. The budget Mnemba trip (from about US$18) is the cheapest way to snorkel the atoll.

Are conservation and entry fees included?

Sometimes. The Mnemba conservation fee, the Prison Island sanctuary fee and the Jozani park fee are included on some tours and paid in cash on others. Read the “includes” section of the listing.

Can I book for tomorrow?

Usually, outside the busiest weeks. In July, August and over Christmas and New Year the best-reviewed boats fill up several days ahead.

What happens if the sea is too rough?

Operators normally reschedule or refund when they cancel for weather, and most listings can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Booking boat trips early in your stay leaves room to move them.

Should I just book on the beach?

You can, and it is sometimes cheaper, but you have no reviews to go on and little comeback if things go wrong. Whatever you choose, check that the boat carries life jackets for everyone.