By air
Abeid Amani Karume International (ZNZ), ~8 km
Africa · Tanzania
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Spice-island beaches and Stone Town
Getting there
Best time to visit
June to October and December to February — dry
Don't miss
Stone Town
The House of Wonders
Nungwi
Mnemba Atoll
Things to do
Stone Town's alleys
A spice-farm tour
Snorkelling at Mnemba
The beaches at Nungwi
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Mbz1 · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Swimwear, modest clothing for Stone Town
A quieter corner
The Jozani Forest's red colobus monkeys
Questions travellers ask
When should I go to Zanzibar, and what should I wear?
In the dry months: June to October and December to February. Bring swimwear, plus modest clothing for Stone Town.
What are Zanzibar's must-dos?
Stone Town's alleys and the House of Wonders, a spice-farm tour, snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll and the beaches at Nungwi.
Where can I see red colobus monkeys in Zanzibar?
In the Jozani Forest, one of Zanzibar's hidden gems.
What food should I try in Zanzibar?
Zanzibar pizza at the Forodhani Gardens, and plenty of spiced seafood.
About Zanzibar
- Island
- Coastal
Where it is
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, off the mainland coast north of Dar es Salaam; its main island, Unguja, is itself often called Zanzibar, and the second is Pemba.
History
Swahili towns here traded with Arabia, Persia and India for centuries before the Portuguese arrived around 1500. In the 19th century Sultan Said of Oman moved his court to Zanzibar, which became the centre of the clove trade and of the East African slave trade until the slave market closed in 1873. The islands became a British protectorate in 1890, gained independence in 1963 and united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form Tanzania.
People
Zanzibaris speak Swahili, and their ancestry blends African, Arab, Persian and Indian roots; Kiunguja, the Zanzibar dialect, is the basis of standard Swahili. Taarab music, carved wooden doors, clove and spice farming and Zanzibar pizza from the Forodhani Gardens night market are part of island life.
Known for
- Stone Town's lanes and carved doors
- Spice-farm tours
- The beaches of Nungwi and Kendwa
- Snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll
- Red colobus monkeys in Jozani Forest
Did you know?
The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, fought between Britain and the Sultanate of Zanzibar, is often cited as the shortest war in recorded history, lasting less than an hour.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.