Zanzibar island information and hotels

*See accommodation options below.

Zanzibar island offers a comfortable climate all year round. The best period for diving in Zanzibar is from October to April. The climate varies from warm to hot though there is always a pleasant fine breeze from the Indian Ocean.

Vacations in Zanzibar is like no other, the island enjoys an equatorial Zanzibar climate with rainfall from March to end May and furthest short rains in November. The relatively cool, dry period from June to October is particularly pleasant, with average temperature of 25 degrees centigrade with cool long breezes of the Southeast monsoon prevailing.

The best way to discover Zanzibar island is to use one of the Island taxis ‘dala dala’ offering very reasonable fares. Places and sights of interest are among others Stone Town with its historical buildings, many of them being restored. These buildings are memorials of bygone era and still hold the magic of "a thousand and one nights". Visit Jozani rainforest and the ruins of the old Osmanian palace. Dine at a picturesque fisherman's village and enjoy fresh langoustines before the visiting the surrounding islands by boat
The best known of the Zanzibar islands, Unguja has been at the prow of Indian Ocean history for over a millennium. Explorer, sultans, slave traders and merchants all chose Zanzibar as their strategic base, spurred by monsoon winds along trade routes, driven by imagined wealth and riches or led by starry maps and religious conquest towards escape and discovery.
These adventurers' tales were interwoven by Sheherezade into 1001 nights, compelling other dreamy romantics to follow their luck and the breeze to Zenj in the south.
Your holiday in Zanzibar island in never complete without visiting the historic charms of Stone Town, the picture-book, palm-fringed beaches, colourful reefs and the cultural pride that exudes from every beach hut, every temple and every courtyard continues to lure visitors from around the world. Accommodation options are listed here.
 

Visas
Customs and immigration officials are polite and efficient, and a visa - for those who require one - can be purchased on the spot at Zanzibar or Kilimanjaro Airport or at any overland border. Foreign exchange and ATM facilities are available at the airport, which is also serviced by several shops and restaurants. Most midrange to upmarket hotels in Arusha or Dar es salaam will arrange airport transfers by request.
 

Culture
As Zanzibar absorbed peoples from as far as The Orient and Iberia, Assyria and India, so the tapestry of Zanzibar cultures became more diverse in its range, more unique in its expression.
Zanzibar is the birthplace of Swahili, a lingua franca forged from global dialects, upon which legends were carried, trade routes opened and a Sultans empire prospered.
The strident laments and exultant overtures of Swahili taarab were born, their rhythms and melodies carried and honed between Zanzibar and the Arabian Gulf until they became the sounds of the islands own musical narrative.
The architectural styles of Stone Town were borne of the social convergence, while the tangled mass of stories, woven from centuries of lives lived, bestow a folklore and legacy that permeate life on the archipelago.

Zanzibars history - Living Heritage
Zanzibar's prolific past created a confluence of creeds and cultures, its people a distillation of the nations of travellers, pilgrims, fishermen, explorers and merchants who stopped here in times passage.
A culture of tolerance was born from their cohabitation, infused with the religious acceptance, ethnic array, and spirit of ubinadamu, that indefinable concept "of being human and humane" that continues as the gift of the Swahili people to their guests.
This progressive society, where tribe and nationality were blurred, provided a foundation upon which the peaceful Zanzibari way of life was built.A society of incomparable hospitality endures, evident in the amicable and spontaneous "jambo" of a warm and friendly people. Karibu mgeni, mwenyeji apone, welcome the guest so the host is soothed.

*Click on Zanzibar locations below to view detailed accommodation options in Zanzibar locations.
 

Zanzibar stone town 2

Zanzibar island north east coast 2.

Zanzibar island south east coast 2.

Zanzibar Nungwi beach

Zanzibar North west coast

*Small private islands include.

Pemba island Tanzania Zanzibar

Chumbe island Lodge Zanzibar

Chapwani private island Zanzibar

Mnemba island Zanzibar

Mafia island Zanzibar