Elken SafarisTanzania · East Africa

Destinations — Tanzania

The spice coast

Zanzibar

Indian OceanStone Town · UNESCOMnemba AtollDhow sailing
Best time
Jun–Oct
Located
Indian Ocean
Known for
Stone Town
Ideal stay
4–5 nights

The place

Where the safari exhales — coral sand, carved doors and the smell of cloves.

Zanzibar sits about 35 kilometres off the Tanzanian mainland, and the flight in from the Serengeti takes under two hours — which is precisely why it finishes so many safaris. Unguja, the main island, is a low green shelf of clove and coconut plantation ringed by reef, with water that runs from milk-jade to deep blue depending on the hour and the tide.

Stone Town, the old quarter of Zanzibar City, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the last functioning Swahili coastal towns of its kind — a warren of coral-rag alleys, brass-studded carved doors and Omani balconies, with a history of spice and slavery the town does not hide from. North at Nungwi and Kendwa the tide barely retreats and the swimming is good all day; east at Paje and Jambiani the lagoon empties twice daily and the kitesurfers take the water instead.

Plan your Zanzibar escape
Stone Town

Why go

Highlights

Four nights is the sweet spot: one in town, three with your feet in the sand.

  • Stone TownUNESCO-listed Swahili port town of carved doors and coral-rag alleys.
  • Mnemba AtollReef diving and snorkelling with turtles, dolphins and reef fish.
  • Spice farmsClove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, tasted straight off the tree.
  • Jozani ForestThe Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found nowhere else on earth.
  • Dhow sailingSunset under a lateen sail — the oldest way to see the island.
  • Barefoot luxuryReef-front houses and beach lodges built for doing nothing well.

When to visit

Timing your visit

The long dry season from June to October is the reliable window — warm, clear and breezy. December to February is hotter and every bit as good. Avoid the long rains of April and May, when a good deal of the coast simply closes; November's short rains are brief and easy to work around.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

■ Prime   ■ Good   ▪ Shoulder

Ready when you are

End your safari on the reef.

Two hours by air from the Serengeti — the classic close to a Northern Circuit journey, or a week of its own after Kilimanjaro.

Enquire now Other destinations