Zanzibar

Zanzibar lies about thirty kilometres off the Tanzanian coast and is a genuinely different country in feel from the mainland — an Indian Ocean island shaped by centuries of Swahili, Omani, Persian and Indian trade. Stone Town, its historic centre and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a maze of coral-stone alleys, carved doors and former merchant houses, and it carries a difficult history as a major centre of the East African slave trade alongside its spice wealth. The east and north coasts have the beaches: white sand, a shallow turquoise lagoon inside the fringing reef, and dhows working the shoreline. After a week of early starts and dusty tracks, three or four nights here is the most requested ending to a Tanzanian safari.

Why visit Zanzibar

• Fine white-sand beaches inside a sheltered reef lagoon, a short flight from the safari circuit.
• Stone Town's Swahili, Omani and Indian architecture and its UNESCO-listed historic centre.
• Spice farms in the island's interior, a living remnant of the clove and nutmeg trade.
• Good snorkelling and diving on the surrounding reefs, including Mnemba Atoll.

Wildlife

Marine rather than terrestrial. Reef fish, turtles and dolphins are the draw, with seasonal whale sharks off the south coast. On land, Jozani Forest protects the endemic Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found nowhere else on earth.

• Zanzibar red colobus in Jozani Forest, endemic to the island
• Reef fish and turtles on the fringing reefs
• Dolphins off the south coast
• Seasonal whale sharks, typically October to February

Best time to visit

June to October and December to February are the driest and most reliable. The long rains fall from March to May, when many properties reduce rates and some close. November brings shorter rains. The island is hot and humid year-round.

June–October and December–February.

Things to do

Beach and lagoon time

The main point of a Zanzibar extension — recovery time after a safari.

Stone Town walking tour

The historic centre, its architecture and its slave-trade history, usually a separate arrangement.

Spice farm tour

Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla in the island's interior.

Snorkelling and diving

Reef trips, including Mnemba Atoll, booked locally as optional extras.

Jozani Forest

Guided walks to see the endemic red colobus.

How long to stay

Three or four nights is the usual extension and is enough for genuine rest plus a Stone Town visit. Fewer than three nights means the flights eat most of the value.

What it combines with

Zanzibar is added to the end of the Tanzanian northern circuit, typically after the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, with a short flight from Arusha or a Serengeti airstrip.