Zanzibar coast. The best beaches in Zanzibar. The best beaches in Zanzibar for swimming without low tides
This post is rather educational and technical - about the island and its beaches. A little bit. , at first I wanted to rent a car and drive around the island, then we decided that we would hire a car (I planned 2 times for half a day), in the end we got very lazy on the Kendwa beach and rented a car for 85 USD. just 1 whole day for a circular route along the beaches of Zanzibar (not all of them, of course) and a visit to Stone Town.
This is what amazes and always infuriates us on travel agency websites - this is a rare lack of professionalism in the description of the areas where they sell tours.
How can you write about Zanzibar beaches as “luxurious” and “an alternative to the Maldives” - I would be ashamed to lie like that. Are the beaches in Zanzibar good? No. Is it worth going to them? Certainly! If you are interested in seeing the ebb and flow of the tides, walking and looking at the marine and local inhabitants, and swimming is guaranteed in the pool. But I feel sorry for those who bought into “Maldives Beaches” and ended up in Zanzibar reality. I'm already silent about cards with the wrong location settlements and beaches... Or a pearl of a tourist (!) resource on the topic: “To travel to Zanzibar you do not need to be vaccinated against yellow fever” - yes, this is the first thing they ask at the airport! Especially if you come from other African countries, which most often happens...
I'll write a little about what we saw. So, in Zanzibar, most of the beaches with hotels are located on the western side of the island (i.e. towards the mainland)
From our Kendwa, we first stopped at Fukuchani beach.
| Fukuchani - a historical house |
Along the way I look at the local “architecture”. Zanzibaris build three types of houses: the most exotic are those made from palm leaves. There are quite a lot of them. Like this
The next type is “hut huts”, similar to the huts of the Maasai in Kenya - sticks coated with a mixture of soil (I dare not call it clay),
| Well, it’s simple, like in the fairy tale about the 3 little pigs - a stronger house, a “mud” |
| The pinnacle of Zanzibar architecture - a brick house |
| Roads of Zanzibar |
| Roads of Zanzibar |
| Roads of Zanzibar |
| Gas stations in Zanzibar |
| Roads are being built |
Next we drive past the beach Pwani Mhangani, where quite a lot of expensive hotels are located. Access to the beach by car is difficult due to the density of hotel buildings, so we move non-stop towards the town Kiwengwa(Kiwengwa), where I almost accidentally booked a hotel, confusing it with Kendwa. Well, Kiwengwa is quite a larger village. Picturesque and, I would say, prosperous.
| Kiwengwa. Fauna |
| Catering is present |
| Kiwenga. In principle, it’s good to relax and swim in the pool |
| Kiwengwa. Like this. Bar named after yourself? |
| Tourist infrastructure of Kiwengwa |
| Pongwe |
| Pongwe |
| Pongwe |
| Pongwe |
| Pongwe. Local |
| Pongwe. Local |
As Abdul said, the locals throw all this happiness into the sea. The sea, don't be stupid, returns waste to the shore with the surf. Look - yes. Live - God forbid!!! Rest assured, travel agency websites talk about “the white sand of Uroa Beach.” Yes, I believe that hotel beach areas can be cleaned. But to live in such an environment at a very high cost... Well, it would be unpleasant for me. There is a village in Uroa, but we did not explore it. So, a couple of photos on the way to the beach and from it
It's interesting to watch the fishermen. And what’s even more interesting is how they process the squid before selling it - they beat them with sticks as hard as they can. As Abdul explained, if he wasn’t imagining it, the squids are tough and will take a long time to cook if you don’t beat them off. That's how it sounds all over the beach.
| Market in Uroa, there, under the canopy |
| Fishermen with helpers on the shore |
After Uroa we went to Jozani Forest, the only place where authentic forests have been preserved and where red Columbus monkeys, such funny monkeys, live.
To be honest, at first I regretted that I decided to come here, but the very diverse landscapes along the road quickly dispel my doubts.
| Whatever you say, the island is bright |
| What are they selling here? |
| Just like |
| Roads of Zanzibar |
| Roads of Zanzibar |
I spent the whole trip hanging out the window, entertaining the locals, and now we are approaching Stone Town, which I will talk about in the next post.
| Zanzibar on the go |
Nungwi(Nungwi). Beaches that, at low tide, expose small islands of flour-white sand. Unearthly beauty.
Low tide times are 10 and 22, high tides are 6 and 18. Therefore, you can swim in the sea before breakfast and before dinner. And during low tides is the time to take beautiful shots.
The village is considered one of the most touristic. But this is all relative. During the day, in addition to my friends, up to 10 people swam with me within visible reach. And then somewhere far, far away, including a couple of kiters between the sky and the water. Tourists are seen mainly in the evening in restaurants and in the hotels themselves.
Hotels (general notes for the entire island):
It is worth booking the first hotel for a maximum of three days, just to make sure that you can live there. We spent the first three nights in not the coolest conditions, because the pictures did not correspond to reality.
Cost of double in Warere Beach Hotel– $120 and $150 per night. The owner of the hotel is Italian Shouna, and this is an indicator of European quality. Believe me, we went to all the hotels on the coast, and you can immediately see which of them are run by Europeans. There were often options for incomprehensible money with conditions that did not fit even close into the comfort zone. After talking with Shona, it became clear that running a hotel in Africa is not an easy task. The service staff needs to be constantly trained; only a few speak English. Shona herself is shocked at how few hotels meet quality standards. At the same time, in Zanzibar, as throughout Africa, there is such great corruption that opening a hotel here can only be done with the support of a local, influential partner. By the way, there is plenty of land for this, with incredibly beautiful beaches = views of the ocean. So, if you have relatives in the African parliament, don’t hesitate to build it.
Nutrition:
Like many, my friends focused on seafood, but I, as a raw foodist, focused on fresh fruit.
Average prices for seafood:
Lobsters: divided into sizes: XXL (2 kg) XL (1.5 kg), Medium (1 kg) and S (up to 1 kg). Costs for a whole sea animal: $80, $50, $35 and $15 respectively.
Crabs: portion (3 pieces) – $15.
Jambo shrimp (very large): 4 pieces – $15.
Curry with tuna: $6.
Walk along the coast and you will see several establishments with a “living showcase” of seafood delicacies. You make a choice and after a few minutes you enjoy the freshest seafood at tables placed right along the ocean line. Trusted restaurants: Blue Ocean restaurant, Flame Tree, Baracca Beach. Just don't expect super service, you're in Africa. Relax and enjoy the view of the ocean and the taste of the food.
Cost of fresh juices: from $0.5. The choice is large: mango, passion fruit, pineapple, citrus and mix. Each one is worth a try.
Coconuts: the price for young ones is about $0.5, the price for “old” ones (which means the flesh inside will be harder and tastier, imho) is about 6 UAH.
Mango: same story, we took 5 pieces for a little less than $1. Several varieties are presented.
Avocado: about $0.5.
The price of a vegetable salad in a cafe is about $1-2.
It's definitely worth bargaining. Almost all the prices that we initially heard for fruit were twice as expensive. What’s more, this is not a long price reduction, you just say: yesterday we bought for so much and you get what you want.
Be sure to bring a small folding knife with you. It will come in handy for cutting fruits and chopping coconuts on the beach.
Souvenirs:
There are many spots on the island with paintings, jewelry and beachwear. The cost of paintings starts from $30, depending on the size. At the same time there is little worthwhile work. Almost everything is a copy of each other: jumping Maasai and wild animals. We have found a time of talented artists, and I hope you will too.
Activities:
There is a great wind in the north, which attracts kiters and those who dream of becoming one. There are several schools, one of them, by the way, is near the Warere Beach hotel.
In addition to this, there are options: snorkeling, diving, yoga, and just walking on the sand. Even local residents They do exercises in the morning, so shame on you if you spend your entire vacation lying by the pool.
Kendwa(Kendwa). A little west of Nungwi. Before visiting this village, I was sure that it couldn’t be more beautiful than Nungwi. How nice it is to be so wrong! Snow-white wide beaches and absolutely no low tides! We stopped in Kendwa for a day and it was impossible to pull me out of the water - waves, depth, turquoise water - all the ingredients to hang in the ocean for a long time. I repeat: if you swim, go to Kendwa.
The distance from Nungwi to Kendwa is 6-8 km, a taxi costs $10. We walked there to explore the surroundings, which took about two hours.
Matemwe and Pwani(Matemwe, Pwani Mchangani) - two villages east of Nungwi. As elsewhere in the east, there are strong low tides. Again, like in Nungwi - snow-white wide sandy beaches surrounded by palm trees. It's worth visiting during the day to snap some photos on some of the island's widest beaches.
Beach in the southeast of Zanzibar.
We stayed here for the first two nights, but did not swim.
The place is bad for swimming: the bottom is old coral slabs, and when the sea ebbs, something that is not visible under water is exposed - sharp stones.
The surf is muddy with suspended sand.
Somewhere near the shore there is a thicket of grass, so the beach is strewn with dried algae.
The sand is fine and white - coral sand, cool even in the sun.
Beach rating = 3
You can live here, using the place as a base for traveling around the island.
You can't swim.
Paje beach
Page is located approximately 5 km north of Jambiani Beach.
In fact, this is a continuation of Jambiani beach, but there are no stones at the bottom.
The bottom is flat and shallow.
At low tide it is knee-deep, at high tide it is up to your chest and neck.
The place is ideal for kiting.
For training, first of all: good wind from the sea, shallow, no stones, sand.
There are two kite schools here.
You can rent a SUP and go paddle boarding, which is what I did here.
Beach rating = 4
You can live here, you can swim, you can eat - there are many restaurants around, the place can be used for trips around the island.
From here the south of Zanzibar and the north are equidistant.
I can recommend a good hotel on the seashore – Arabian Nights Hotel. We booked a bungalow right on the beach.
Pingwe beach
The first thing that catches your eye on Pingwe Beach is great amount grass on the shore and in the water.
Lots of expensive hotels. We didn’t swim here, but people take us here for snorkeling.
The place is called Blue Lagune.
Parking and entrance for swimming costs 2000.
If you order more than 8,000 food and drinks at a local restaurant, admission and parking are free.
A little further north opposite the village is The Rock restaurant.
It is located on a tiny piece of land 30 meters from the shore.
At low tide you can go there on foot, and at high tide guests are transported by boat.
We visit the restaurant in the evening, it’s empty during the day.
Beach rating for appearance = 3
I didn't want to stay here.
We drove all along the coast, looking for a place for our last night. This place didn't catch my eye.
I go back to Paje beach and turn right to the west, going around Chwaka Bay- a large bay.
I leave for the village of Kitogani and drive north, without turning anywhere.
The road goes around Jozani Chwaka Bay national park
, where red monkeys live.
You can see them along the road - they sit in trees and hamster something, not paying attention to cars.
You are not allowed to approach them, as the monkeys become aggressive and can bite. All you need to do is take a photo of them from the car window.
Don't miss this place - there will be about 5 speed bumps in a row.
After this place there will be a butterfly park on the right.
We didn’t go, since these parks exist in every country at every resort.
I wouldn't be interested.
We're going further north.
There will be signs along the way Spicy Farm – spice farm.
You can stop for 15 minutes and listen to a lecture showing plants.
Here are collected specimens that do not grow in Zanzibar: from India, Indonesia, Thailand.
These are vanilla, ginger, lemon grass, chili pepper, cloves, etc.
Everything can be smelled, touched and tasted.
After the end of the lecture, you are invited to buy a set of spices, and after the purchase, give a tip.
The most expensive set is 10 dollars, a tip of 5,000 shillings is enough.
We're going further north.
In one place, namely near the village Kivunge, there is a checkpoint (there are many checkpoints on the roads, but the police there only wave when they see my face.
They immediately screwed up the seat belts. The barrier was closed, so we had to stop.
We read the moral for a long time and soared our brains. In the end, he gave me 5,000 shillings, the cop shut up and let me go.
We're going further north.
The ramps to the hotels begin on the left. I take the first exit, drive 2 km along a country road and come to a parking lot.
Parking lot 1000. I pay without question because there is money in the car.
We go to the beach to the south Nungwi– it’s like a painting by Aivazovsky, but there’s no storm.
Nungwi beach
Warm.
The sand is soft and white.
The beach is very similar to the beach on Boracay Island.
The bottom topography is the same: despite the low tide, it is quite deep.
The color of the water and its transparency, as well as the absence of waves, make this place ideal for swimming.
Beach rating = 5 – this is the best beach in Zanzibar.
However, there is a fly in the ointment - there are so many hotels in this place that it’s hard to imagine what this place looks like during the season.
Difficulties with parking, especially to the north, closer to the village Nungwi.
There are many restaurants in this place (Nungwi).
Some belong to all-inclusive hotels and at the entrance from the beach there are blacks standing in national costumes with clubs.
As I understand it, they guard the food from the local public, who wander around here selling glasses and freshly caught fish.
We look at the menu and compare prices, as well as the menu itself (the menu should have a maximum of 2 sheets) and choose one of the restaurants.
There is South African wine on the menu.
A bottle is 30,000, we agree on 20,000 - you have to bargain everywhere and always in Zanzibar.
The dishes served do not cause any complaints: warm salad with octopus - just like in Italy, only there is not enough olive oil.
After lunch we move further north.
In the village of Nungwi we turn left and come to the dive center.
Having abandoned the car in a dead end, we go out to the beach.
There are a lot of people here, but again no one bathes except the cows.
A lot of grass was seen on the beach, although there were no waves.
Nungwi - Far North islands. The most extreme one. But warm and wonderful. Yes, this is a “bounty” - turquoise-colored water, snow-white sand. Zanzibar's best coral reefs and diving spots. There are also coconuts and bananas, the plantations of which surround the beach. The sea on Nungwi beach is quite deep, so the ocean tides are not very noticeable.
Kendwa Beach
This is also the north of the island of Zanzibar - and also the “Maldives”. There are many hotels here to suit every taste. The beauty of the beach is not inferior to Nungwi, although the water can sometimes become cloudy for a short time due to the peculiarities coastline. The ebb and flow of the tides is already noticeable, but is not yet felt strongly.
Kiwengwa Beach
Kiwengwa is already more northeast of Zanzibar. It is noisy, fun and quite difficult to find secluded places. The beaches are very clean, as is the ocean.
Kizimkazi Beach
Kizimkazi Beach, without a doubt included in the ranking of the best beaches in Zanzibar, is located in the south of the island. There are frequent waves here. Lovers of a quiet and secluded holiday with deserted romantic coves will like it. Well, here’s the highlight: here you can not only watch, but if you’re lucky, swim with dolphins!
Paje Beach
Sea kale plantations slightly “undermine” the landscape of this beach. But where they are not, you will find the same snow-white sand. There is also a menagerie with peacocks, flamingos and camels. Page Beach is located in the southeast of Zanzibar.
Zanzibar is an archipelago of more than 70 islands located in the Indian Ocean in eastern Africa opposite Tanzania. Many tourists from all over the world come here. After all, Zanzibar is famous for its snow-white sandy beaches and the turquoise color of the ocean. A special feature of local beaches is the presence of pronounced ebb and flow tides. In addition, the local population likes to grow algae on some coasts, which spoils it a little general impression. In this article we tried to select the best beaches in Zanzibar that adequately reveal this amazing place and are not so susceptible to local peculiarities.
10. Uroa
Uroa Beach, located approximately 42 kilometers from Zanzibar Town, is not the most popular beach in Zanzibar, which is an additional plus. Because Zanzibar is together with Indian Ocean They complement each other so perfectly that they encourage them to spend time away from people. And the place of Uroa is exactly where you can rarely meet them.
The water here is bright turquoise, and the sand is white like semolina. The beach is deserted, calm, only in the early morning you can meet local children with a catch of octopuses and fishing boats setting off for their fish. After lunch, the tide usually begins to ebb here - you can look for interesting shells on the shore or catch crabs, competing in this activity with the local population.
9. Bweju
Bwejuu Beach is located approximately 54 kilometers from Zanzibar Town and approximately 3-odd kilometers from Paje. Along the entire coast there are unusual buildings made of coral stone with roofs made of dry reeds, which gives this place a special flavor.
This beach can also be considered a place for a quiet, secluded holiday. Listening to the rustle of palm trees in the wind, you can spend hours admiring the bright emerald sea, forgetting all worldly problems. You can get here by local public transport called Dala-dala.
8. Chwack
40 kilometers from Zanzibar Town there is a village called Chwaka with a beach of the same name. Having thoroughly enjoyed beach holiday or when the ocean tide goes out, you can go to a local village where one of the largest fish markets on the island. There you can have a snack on seafood prepared before your eyes. This place is also notable for the fact that there are remains of state villas and offices from the time of British rule in Zanzibar.
7. Matemwe
In the north east coast On the island there is the village of Matemwe with the beach of the same name. If you look at the map it is approximately 52 kilometers from Stone Town. The sand here is so soft and airy that even adult tourists cannot resist the opportunity to roll in it as if in flour.
The coast here is deserted, only occasionally you can see local fishermen, fighting the wind, raising the sail on their boats, or local women collecting shellfish and seaweed after the low tide of the turquoise ocean. The terrain in this area is more hilly than other areas of the island.
6. Kizimkazi
Kizimkazi Beach is located in the southern part of the island. It got its name from the fishing village of the same name located next to it. Dolphins love this place; you can see them here right from the shore. The waves here are stronger than on the northern part of the island; amateurs often come here aquatic species sports to practice your skills.
Along the shore, as on most beaches of Zanzibar, there are fruit sellers, but it is cheaper to buy them in the village itself. The ocean tide here is not as strong as on the beaches of the east coast. This place is also notable for the fact that it is home to the oldest religious building - the Shirazi Mosque, the inscriptions on the walls of which date back to the eleventh century.
5. Kiwengwa
Kiwengwa Beach is located approximately 40 km northeast of Stone Town. There are large hotel complexes. The atmosphere, compared to the rest of Zanzibar, is more cheerful and leisurely. But authentic colorful life local population here it is revealed to a lesser extent. Snow-white sand, tall palm trees and the emerald sea are here in all their glory, not inferior to the best Maldivian coasts.
4. Paje
Paje beach, like Matemwe beach, has very soft sand, reminiscent of powdered sugar, very pleasant to the touch. Paje is considered the best beach for swimming on the east coast of Zanzibar. The tide here is not as pronounced as on other beaches on this side of the island.
Another undoubted advantage of this place is the absence of algae farms, which spoil the overall impression of the ocean. Kitesurfers from all over the world love to come here to hone their skills. Along the shore there is a village with cute stone houses. In it you will find shops and souvenir shops, and you can also have a snack there.
3. Mnemba
Near the island of Zanzibar is the small island of Mnemba, which is part of a marine reserve. Mnemba means "octopus head" in Arabic. This private island is a rare example of a pristine coral reef. It has the most snow-white beaches, washed by the most transparent turquoise ocean.
This place is truly a diver's paradise. More than 650 species of fish are found here, and rare green turtles lay their eggs on the island itself. There is only one hotel on Mnemba, Mnemba Lodge, which has been and is being visited famous people with a worldwide reputation. There are excursions here from Zanzibar.
2. Kendwa
If you are looking for the best low tide beaches in Zanzibar, then Kendwa is one of the best beaches for swimming. Wide coastline snow-white sand, turquoise sea and lush green palm trees, what else is needed for have a great holiday. Kendwa is located on the west coast of Zanzibar approximately 5 km south of Nungwi.
The atmosphere here is generally calm and peaceful, however, in the evening there are beach parties on the shore that enliven the peace that reigns around. It’s great to watch the sunsets here while swinging in a hammock and holding a glass of some exotic cocktail in your hand.
1. Nungwi
If you are looking for the best beaches in Zanzibar so that you can swim comfortably and have fun, then Nungwi Beach ranks first among them. In this area, the ocean tides are perhaps the smallest on the island. Nungwi is most likely the most party place; noisy parties with bonfires are held here almost every night.