6 Days Zanzibar Island Tour

Meet at ZNZ airport and transfer to your hotel in Stone Town — the cultural capital of Zanzibar. Settle in among coral-stone buildings, carved doors, and the scent of cloves drifting from nearby spice warehouses.

Evening at leisure — explore Forodhani Gardens night market, dine at a rooftop terrace, or simply absorb the Swahili atmosphere before three full days of island exploration. ZNZ airport is just 15 minutes from Stone Town; north-coast transfers take roughly 90 minutes when you move on.

Full guided walk through Stone Town's UNESCO World Heritage quarter — the House of Wonders, Old Fort, Sultan's Palace, Anglican Cathedral (former slave market), and the famous carved Zanzibar doors that mark each merchant's status.

Cultural activity | Stone Town heritage walking tour

Full-day guided walk through palaces, markets, historic sites and seafront — the essential introduction to Zanzibar's Swahili, Arab and European layered history.

Lunch at a rooftop restaurant with harbour views. Afternoon free for the Darajani market, Peace Memorial Museum, or a sunset dhow cruise from the seafront. Stone Town's narrow lanes reward repeat walks — each pass reveals new carved doors, hidden courtyards, and Swahili architectural detail.

Three nights in Stone Town before the north-coast transfer gives adequate time to absorb the UNESCO quarter without rushing to the beach.

Morning drive to a working spice plantation — touch, smell and taste cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. Learn how Zanzibar's clove trade connected East Africa to the Indian Ocean world for centuries.

Cultural activity | Spice plantation tour with tasting

Guided walk through shaded spice plots — identify trees and vines, taste fresh spices, and learn traditional medicinal and culinary uses.

Afternoon at Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park for the endemic red colobus monkey — troops are habituated and often feed at close range. Walk the mangrove boardwalk through tidal forest.

Jozani is Zanzibar's only national park — the red colobus is found nowhere else on earth. Sykes monkeys and bush babies are often spotted in the canopy alongside the headline species.

After breakfast, scenic drive north to Nungwi or Kendwa (approx. 90 minutes) — Zanzibar's calmest swimming beaches with year-round clear water. Check in at your beach lodge.

Afternoon at leisure on the white sand — swim, snorkel the house reef, or book an optional sunset dhow cruise. Nungwi village offers insight into traditional dhow-building on the beach — craftsmen still shape hulls by hand using methods unchanged for centuries.

Two north-coast nights give adequate beach recovery after three Stone Town days — the classic balance for first-time Zanzibar visitors who want both culture and Indian Ocean time.

Beach activity | North-coast swimming & snorkelling

Afternoon on Nungwi or Kendwa's calm reef-protected beaches — ideal year-round swimming, house-reef snorkelling, and optional sunset dhow sail.

Full day at leisure on the north coast. Optional Mnemba Atoll snorkelling trip (supplement) — turquoise water, reef fish, and occasional dolphin sightings off the north-east coast. Mnemba is a protected marine zone with strict visitor limits.

Alternatively, join a Nungwi village tour to see traditional dhow construction, visit the turtle sanctuary, or simply relax at the lodge with full-board dining. Kendwa's reef-protected lagoon is ideal for confident swimmers year-round.

Evening optional sunset dhow cruise — a classic Zanzibar experience with the Indian Ocean turning gold as fishing dhows return to harbour.

Leisurely breakfast on the beach. Check out mid-morning and transfer to ZNZ airport (approx. 90 minutes from Nungwi). Allow extra time during peak season and school holidays.

Ideal as a standalone island holiday or as a beach finale after a mainland Tanzania safari — the classic post-Kilimanjaro or post-Serengeti recovery stop. Dry seasons (June–October, December–February) offer the calmest seas for snorkelling.

Three Stone Town nights plus two north-coast nights balance culture and beach without rushing Unguja's essential highlights.