Zanzibar

Zanzibar is the ultimate Indian Ocean experience, with its fascinating historical Stone Town and magnificent beaches. It is famous for its clove production and its channels offer some of the best diving experiences in East Africa.

The paradisaical shores of Zanzibar are exotic as its name. Rugged coral and limestone scarps form a sheltered backdrop to tranquil, caster sugar beaches that slope gently down into crystal – clear waters, abundant with marine life. Tall coconut palms and stalking Pandanus cast their wondering shadows over the white sands and swaying hammocks, while Green Wood Hoopoes and Weaver birds flit and flutter between the green leaves and pendulous fruit high above.

Diving from a boat in the clear, blue ocean off Zanzibar is one of the most exhilarating experiences to be had on a holiday in this part of East Africa. The visibility is usually very good, the water warm and the marine life diverse and innumerable: Swaying weeds and soft coral all seethe with minute organisms that are food for the larger species. Shoals of fish weave and dart around in kaleidoscopic ballets, and playful octopus, Cuttlefish, Sea-Urchins, and Sea Cucumbers can be seen at every point.

The island is without doubt the number one beach location in East Africa, an absolutely wonderful island of tropical white-sand beaches, lush plantations, an incredible history and a fascinating culture. Above all, the best about Zanzibar is that despite ever increasing numbers of visitors, it remains resolutely African ... a passionate, intense, and relatively challenging place to visit.

Zanzibar experiences ideal holiday weather for most of the year. The heat of summer is seasonally often cooled by windy conditions, resulting in pleasant sea breezes, particularly on the North and East coasts. Being near to the equator, the islands are warm all year round, but officially, summer and winter peak in December and June respectively. This is illustrated statistical weather information shown below. Zanzibar is blessed with an average of 7-8 hours of sunshine daily. Short rains can occur in November but are characterised by short showers which do not last long. The long rains normally occur in April and May although this is often referred to as the ´Green Season´, and it typically doesn´t rain every day during that time.

Zanzibar has a wealth of activities to satisfy even the most demanding explorers from drift dives and kite surfing to dhow sunset cruise and pampering. We believe that this is one of its key advantages over other Indian Ocean Islands along with its friendly nature and sensible pricing.