Forodhani Gardens

Landmark

Seafront park facing Stone Town harbour that comes alive each evening with a street-food market: Zanzibar pizza, urojo soup, grilled seafood and sugarcane juice.

House of Wonders (Beit-al-Ajaib)

Landmark

Stone Town's landmark palace-museum from 1883, once the sultan's ceremonial residence and the first building in Zanzibar with electricity and an elevator. Currently under restoration after partial collapse - check locally whether interior visits have resumed.

Jambiani Beach

Beach

Quiet southeast-coast village beach backed by a long stretch of guesthouses. Seaweed farming along the shore gives it a slower, more local rhythm than the north coast.

Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park

Activity

Zanzibar's only national park, protecting a rare forest-and-mangrove habitat that is home to the endemic Kirk's red colobus monkey, Sykes monkeys, and a boardwalk through the mangroves.

Kendwa Beach

Beach

Neighbour of Nungwi with wider sand and less tidal variation, making it swimmable all day. Famous for the weekly full-moon beach parties and relaxed beach bars.

Matemwe Beach

Beach

A long, quiet fishing-village beach on the northeast coast facing Mnemba Atoll. Undeveloped compared with the north, with a slow rhythm of dhow landings and tide-dependent swimming.

Mnemba Atoll

Diving

A private island ringed by a protected reef that is Zanzibar's signature dive and snorkel site: turtles, reef sharks, moray eels and dense tropical fish over shallow coral walls.

Nungwi Beach

Beach

White-sand beach on Zanzibar's northern tip with calm swimming water, sunset dhow cruises, and a lively strip of bars and dive shops. The north coast's most popular base.

Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe)

Landmark

Stone Town's oldest stone building, a 17th-century Omani fort with thick walls facing Forodhani Gardens. Today it hosts a cultural centre, curio stalls and open-air performances during festivals.

Paje Beach

Beach

East-coast kitesurfing hub with steady trade winds, shallow turquoise flats at low tide, and a backpacker-friendly scene of cafes and kite schools.

Spice Farm Tour (Kizimbani)

Activity

Guided walk through a working plantation outside Stone Town where cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom grow. Tours end with fruit tasting and the famous 'spice head-wrap' demonstration.