16 May2024
What to expect from Zanzibar beaches? In this post I will give you the basic information about top 10 Zanzibar beaches and their location. I’ll also mention if they are crowded or quiet, if you can see sunset or sunrise there, and the activities you can do there.
Top 10 Zanzibar beaches
The list is written in no special order. I found something special about all of these beaches and enjoyed my time there on some days, while didn’t really like them on other days. It all depended on tide, crowds, weather etc.
Nungwi
- North Zanzibar
- very little difference between low tide and high tide, possible to swim in the sea also at low tide
- very busy as it’s probably the most popular beach on entire Zanzibar. Only early morning until 8am it’s more quiet.
- less wind and more hot during the dry season
- no waves on a quiet day without wind, some waves on a windy/rainy day
- sunset
- little algae
- boat trips, sunset cruise
- many local sellers on the beach
on Nungwi
Top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Nungwi beach in the morning
Nungwi beach afternoon
Top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Nungwi beach sunset cruise
Nungwi beach at mid-day
Royal
- North Zanzibar
- between Nungwi and Kendwa – most people don’t even realize there’s an extra beach in between
- little difference between low tide and high tide, possible to swim in the sea usually also at low tide
- busy
- no waves on a quiet day without wind, some waves on a windy/rainy day
- sunset
- little algae
- not as nice as Nungwi and Kendwa
- boat trips, sunset cruise
- many local sellers on the beach
Top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Royal beach in the morning
Royal beach
Kendwa
- Northwest Zanzibar
- some difference between low tide and high tide, possible to swim in the sea usually also at low tide
- rather busy – maybe the 2nd most famous beach on Zanzibar. Some people prefer this one over Nungwi, others say Nungwi is the best for them.
- no waves on a quiet day without wind, some waves on a windy/rainy day
- sunset
- little algae
- boat trips, sunset cruise, jetski
- many local sellers on the beach
Kendwa beach
Sun halo on the Kendwa beach
Kendwa beach at mid-day
Kendwa beach sunset
Top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Kendwa beach algae
Michamvi Kae
- Central Zanzibar, on the East coast of Zanzibar but on the West side of the peninsula
- big low tide and high tide
- not very busy
- usually no waves. I only saw big waves there once at Full Moon + high tide + before rain
- sunset
- little algae
- you can rent SUP or kayaks there, or go on a sunset boat trip or even take a boat around the peninsula coast to Pingwe
- only this beach has mangroves right next to it – SUP and kayaks can be taken there at high tide, or boat trips to enter the mangroves
- almost no local sellers on the beach
Michamvi Kae swimming
Michamvi Kae SUP
Michamvi Kae mangroves
Michamvi Kae mangroves and sunset
Michamvi Kae boat trip
Michamvi Pingwe
- Central East Zanzibar
- big low tide and high tide – not really possible to swim in the sea at low tide
- quiet in the morning, busier in the afternoon but it also depends on the tides
- sunrise
- sometimes with waves
- some parts of the beach have rocks and even a few sea urchins so be careful
- little algae
- you can go on different boat trips to the sandbank, Blue lagoon snorkeling, starfish beach
- the famous Rock restaurant is located on the beach. It’s interesting to see it from outside but I’ve heard that the food is nothing special for that high price.
- a few local sellers on the beach
Michamvi Pingwe in the morning
Michamvi Pingwe sand bank
Michamvi Pingwe sunrise
Michamvi Pingwe The Rock restaurant at low tide
Michamvi Pingwe at low tide
Dongwe
- Eastern Zanzibar
- big low tide and high tide – not really possible to swim in the sea at low tide
- the beach itself is not very touristy, quiet during the day (except boat trips)
- sometimes with waves
- sunrise
- sometimes no algae, sometimes too much
- boat trips to Blue lagoon snorkeling
- a few local sellers on the beach
Dongwe beach – coconut
Dongwe beach on a hot day at mid-day
Bwejuu
- East Zanzibar
- big low tide and high tide – not really possible to swim in the sea at low tide
- not very touristy, quiet during the day
- can be busy before sunset – locals play football there and swim in the sea
- sometimes with waves
- sunrise
- sometimes no algae, sometimes too much
- very few sea activities
- almost no local sellers on the beach
- this is the beach where I spent the most time out of these top 10 Zanzibar beaches
on the Bwejuu beach
Bwejuu beach sunrise
Bwejuu beach
Bwejuu beach algae
Bwejuu beach low tide
Bwejuu beach football at sunset
Paje
- East/Southeast Zanzibar
- big low tide and high tide – not really possible to swim in the sea at low tide.
- busy, popular
- sometimes with big waves and too much water which doesn’t let you to walk along the entire beach
- sunrise
- different boat trips and water sports, jetski, kitesurfing, windsurfing
- little algae
- windy
- many local sellers on the beach
on the Paje beach
Paje beach low tide
Paje beach low tide – growing algae
top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Paje beach kitesurfing
Paje beach
Jambiani
- East/Southeast Zanzibar
- big low tide and high tide – not really possible to swim in the sea at low tide
- less busy and less windy than Paje
- sometimes with waves
- sunrise
- little algae
- some boat trips
- some local sellers on the beach
top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Jambiani beach
Jambiani
Jambiani beach – Masai selling souvenirs
Stone Town
- West Zanzibar – the capital of Zanzibar where the airport and ferry port are located
- some low tide and high tide – it’s possible to swim in the sea even at low tide
- rather busy, full of boats, tourists and locals
- usually no waves or little waves
- sunset
- sailing and boat trips to surrounding islands, such as Prison island, Nakupenda etc
- almost no algae
- some local sellers on the beach
Top 10 Zanzibar beaches to visit – Stone Town beach
Stone Town beach afternoon
Stone Town beaches in the morning
Stone Town beach sunset
There’s other beaches I’ve heard that are worth a visit but I personally didn’t find time to go there. But maybe have a look: Makunduchi, Kizimkazi, Uroa, Kiwengwa, Matemwe, Pongwe.
All the photos in this post about top 10 Zanzibar beaches are mine.
TIP 1: To know more about Paje, click on my guide about Paje in Zanzibar.
TIP 2: How much money do you need to visit Zanzibar? Check my detailed report about my expenses in Zanzibar.
TIP 3: Click here to check my Zanzibar photo album.
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