Our Experiences

Diamonds Mapenzi is located on Zanzibar's east coast, in a beautiful, well-kept resort right on the beach. We stayed seven nights there on an all-inclusive basis. The staff were consistently very friendly, warm and attentive.

The buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner was tasty, varied and also offered a good selection for vegetarians. There's also a beach restaurant with various dishes and snacks, plus a small café with coffee, tea, pastries, toast and sandwiches, with lovely seating both indoors and outdoors.

Daily activities such as water aerobics, yoga and an "Olympics" day are offered, and every evening brings a different program, including karaoke, traditional dance groups, acrobatics shows or an African-themed evening with dinner and a performance on the beach. There's also a spa, gym and various sports facilities. The tennis court, however, is in pretty poor condition and could really use a renovation.

On arrival, we would have appreciated a short tour of the resort and more information about meal times and the different areas.

Overall, we had a really lovely time. For the price, we would have liked a few more inclusive extras, such as a free snorkeling trip or a guided tidal-flat walk. Still, we can highly recommend this resort for its beautiful grounds, friendly staff, good food and varied evening program.

Diacarisma is well located in Nungwi, about a 10-minute walk from the beach. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants nearby, also within easy walking distance. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

We stayed seven nights with breakfast included. Breakfast was decent and sufficient for a short stay. The property itself is fairly simple, but it makes a good base for exploring Nungwi.

We felt the price-to-value ratio was on the high side for Zanzibar. The Wi-Fi stood out especially negatively — it was very poor and barely usable for our entire stay.

Overall, Diacarisma is a solid choice for anyone looking for simple accommodation in a good location. For the price, though, we would have liked a bit more comfort and, above all, better Wi-Fi.

Nungwi Beach is located at the northern tip of Zanzibar and is one of the island's best-known beaches. The white sand and turquoise water are beautiful, and you can swim here comfortably even at low tide.

Along the beach there are numerous restaurants, cafés and bars, plus plenty of activities such as snorkeling, diving, kayaking and boat trips. As at other well-known beaches on the island, beach vendors wander by selling fresh coconuts and fruit, among other things. Sunset dhow cruises are especially popular here.

For us, Nungwi Beach is ideal for anyone who wants to combine a beach holiday with a lively atmosphere, good food and plenty of excursion options.

Kendwa Beach is located on Zanzibar's northwest coast and is known for its wide, white sandy beach and turquoise water. The tides are less pronounced here, so you can swim comfortably even at low tide.

The beach is lined mainly with resorts, so there are noticeably fewer restaurants, bars and beach vendors than at Nungwi Beach. Fresh coconuts and fruit are still occasionally offered. Snorkeling, diving and boat trips are also available.

Kendwa is ideal for a relaxed beach day and is especially beautiful at sunset.

Mtende Beach is located in the south of Zanzibar and is best known for its striking rock formations and distinctive landscape. The small stretch of beach is framed by rocks and offers a beautiful backdrop with turquoise water.

Since various tours stop here, it can get somewhat busy at times. The rock formations and surrounding area are best explored at low tide. Overall, Mtende Beach is worth a visit mainly for its exceptional landscape.

Kiwengwa Beach on Zanzibar's east coast offers a long, wide sandy beach and is shaped mainly by its many resorts. The east coast is known for stronger winds, which makes Kiwengwa especially popular with kite- and windsurfers.

A special highlight is the well-known Starfish Spot, where you can observe numerous starfish at low tide. Locals also offer guided tidal-flat walks.

Kiwengwa is especially well suited for a relaxed beach day, long walks and water sports.

Location: Nungwi, Zanzibar. A cozy café and restaurant with a lovely selection of small dishes, drinks and sweet treats. We had an iced coffee, a coffee-banana shake, a slice of cake and a panini. Everything was really tasty and beautifully prepared, and the staff were friendly too.

We found it a bit pricey for Zanzibar, though. Still, given the quality and taste of the food and drinks, we really enjoyed it — a lovely spot for a small break or a relaxed breakfast in Nungwi.

Location: Nungwi, Zanzibar. An Indian restaurant with a good range of different dishes. The food was very tasty, and we especially liked the many vegetarian options.

Overall a great restaurant for anyone who enjoys Indian food and wants a good selection as a vegetarian too.

Location: Nungwi, Zanzibar. Vietnamese food in Zanzibar might sound unusual at first, but we liked Hanoi House so much that we ended up eating there several times. The taste, the ambience, the location and the friendly service all won us over.

We especially loved the vegetarian fried rice and the tofu bao buns. The food was genuinely incredible, and for us it was definitely one of the best restaurant finds in Nungwi.

Right on the beach, Furaha Beach Bar & Restaurant won us over with its cozy atmosphere. During a rain shower, we were able to settle in under the covered area on comfy beach beds, have a drink and enjoy a snack. We liked it so much that we came back again in the evening. This time we sat upstairs on the balcony overlooking the beach, had curry and cocktails. Both were delicious, and the evening atmosphere was beautiful.

They also offer massages, traditional braided hairstyles and tattoos. There's also a stand with jewelry and accessories, plus another stand at the entrance selling drinks and fresh coconuts.

Tiki Cafe has friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere. We found it a bit pricier, though. The iced coffee didn't quite win us over on taste, though we'd definitely give the café a second chance since we only tried that one drink.

Location: Nungwi, Zanzibar. A cozy café with a pleasant atmosphere, ideal for a quick coffee break. We stopped by for coffee and were very happy with the taste.

Overall a lovely spot for a relaxed coffee in a cozy atmosphere.

Location: Nungwi, Zanzibar. A cozy café with a lovely atmosphere, perfect for a little break. We stopped by at midday and had coffee and avocado toast. Both were delicious, and we felt completely at ease there.

Overall a lovely spot for a relaxed coffee and a small snack in a cozy atmosphere.

Location: Nungwi, Zanzibar. Right on the beach, Mama Mia is a nice spot for an early-evening drink after a day at the beach. You can sit outside and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. The cocktails were very good, with music playing that was sometimes a bit loud.

One time we also ordered focaccia, which didn't quite win us over on taste. Still, for a relaxed evening drink, Mama Mia is definitely worth a visit.

Jozani Forest is located in the south of Zanzibar and is the island's largest national park. The tropical forest is best known for the Zanzibar red colobus monkeys, which are found only on Zanzibar. Sykes' monkeys also live here, and we were able to spot both species in good numbers during our visit.

On a guided walk through the forest, we got to experience the monkeys up close.

For nature lovers, Jozani Forest is a lovely change of pace from the beach and well worth a visit.

I visited Jozani Forest as part of a day tour that also included Mtende Beach, the mangrove forest and Salaam Cave. I booked the tour for 69 € via GetYourGuide. It was one of the few tours where you could also sign up as a solo traveler.

The mangrove forest on Zanzibar was especially interesting for us, as we learned a lot about the delicate ecosystem and the importance of mangroves for the coastline. Before the tour, for example, we didn't know that Zanzibar has three different types of mangroves: red, black and white.

We visited the mangrove forest as part of a guided tour and learned a lot of interesting information about the plants, the ecosystem and the animals that live there. For us it was a lovely and educational addition to the beach holiday.

As mentioned above, we visited the mangrove forest as part of a day tour with Jozani Forest, Mtende Beach and Salaam Cave for 69 € via GetYourGuide. It was one of the few tours where you could also sign up as a solo traveler.

Salaam Cave is located near Kizimkazi in the south of Zanzibar and is a natural cave with a clear pool and sea turtles. Visitors can get into the water, swim with the turtles and feed them seagrass.

There's a short briefing before swimming. You're advised not to apply sunscreen or other lotions beforehand and not to touch the turtles. Street shoes are left at the entrance, and water shoes are recommended because of the terrain.

I visited Salaam Cave as part of a day tour that also included Jozani Forest, the mangrove forest and Mtende Beach.

Because of the strong tides on Zanzibar, the sea pulls back a long way from many beaches at low tide, exposing large stretches of the seabed. This reveals plenty of marine life and plants to discover. At various beaches, locals offer tidal flat walks during this time and show visitors this unique underwater world.

I did one of these walks at Kiwengwa Beach. Beforehand, I looked up online when the water would be at its lowest, and headed to the beach around that time. From there, I walked far out with a local guide and a Maasai man. They showed and explained a lot to me, always making sure I didn't step on sea urchins, animals or sharp rocks. I'd recommend water shoes for that reason.

At the end, you give a small amount as a thank-you — I gave 2,000 TZS. Overall I felt very safe and found the tidal flat walk a lovely and interesting experience.

A sunset dhow cruise can be booked right on the beach in Nungwi through various local operators. You're often approached by vendors on the beach during the day, too. We paid 10 $ per person. It's the same tour that's also offered on platforms like GetYourGuide, just at a higher price there.

Our trip started at 4:15 pm and lasted until about 6:30 pm. On board there was water and fresh fruit, plus traditional music with drums and singing. Alcoholic drinks could be purchased separately. Partway through, there was a swim stop where you could jump off the boat into the water.

We found it a bit of a shame that the actual sunset happened only after the boat had already returned to the beach. For a true sunset cruise, a later start and a longer trip would be nicer. The boat was also fairly full, and there's no toilet on board, so it's best to go beforehand.

Still, it was a lovely evening trip with a great atmosphere and a wonderful way to experience the sunset from the water.

Nakupenda Island lies off the coast of Zanzibar and is best known for its beautiful sandbank and turquoise water. In the tour operators' photos, the sandbank looks like an untouched dream beach — reality had little to do with that during our visit.

The sandbank was very crowded and cluttered with numerous tents, tables and chairs set up for lunch. Because of that, a lot of the special atmosphere was lost for us. We found it a shame that the genuinely beautiful sandbank is used so heavily for lunch and ends up so built-up.

The water really is beautiful, and the sandbank itself is worth seeing. But if you're expecting a quiet, untouched spot based on the tour operators' photos, be aware that it can be noticeably busier and more built-up than that.

We visited Nakupenda Island as part of a group tour for 75 US dollars per person. The price included transfer, lunch, and visits to Prison Island and Stone Town.

Prison Island, also known as Changuu Island, lies off the coast of Stone Town and has an interesting history. The island was originally planned as a prison in the late 19th century but was never actually used as one. Instead, it later served as a quarantine station, including for people with yellow fever.

Today, Prison Island is best known for its historic buildings and its Aldabra giant tortoises. The tortoises originally came from the Seychelles and were brought to Zanzibar in 1919 as a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles.

We visited Prison Island as part of a group tour for 75 US dollars per person, which also included Nakupenda Island, Stone Town, transfer and lunch. We would have liked significantly more information about the island's history, though. At the meeting point, we were told a bit about the island for about ten minutes, after which we could explore the grounds on our own.

Besides the old buildings, the main things to see there are the giant tortoises and a few other animals. Overall, we were rather disappointed by Prison Island.

Stone Town is the historic heart of Zanzibar City and is known for its distinctive blend of African, Arab, Indian and European influences. The narrow alleys, old buildings and small shops make the old town especially worth seeing.

We visited Stone Town as part of a group tour for 75 US dollars per person. The tour included transfer, lunch, and visits to Nakupenda Island and Prison Island.

The guided walk through Stone Town lasted about an hour and was very informative and interesting for us. Our guide told us a lot about the city's history and its various cultural influences, especially the Arab and Indian influence. We also visited the local market, which gave us a good glimpse into local life.

Dolphin watching was part of our private tour to Mnemba Island, which cost 90 US dollars in total. We started at the beach as early as 7 am and were back by around 11 am.

When we arrived at the dolphins, a few boats were already there, though noticeably fewer than later on, once the group tours were also out.

Being in the water and watching the dolphins underwater was an absolutely incredible experience for me. At the same time, I didn't love that so many boats gathered there.

Mnemba Island lies off the northeast coast of Zanzibar and is best known for its turquoise water, coral reefs and rich underwater world. The island itself is private and not accessible to visitors, so snorkeling takes place off the coast and in the waters around Mnemba.

Since the group tour with Prison Island, Nakupenda Island and Stone Town seemed a bit stressful and chaotic to us, we booked Mnemba Island as a private tour instead. We paid 90 US dollars in total. We met the operator on the beach at 7 am and were back by around 11 am.

The tour included dolphin watching, snorkeling off Mnemba Island, and a stop at a beach where fresh fruit was served. We especially loved the snorkeling, and the underwater world was really beautiful. We were told before the tour that you're not allowed to set foot on Mnemba Island itself.

We were originally told the tour would also include a stop on a sandbank. Due to the tides, this wasn't possible during our visit. We would have liked this to be communicated better in advance, or for the start time to have been adjusted accordingly.

A big advantage of the private tour for us was the early start time. This meant we were out well before most of the group tours and had comparatively few other boats around us while snorkeling and watching dolphins.