North coast or east coast: choosing your Zanzibar beach

Zanzibar's coastline splits into two genuinely different holidays, and the right one depends more on what you want your days to look like than on which beach photographs better — most of them photograph beautifully.

The north coast, around Nungwi and Kendwa, has deep water right up to the shore that doesn't retreat far at low tide, which means swimming is possible pretty much all day regardless of the tide chart. It's also the liveliest stretch of the island — more beach bars, more restaurants within walking distance, more nightlife, and the best land-based sunset-watching spot in Zanzibar at Kendwa. It suits travellers who want an active, social beach stretch, honeymooners who want a wider choice of restaurants for date nights, and anyone nervous about being stranded far from amenities.

The east coast, around Paje, Jambiani and Bwejuu, has a dramatically different rhythm: the tide goes out a long way, exposing sandbars and tidal pools and turning the beach itself into as much of the experience as the water. Swimming windows are tide-dependent rather than all-day, which frustrates some travellers and delights others — Paje in particular has become East Africa's kitesurfing capital precisely because of the wide, wind-exposed flats at low tide. The east coast is quieter, more spread out, and generally better value for the same standard of accommodation.

For a first Zanzibar trip with no strong preference, we usually suggest the north coast — the all-day swimming and denser amenities make it a more forgiving choice if you haven't researched tide charts in advance. For a second visit, or for travellers who specifically want kitesurfing, a quieter stretch of sand, or simply better value, the east coast is very often the better trip.

Either coast pairs the same way with a mainland safari — a short domestic flight from Arusha or the Serengeti's own airstrips, with Stone Town's old town worth a day wherever you end up staying. We'll ask about your priorities (swimming, nightlife, budget, watersports) before recommending a coast rather than defaulting to whichever resort we know best.