Photo: Mihai Tache via Google
The shape of the week
- The routeStart north at Nungwi and Kendwa for swimming and sunsets, move to the calm reef of Matemwe and Pongwe, then finish on the wide southeast sands of Paje and Jambiani, with Stone Town on the way through.
- Where to splurgeA dhow sunset under sail off the north tip and one barefoot seafood night on the reef edge.
- Where to saveShare a transfer across the island, eat at the village kitchens off the beach road, and let the free public sand do the work rather than every hotel daybed.
Published 5 February 2026. Last reviewed 3 June 2026
Zanzibar reads as one bright island but it is really three coasts, and the honest way to plan a week is to let the tide and the light decide where you sleep each night. The north tip around Nungwi and Kendwa holds deep turquoise water that swims at any hour, the kind of postcard that draws the dhows in at dusk. Swing round to the northeast and the colour cools to a pale reef lagoon at Matemwe and Pongwe, glassy and quiet. Then the southeast opens wide and theatrical at Paje, where the sea slides out for half a mile and leaves a mirror of wet sand and kite shadows.
The planning truth that ranks above all others here is the tide. On the east and southeast a huge tidal range pulls the water far from shore twice a day, so you swim by the table, deep and clear at high water and a long barefoot walk to the sea at low. The north is the exception, which is why this route starts there and uses the east coast for its light, its kite wind and its long flat texture rather than for an all day paddle. Read when to go to Zanzibar and the best beaches in Zanzibar for the wider picture.
The route, day by day
| Days | Base | Why you are there |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Stone Town | Land, wander the old lanes and catch the harbour sunset before heading to the coast. |
| Days 2 to 3 | Nungwi and Kendwa | The north tip, deep turquoise water that swims at any tide and the best sunsets on the island. |
| Days 4 to 5 | Matemwe and Pongwe | Quiet northeast reef lagoons for snorkelling and slow mornings. |
| Day 6 | Paje and Jambiani | Wide southeast sand, the kite scene and tidal flats that shift through the day. |
| Day 7 | Michamvi or a sandbank trip | A west facing sunset at Michamvi or a boat to the Nakupenda sandbank before flying home. |
Conditions are typical and never guaranteed. Prices and opening details should be confirmed at the time of booking.
Day 1, Stone Town
Most flights land near Stone Town, so give the old quarter an afternoon rather than racing straight to the sand. The coral stone houses, carved doors and spice market lanes are the island's other texture, warm ochre and shadow, and the waterfront fills at dusk as the sun drops behind the dhow sails. Eat early at the Forodhani gardens stalls, then settle in before the morning run to the coast. It is a soft, characterful opening to a week that is otherwise all beach.
Days 2 to 3, Nungwi and Kendwa
Drive an hour and a half north to the tip of the island, where Nungwi and its quieter neighbour Kendwa hold the one stretch of coast that swims at any tide. The water here is deep, clear and almost luminous, the sand bright and soft, and the sunsets the best on Zanzibar because the coast faces west into the channel. Spend two unhurried days swimming, watching the boatbuilders at work on the beach and taking a sunset dhow under sail. For a lounger day, browse the best beach clubs in Zanzibar.
Days 4 to 5, Matemwe and Pongwe
Move round to the northeast, where the mood changes completely, a pale reef lagoon, fewer people and a slower clock. Matemwe looks across to Mnemba atoll, the island's finest snorkelling and diving ground, while Pongwe curls into a sheltered crescent that is among the calmest swimming on this coast. These are days for a reef trip at high tide, a book in the shade and a long lunch, the colour soft and the horizon empty. See the best beaches for snorkelling in Zanzibar to plan the water.
Day 6, Paje and Jambiani
Drop to the southeast for the island's widest, most cinematic sand. Paje is the kitesurfing capital, a vast flat strand where the sea retreats to a mirror and the sky fills with kites, while neighbouring Jambiani is its gentler village twin, all seaweed farmers and turquoise shallows. Time a swim for high tide, then watch the flats turn silver as the water pulls away. It is the most photogenic coast on the island and the best place to feel its rhythm.
Day 7, Michamvi or a sandbank
End with a choice that suits the light you want. Michamvi, on the headland above Paje, faces west and gives the southeast its only true sunset, a rare thing on this coast. Or take an early boat to the Nakupenda sandbank off Stone Town, a ribbon of pure white sand that surfaces at low tide for a few hours of swimming and seafood before the sea takes it back. Either way it is a fitting last act before the airport.
How to plan it, and where to save
The smart structure is two or three bases rather than one, so you wake near the water you want that day and avoid long daily drives across the island. Transfers are the main cost of moving around, so share a car where you can and group the long legs, north on arrival, then the shorter hops down the east coast. A driver for a half day is the easy way to shift with luggage, and many guesthouses can arrange one.
What to save on. Eat at the village kitchens a street back from the beach road, where the food is fresher and a fraction of the resort price, and treat one polished beach club day or sunset dhow as a deliberate splurge rather than the default. The sand is public, so you can swim and watch the light without a minimum spend. Carry a tide app and plan your east coast swims around high water. Check when to go to Zanzibar to land in the dry season for the best beach days, and compare islands with our 7 days in Bali route if you are still choosing.
Plan your day on the sand
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Plan it properly
Is one week enough for Zanzibar's beaches?
Yes. Zanzibar is a small island and a week is plenty to read its three coasts, the swim at any tide north around Nungwi and Kendwa, the calm reef lagoons of the northeast, and the wide tidal flats and kite sands of the southeast, with a day for Stone Town and a sandbank trip.
Why do Zanzibar's beaches empty of water at low tide?
Most of the east and southeast coast sits behind a shallow reef with a very large tidal range, so at low tide the sea retreats far out and exposes sand and seaweed farms. You swim by the tide table there. The north tip at Nungwi and Kendwa is the exception, with deep water close to shore that swims at any tide.
Which is the best beach in Zanzibar?
For all day swimming and sunset, Nungwi and Kendwa on the north tip. For calm reef snorkelling, Matemwe and Pongwe on the northeast. For wide open sand and kitesurfing, Paje and Jambiani on the southeast. The point of this route is that it strings the different coasts together rather than picking one.
Where should you base yourself in Zanzibar?
Two or three bases work best. Start north at Nungwi or Kendwa for easy swimming and sunsets, move to the northeast around Matemwe or Pongwe for quiet reef, then finish on the southeast at Paje or Jambiani for the kite scene, with Stone Town slotted in on arrival or departure.
Can you swim at any time of day in Zanzibar?
It depends on the coast. The north tip swims at any tide, while the east and southeast follow the tide table, deep and clear at high water and a long walk to the sea at low water. Carry a tide app and plan swims around high tide on the east coast. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed and no beach is ever guaranteed safe.
When is the best time to go to Zanzibar?
The long dry season from roughly June to October brings the most reliable sun and calmest seas, and the shorter dry spell around January and February is hot and clear. The long rains fall from about March to May. See our when to go guide for the detail. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.