The Beaches of Zanzibar

Beyond Stone Town, the island of Zanzibar is fringed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, dazzling ribbons of powder-white sand lapped by warm, impossibly turquoise Indian Ocean water and shaded by palms. From the lively resort beaches of the north at Nungwi to the serene, wide sands of the east coast, where the tide sweeps far out to reveal seaweed farmers and dhows sail the horizon, it is a tropical paradise and the perfect finish to a safari.

What you actually see

• The white beaches - the powder sand and turquoise water.
• The dhows - the traditional sailing boats on the horizon.
• The tides and seaweed farms - the dramatic tides and coastal life of the east.
• Snorkelling and diving - the reefs and the Mnemba atoll.

When to go

June to October and December to February for the driest, sunniest weather; the long rains of April and May are best avoided. The north-coast beaches are less affected by the extreme tides than the east, where the sea can retreat a long way at low tide.

Honest expectations

On the east coast the tide goes out dramatically far, so swimming is tidal and the sea can be distant at low tide, which surprises those expecting all-day swimming; the north coast has less extreme tides. Seasonal seaweed and its farming are part of the east-coast scene. As a Muslim island, modest dress off the resort beaches is respectful.

Nearby

Stone Town, the spice farms and Jozani Forest with its red colobus monkeys are on the island.