Zanzibar Itinerary: How to Spend 5 Incredible Days on Zanzibar

Zanzibar Island is a gem in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania. It’s lined with white sand beaches and surrounded by gorgeous turquoise water. But it’s more than just a beach destination. Zanzibar was also a key location in the East African slave trade. Its combination of British, Portuguese and Omani rule makes it a cultural melting pot.

There is so much history on Zanzibar Island. As a crossroads of African, European, Middle Eastern and Indian culture, it’s a melting pot. You can see this most clearly in the food and architecture across the island, especially in Stone Town. 

Zanzibar is also known as the Spice Islands. There are spice farms on the island open to tours where you can learn about spices and potentially even attend a cooking class. 

All that is to say, there’s much more to Zanzibar Island than just a beautiful coastline. You can easily enjoy yourself for five days or more. 

Here is my recommended 5+ day Zanzibar itinerary.

Day 1: Arrival & Beach Day

Depending on your intention for visiting Zanzibar, I recommend either starting or ending with beach days. If, like me, you chose to visit Zanzibar after a lengthy and tiring Kilimanjaro trek, you’ll definitely want to start with the beach day. You’ll probably also want to start with the beach if you’re coming off a safari or other adventurous vacation activities, or if you chose Zanzibar for a honeymoon or anniversary trip.

You’ll get to Zanzibar either by flight from mainland Tanzania or a neighboring country, or a ferry from Dar Es Salaam. The ferry is supposed to be quite choppy and not recommended for people who are easily seasick (aka me). So we took a direct flight from Kilimanjaro International Airport, which only leaves twice a day – early in the morning and late at night. 

Once you arrive either at the ferry port or airport in Zanzibar, head over the north or east coast of the island for the beaches. This side of the island is where to go for the white sand beaches and the calm, warm ocean water in which you can swim. If you go farther south on the east coast, be aware that there are long stretches of low and high tide. 

Take day one of your Zanzibar itinerary to shake off the travel, settle into your accommodations, and enjoy the beach.

Day 2: Dine at The Rock restaurant

For the second day of your Zanzibar itinerary, I recommend another relaxing day before getting into more active activities for the last half of your trip. You can start the day slow with either more beach time, or a bit of exploration in a nearby village by foot or bike, depending on where you’re staying. 

In the afternoon or evening, I recommend having a luxurious meal at The Rock Restaurant – Zanzibar’s premiere fine dining establishment built on a rock in the ocean. During high tide, you need a boat to reach the restaurant. If it’s low tide, you can walk across the vast white sand beach to the restaurant.

Here, you can enjoy a delicious three-course meal with a bottle of wine for two for under $100 USD. It will undoubtedly be your most expensive meal on the island, but so worth it. If you enjoy seafood, I definitely recommend enjoying a seafood appetizer and entree, then a tropical dessert. If you arrive before your table is ready, you can also sip a refreshing cocktail before your meal.

You will need a reservation if you want to eat here. I recommend booking at least a few weeks in advance especially if you’re traveling during high season. If you don’t get a reservation, you can likely still get a drink on the back porch, or you might get lucky and get a seat.

If you want to do more either before or after your meal, I recommend a sunset tour of the mangroves.

Day 3: Snorkeling Excursion

On the third day in your Zanzibar itinerary, I recommend starting to get more active. Personally, I tend to enjoy two beach days maximum before I start needing to move around a bit more. That was not the case on this trip as it took three days to feel recovered from Kilimanjaro. But in theory, I’d have liked a snorkeling excursion if I’d had more energy.

There are a few options for snorkeling around Zanzibar. One of the most popular is the Safari Blue tour. This company offers public and private snorkeling excursions on traditional wooden dhow boats. The public tours also typically include a seafood lunch and drinks on a sandbar.

If you don’t want to do the full Safari Blue tour, there are plenty of options for snorkeling excursions through typical channels like Airbnb Experiences, Viator and Get Your Guide, as well as local guides through whom you can book. 

If snorkeling feels like too much work, you can also just book a ride on a traditional wooden dhow in the ocean. This excursion is popular at sunset.

Day 4: Explore Stone Town

After three days enjoying the beach and ocean, I recommend heading back to the west coast of the island and staying your last couple of days in Stone Town. Stone Town is the cultural and historical heart of Zanzibar, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spending a few days here is a must do for your Zanzibar itinerary.

Because it does take quite a long time to get from one side of the island to the other, I recommend splitting your stay so that half the time is on the east coast with the beaches, and the other half is in Stone Town. If you prefer, you can start in Stone Town then spend the second half of your vacation relaxing on the beach.

Zanzibar is a super interesting island with a unique blend of African, Middle Eastern, Indian and European cultures. You can see this cultural blend at many places across the island, but it’s especially prominent in Stone Town. This town is where to find museums, markets and architecture. 

I recommend taking at least a day to wander the narrow alleyways and close corridors of Stone Town. Admire the intricate carvings of the doors throughout the town. Visit the museums, browse goods and spices at the souks and eat local cuisine at the night market.

Day 5: Take a Spice Farm Tour

The Zanzibar archipelago is also known as the Spice Islands. One of the top recommendations for a classic Zanzibar itinerary is to tour a spice farm.

There are plenty of options for spice farm tours through typical sources like Airbnb Experiences, Viator and Get Your Guide. You can also likely find a tour through your accommodations (hotel, hostel, guest house, Airbnb).

The spice tours are typically about a half day experience. Starting early in the morning, your tour will pick you in Stone Town, or you’ll meet at a central location before traveling to the farm. Then, you’ll tour the farm and have an opportunity to taste fresh produce and purchase spices. Some tours also offer the option to add cooking classes with spices.

You’ll arrive back in Stone Town with time to eat at the night market, if you choose.

Caveat that I did not visit a spice farm on my trip because I wanted an extra day to just wander around Stone Town. But I’ve heard great things about the spice farm tours from others who have visited Zanzibar. 

If you have more time on your Zanzibar Itinerary:

If you have more than five days to visit Zanzibar, there are plenty of other ways to fill your days. I think five days is a good amount of time to get a taste of the island, but you can always add more time.

Some additional ideas to fill your time are:

• Jozhani Forest:  Visit the only national park on Zanzibar Island and hopefully see rare red colobus monkeys
• Kuza Cave: Swim and explore the caves near Jambiani Village
• Nungwi Village Tour: Visit the beaches in Nungwi and see the markets in the village, as well as men crafting the traditional wooden dhow
• Mnemba Island Tour: Mnemba Island is part of the Zanzibar archipelago and is known for its exceptionally beautiful beaches. This island is so beautiful that it has some luxury private resorts.
• Go diving: You can get scuba certified on Zanzibar or go diving if you’re already scuba certified

There are a couple of other tours that pop up if you’re doing research on Zanzibar, but I was warned away from them:

• Prison Island: This island is also in the Zanzibar archipelago and known for its giant tortoises. Both the hostel receptionist in Stone Town and people online told me the island was underwhelming and not worth the recent price hike. If you have a lot of time on Zanzibar, it might be worth a visit.
• Dolphin Tour: I read some reviews online that these tours felt uncomfortable and like the tour groups were chasing the dolphins. I’m not sure about the ethics of these tours, so I chose to avoid.

Logistics:

That is my recommended 5+ day Zanzibar itinerary. If you’re interested in visiting, here are some logistics to keep in mind.

Zanzibar Island Safety:

You’re probably wondering if Zanzibar Island is safe to visit, and the good news is yes! Zanzibar is considered very safe, and you can even walk around at night. You want to take normal tourist precautions like ensuring you don’t keep your wallet in your front pocket in crowded places like the Stone Town night market. It can obviously be a little uncomfortable with people trying to sell you things all the time, but they’re not going to harm you.

Best Time of Year to Visit Zanzibar Island:

The best time of year to visit Zanzibar Island is during the dry season between June and October. This time of year is technically winter, which means the weather will be cooler. Plus, if you’re staying on a more southern part of the island, you’re out of seaweed season.

I visited in the off season in January, and it was nice to be among smaller crowds. The weather was still nice, with mostly sunny skies and warm ocean water. But it was definitely hot.

Getting to Zanzibar Island:

There are two main options for reaching Zanzibar Island from mainland Tanzania:

1. Flight: There are daily flights to Zanzibar Island from the mainland. If you’re planning to fly from Kilimanjaro Airport, know there are only two direct flights per day – early in the morning and late at night. Otherwise, you’ll be stopping in Dar es Salaam.
2. Ferry from Dar es Salaam: There are regular ferries to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, but people report that the ride is rough through choppy water. I read it’s a bad idea if you’re easily seasick, so I flew.

Getting Around:

There are three main ways you can get around Zanzibar Island:

• Taxi: There are taxis that can help take you all around the island, but be aware that they are relatively expensive. Our Airbnb helped us secure a taxi from the airport to our accommodations for $35, and it was cheaper than what drivers were trying to quote at the airport. When we arrived, there were people standing outside trying to find ways to split rides and save on costs.
• Local bus: Also called dala dala, these local, privately-owned mini buses take passengers around the island. There is no set schedule – rather they leave when they are full. So it’s best only to take them if you’re flexible on time and possibly route.
• Bike: If you don’t have to go for too long of a distance, you can go by bike. Many accommodations offer bikes for rent as well. This can be a good option if you want to venture into one of the small towns or villages on the east coast of the island.

If you book any tours on the island, the organizers will often offer pickup. Know that the roads across the island generally aren’t very good, so it takes awhile to travel longer distances even if they don’t look too far on the map.

Combining with Kilimanjaro:

Some Kilimanjaro tour operators also offer packages to combine a trek with a Zanzibar visit. If you’re looking for a company to plan your entire trip, you can likely find an operator who can help. I wanted to plan the Zanzibar trip myself and didn’t want to stay in a resort. So this wasn’t a priority for me when choosing an operator. However, several I reached out to noted they offered this option.

Would you visit Zanzibar Island?