The Best Things to Do in Zanzibar

Zanzibar’s best things to do mix culture, reef and boat trips: walk Stone Town, take a spice farm tour, snorkel Mnemba Atoll, meet the red colobus monkeys at Jozani Forest, and spend a day on a Safari Blue dhow trip.

Most “things to do” lists for the island run to forty items and rank none of them, which is not much help when you have a week and a handful of tour slots. This one is shorter and opinionated. Here are the experiences worth building a day around, roughly in the order most visitors end up glad they did them, with a real price band for each and a link to the full guide. A dolphin trip or a table at The Rock earns a spot too if you have the days.

Zanzibar’s top experiences at a glance

*Rough per-person guides for 2026; verify with operators before booking. Prices swing with group size, season, and whether transfers, fees and lunch are included.

The best things to do in Zanzibar, ranked

1. Walk through Stone Town

Stone Town is the island’s cultural heart and a UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of coral-stone alleys, carved doors, mosques and old merchant houses. Half a day on foot, ideally with a guide, covers the Old Fort, the Forodhani seafront gardens, the former slave market and Anglican cathedral, and the house that marks Freddie Mercury’s birthplace. Note that the House of Wonders, the big landmark on the seafront, has been closed since its 2020 collapse and is still under reconstruction, so you view it from outside. It is an easy half-day on foot, and the cooler, drier months are the most comfortable for walking the old town, which the best time to visit guide covers month by month.

2. Snorkel or dive Mnemba Atoll

The reef around Mnemba Atoll, off the northeast coast, is the clearest, fishiest water on the main island, with turtles, reef fish and the odd dolphin. The island in the middle is a private lodge, so you snorkel or dive the surrounding marine conservation area rather than landing. Boats leave from Matemwe in minutes, and there is a government reef fee on top of the tour price. It is the single best in-water experience here.

3. Take a spice farm tour

The spice tour is the cheapest genuinely worthwhile thing you can do, a two to three hour walk on a working farm near Stone Town where you crush a clove leaf, taste raw cinnamon and vanilla, and sample tropical fruit you have never seen. It is hands-on, easy with kids, and a fair reminder of why these were called the Spice Islands. Book a small group and the guide makes it.

4. Meet the red colobus at Jozani Forest

Jozani Forest is Zanzibar’s only national park and the one place on Earth you can see the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey, which is used enough to people that you get close. A short guided loop through the trees and a mangrove boardwalk takes an hour or two, and the entry fee includes a ranger. Go early for the most active troops. It sits on the road south, so it pairs well with a Kizimkazi dolphin trip.

5. Spend a day on Safari Blue

Safari Blue is the full-day dhow trip from Fumba into Menai Bay: snorkeling, a stop on a bright sandbank, a swim in a mangrove lagoon and a long seafood lunch, with dolphins turning up on a good day. It is the day trip people remember, and worth the higher price if you only do one boat day. Just know it is a full day out and can be bouncy if the wind is up.

6. Go diving

Zanzibar is a solid year-round dive destination, with the best sites at Mnemba Atoll, Leven Bank and around Tumbatu, and visibility that peaks in the dry season. Beginners can do a course or a taster dive, and certified divers will find plenty of operators up north and at Matemwe. Our diving guide covers the sites, seasons and costs, and the snorkeling options if you would rather stay on the surface.

7. See wild dolphins at Kizimkazi (the right way)

You can take a boat from Kizimkazi on the south coast to see wild dolphins, and it can be magical or it can be a scrum of boats chasing a stressed pod. The difference is entirely the operator. Pick one that keeps its distance and does not crowd the animals, go early, and treat sightings as a bonus rather than a guarantee. Our dolphin tour guide explains how to choose well and why it matters.

8. Eat at The Rock

The Rock is the restaurant perched on a coral outcrop in the sea off Pingwe, reached on foot at low tide or by boat when the water is up. You are paying for the setting and the photos more than the plate, but it is a fun, once-a-trip lunch if you book ahead. Reservations and a small deposit are essential.

Honourable mentions

A few more that fill out a longer stay: the giant Aldabra tortoises on Prison Island, a short boat hop from Stone Town; the Nakupenda sandbank trip for swimming and a beach barbecue; the turtle sanctuaries at Nungwi, where you can see rescued green turtles; the swimmable blue pool at Kuza Cave near Jambiani; and a plain sunset dhow cruise, which is cheap and hard to beat.

Free and cheap things to do

You do not need a tour budget to enjoy the island. Walking Stone Town, sitting out a sunset from a north-coast beach, and browsing Forodhani night market (you only pay for what you eat) all cost little or nothing. The beaches are public, low tide on the east coast turns the reef flat into a walkable world of tide pools and seaweed plots, and watching the dhow builders in Nungwi or a fishing village at work is free entertainment. The spice tour and Jozani are the best-value paid options at well under US$25 a head.

Things to do with kids

Zanzibar is easy with children if you plan around the heat and the tide. The spice farm is a hit because they get to touch, smell and taste everything. Jozani’s monkeys are a guaranteed win, and the walk is short and shaded. Snorkeling at Mnemba suits confident swimmers, while the calmer sandbank trips and the turtle sanctuaries at Nungwi work for younger ones. On the beach front, the swim-anytime water in the north (Nungwi and Kendwa) means the sea does not vanish mid-afternoon the way it does on the east coast.

What to do at night

Evenings here are gentle. The classic outing is Forodhani night market in Stone Town for grilled seafood and Zanzibar pizza, then a rooftop bar for a drink over the harbour. On the beaches, Nungwi has the busiest sunset-bar scene and Kendwa is known for its monthly full-moon party, while a sunset dhow cruise is the most relaxed way to end a day. Bear in mind this is a Muslim island: away from the resorts and tourist strips, nightlife is limited and alcohol is served mainly in tourist-facing places.

How long you need, and planning the rest

You can tick off the headline experiences in about five to seven days without rushing, leaving space for actual beach time. A sensible week pairs a couple of nights in or near Stone Town, so the spice tour, the town itself and Jozani are all close, with the rest on a beach that matches how you like to swim.

To turn these into a booking, line up three things: the experiences you care about, the right beach, and the right month. Our beaches guide sorts the coasts by tide and vibe, the where to stay guide covers hotels by area and budget, and the best time to visit guide breaks down weather, sea and crowds month by month. Get those three lined up and the days fill themselves.