Zanzibar Travel Guide: Pristine White Beaches

Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island, beckons tourists from all corners of the globe with its famous beaches. The island, visited by an average of 500,000 people per year. It is becoming one of the significant holiday destinations on the African continent.

We spent two nights in Stone Town before heading to the coastal part of island. You can read our Stone Town tour, where we learned a lot about island, here. Following Stone Town, we embarked on the renowned spice tour, the details here.

Finally, we reached Zanzibar’s white beaches in Matemwe. The moment I stepped out of the car, I could truly sense that I was on a tropical island. Surrounded by towering palm trees, the sound of the ocean echoed from every direction.

Zanzibar Travel Guide: Where to Stay?

One crucial thing to know about Zanzibar is the constant ebb & flow of the tides. The northern part of the island experiences the least noticeable tides. Therefore, we opted to stay in Matemwe in the north. However, if you prefer, you can head to southern Paje region, often favored by surfers. Another alternative is the highly touristy Nungwhi region at the northern tip of the island.

We spent a total of four nights in Matemwe. Two night at Zawadi Beach Villas and two night at Zanzibar Queen Hotel . Breakfast was included at Zawadi Beach, and we were very pleased with good service.

At Zanzibar Queen Hotel, everything was inclusive. The service, cleanliness, meals, and facilities were exceptional. I highly recommend it.

Zanzibar Travel Guide: Transportation

We contacted a driver recommended by the hotel we stayed at in Stone Town. He picked us up from our hotel in Stone Town, we made the spice tour along the way. And lastly we arrived to Matemwe. On the day of departure, he picked us up from our hotel right on time and dropped us off at the airport. There are no transportation options here other than a private driver or a taxi. My recommendation is either arrange it via your otel or online. You can check the online driver options here and here.

Zanzibar Travel Guide: Beaches

The moment we left our belongings at the hotel and headed to beach was incredible. The dreamy turquoise sea, the endless stretch of white sand, and the palm trees lining the shore left us awestruck. 🙂

One of the first things we learned about Zanzibar was to keep track of the ebb and flow times before heading to the beach. They’ve prepared a calendar for this purpose. The calendar indicates what time the sea recedes and what time it rises each day. This was the place where I saw such intense ebb & flow for the first time. When it rises, it comes right up to hotel, leaving hardly any space to walk. However, when it recedes, it retreats by tens of meters, revealing the entire shoreline.

Life in Matemwe

Matemwe is a not-so-touristy, natural, and generally calm area. The hotels are almost integrated with the village. This is allowing you the chance to meet the local people. Especially the beach is where the locals spend most of their day. It’s making it the prime spot for making acquaintances and engaging in conversations. 🙂

Zanzibar is one of the places in the world where you can find the highest quality seaweed. That’s why many famous cosmetic companies purchase seaweed from here to use in their products. A buzz of activity starts on the beaches in the early hours of the morning. By that time, the sea has receded significantly, and the villagers who live here start collecting seaweed with sticks they use for support. They later sell these seaweeds to sustain their livelihoods.

Zanzibar Travel Guide: Activities

If you enjoy long walks, then you can walk for hours along the endless expanse of Matemwe’s beach. Alternatively, you can take the bicycles from hotel, as we did, and tour the entire beach. Spending time on this white, ocean-side, palm tree-lined beach was extremely enjoyable.

Without getting tired or bored, we walked kilometers on the beach every day. When we got tired, we enjoyed the sun and the water. Of course, the fresh coconuts, readily available everywhere, immediately rejuvenated us. 🙂

In addition to all this, there are plenty of activities you can do. Such as snorkeling, diving, surfing, boat trips, and tours to small islands. It’s very easy to arrange these tours because you constantly encounter vendor kids called “Beach Boys” on the beach. Some will try to sell you souvenirs. While others will suggest various activities, from boat tours to motorcycle rentals and even village tours where you can meet the local people. Whether or not to trust their tours is entirely up to you. And whether or not you have a great experience depends entirely on your luck :). You can also arrange all these activities through your hotel.

Zanzibar Travel Guide: Food and Drink

Our first hotel only included breakfast, which was quite filling, and the tropical fruits were amazing. For lunch and dinner, we tried the restaurants of nearby hotels to sample different places and flavors. All the hotels here are within two to three minutes’ walking distance of each other and side by side. Therefore, going to other restaurants was never a problem. In our second hotel, all meals and drinks were included in the accommodation. Therefore, we spent the last two days in complete relaxation, and all the meals and drinks were wonderful. 🙂

At any moment in Zanzibar, you can enjoy cocktails made from freshly squeezed tropical fruits or herbal teas made with fresh spices. I particularly loved all the mixtures containing passion fruit. I recommend trying them all; you won’t regret it 🙂

What Impressed Me the Most – Must Try

Throughout our four days in Matemwe, there was something we did without fail, which was waking up at 6 in the morning to watch the sunrise. Although waking up at that hour every morning was quite challenging, the moment you see the sky in that postcard-like state, you say, “This is worth it.”

The sunset, on the other hand, occurs from over my palm tree fields, while the sky transforms into legendary hues. Being so isolated in nature, we eagerly woke up every day to watch the sunrise, and we counted the hours every evening to watch the sunset. It was truly, truly beautiful.

Zanzibar offered us a very different experience. We spent total 7 days there, 3 days in Stone Town & 4 days in Matemwe. Finally, we left in awe of its nature, beaches, and above all, its happy people.

I’ve listed the 10 essential things you must know about Zanzibar in my article here. If you’re considering going there, I highly recommend taking a look.

Hakuna Matata!