Destination
WMO averages show five or six rain days a month from June to September and four in February, against 17 in April and 15 in May; November and December bring shorter rains of about 13 rain days each.
Written by the Africa Bound Tours team in Arusha · checked · 12 sources
Zanzibar is where most of our bush-and-beach trips finish. After a week of dawn game drives you fly from Arusha to Unguja, the main island, for Indian Ocean beaches and Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. It's a change of pace, not another safari. That's the point.
You come here for history and the sea rather than big game. Stone Town sits on a promontory on the west side of Unguja. UNESCO calls it an outstanding example of a Swahili trading town, shaped by African, Arab, Indian and European cultures over more than a millennium. Houses are built of coral stone and mangrove timber set in thick lime mortar, many behind carved double Zanzibar doors, and Indian shops line the narrow bazaar streets.
Most of the major buildings date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Names you'll hear on a walking tour:
It is a hard history. UNESCO notes that Zanzibar was one of East Africa's main slave-trading ports, and also the base from which opponents of the trade, David Livingstone among them, ran their campaign.
The wildlife is on a smaller scale. Jozani-Chwaka Bay, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2016, holds the island's only national park, with mangroves, groundwater forest and 168 recorded bird species. That forest is home to the Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found nowhere else. A Wildlife Conservation Society census counted 5,862 of them.
June to October and January to February are the drier stretches. WMO long-term averages show five or six rain days a month from June to September and four in February. April is the wettest month with 17 rain days, and May has 15. November and December bring shorter rains of about 13 rain days each. It's warm all year, with average highs from 28.6°C in July to 32.8°C in February.
On our itineraries you return to Arusha and take a scheduled flight to the island. Our team meets you on arrival and drives you to your hotel. At the end you fly out of Zanzibar International Airport, either home or to Dar es Salaam for your international connection. Two of our itineraries also offer the boat to Dar es Salaam.
Insurance. The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar made inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) compulsory for foreign visitors from 1 October 2024, in a notice the Tanzanian Embassy in Tokyo published on 11 September 2024. UK government travel advice, updated on 20 October 2026, now says visitors to mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar buy government-provided inbound insurance once, at their first port of entry.
Most of our guests land at Kilimanjaro first. For them that means the mainland policy from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC), not a second one for the island. Rules and prices change, so check both pages before you fly. Our Tanzania travel tips cover the rest of the paperwork.
Five of our itineraries end on the island:
Our 15-Day Kenya & Tanzania Combo Safari can add the island as an extension. Want more or fewer beach nights? Tell us on plan your trip.
June to October and January to February are the driest months. WMO long-term averages show five or six rain days a month from June to September and four in February, against 17 in April and 15 in May. November and December bring shorter rains. It's warm all year, with average highs between 28.6°C in July and 32.8°C in February.
On our itineraries you drive back to Arusha and take a scheduled flight to the island. Our team meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. At the end of the trip you fly out of Zanzibar International Airport, either home or to Dar es Salaam to connect with your international flight.
Yes. Zanzibar has required inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation since 1 October 2024. UK government advice, updated on 20 October 2026, says you buy government-provided inbound insurance once, at your first port of entry. If you land at Kilimanjaro for a safari first, that's the mainland policy from the National Insurance Corporation. Check the current rules before you travel.
UNESCO lists Stone Town as an outstanding example of a Swahili trading town, built of coral stone and mangrove timber, with carved Zanzibar doors and narrow bazaar streets. It was one of East Africa's main slave-trading ports, and also the base for campaigners who fought to end the trade. It has been a World Heritage Site since 2000.
In Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, the only national park on the island. The monkey lives nowhere else, and the Wildlife Conservation Society says it depends on Jozani's groundwater forest and on small patches of coral-thicket forest. A WCS census counted 5,862. Three of our itineraries offer a Jozani visit as an optional trip.
Our published itineraries give you two to five nights. Two is enough for a Stone Town walk and a day on the sand. Three or four lets you add a spice farm, Prison Island or a dolphin trip without rushing. If you'd like longer, say so when you plan your trip and we'll build it in.
12days
Private · Beach
This wonderful adventure combines a 5-day Safari in the Northern Circuit where you will visit Manyara National Park – famous for its big concentration of elephants, the Ngorongoro Crater – a UNESCO Heritage site and the…
13days
Private · Beach
Experience the best of Tanzania with this 13-day journey that pairs the thrill of a classic safari with the calm of Zanzibar's idyllic beaches.
15days
Private · Beach
15days
Private · Beach
This wonderful adventure that combines Safari in the Northern Circuit where you will visit Serengeti National Park – The Number 1 Safari destination in the world famous for its Big 5 and The Great Wildebeest Migration, t…
16days
Small group · Kenya · Beach
Sixteen days across East Africa's greatest hits — city, rift lakes, savannah and spice island.
Park · Southern Tanzania
Town · Northern circuit
Park · Northern circuit
Park · Kenya
Arusha 3.37° S · 36.68° E
Who is coming, roughly when, and what you would love to see. Someone from our Arusha team reads every request and replies with ideas and a first itinerary.
