Zanzibar Beaches: Nungwi, Kendwa and Paje

The Zanzibar Coast: Nungwi And Kendwa On The Northern Tip With Swimming At All Tides And Sunset Dhow Cruises, And Paje On The South East Coast, A Kitesurfing Hub With Big Tides And Seaweed Farms. Part Of An Indian Ocean Island With Reefs For Diving And Snorkelling, The Spice Farms And Jozani Forest Inland. · Nungwi, Zanzibar North

Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar, has two beach coasts worth knowing. At the northern tip, Nungwi and Kendwa have white sand, warm water of 26-29 C and swimming at most tides, with sunset dhow cruises and the monthly Kendwa Rocks full-moon party. On the south-east coast, Paje is a kitesurfing town with a shallow lagoon, big tides and seaweed farms worked by local women. Boats from Nungwi reach the reef and dolphins around Mnemba Atoll. The honest picture: Nungwi is commercial and busy, with hotels, touts and loud bars, and Paje is windy, and at low tide the sea drains far out, so swimming there depends on the tide. Quieter sand lies at Matemwe and Pongwe on the east coast. The island is 99 percent Muslim, so dress modestly off the beach and keep bikinis for the sand and resorts. Hotels run from about USD 40 to USD 1,000+ a night, and the island is crowded in December-January and July-August. You arrive by a 20 minute flight or a ferry of about 2 hours from Dar es Salaam, and the north is 1-1.5 hours by road from the airport.

White-sand beaches on the northern tip of Unguja at Nungwi and Kendwa and on the south-east coast at Paje, 1 to 2 hours by road from Stone Town, Nungwi, Zanzibar North, Tanzania

The beaches are open all year, are public, and cost nothing to walk on. Boat trips, dive centres and kite schools run on tide and weather, and a rough sea or strong wind CANCELS trips. Some hotels CLOSE in April and May during the long rains, so confirm before you book.

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