8-Day Zanzibar Tour

Arrival and transfer to Stone Town — the ideal first base. Your first evening in one of Africa's most extraordinary old cities, with time to wander the winding lanes and discover the atmosphere of this UNESCO World Heritage Site before tomorrow's full guided tour.

A full guided day in Stone Town — the most comprehensive exploration of this extraordinary city. The old slave market and the Anglican cathedral built over it. The House of Wonders and its history of Arab sultans. The Old Fort, the Orphanage (Mambo Msiige), the Darajani market, the waterfront, the Freddie Mercury Museum (born here in 1946). An afternoon walking the backstreets and carved door lanes without a guide — just exploration. The evening at the Forodhani seafood night market, where dozens of vendors grill fresh catch over charcoal as the Indian Ocean moves below the old walls.

A morning spice farm tour through Zanzibar's fragrant interior, followed by a boat trip to Prison Island in the afternoon — walking among the giant Aldabra tortoises, some over 100 years old. Transfer to the north coast beach hotel for the remaining nights.

A full day at Mnemba Atoll — multiple snorkel sessions across the best sites within the marine reserve. Coral gardens in exceptional health, green and hawksbill turtles, octopus, reef sharks, moray eels, and an extraordinary density of reef fish. Packed lunch on the water. A truly world-class snorkelling experience in ideal Indian Ocean conditions.

Morning in Jozani Forest — the last remnant of ancient coral rag forest on Zanzibar, and the only habitat of the endangered Zanzibar red colobus monkey, found nowhere else on Earth. Troops move through the canopy above the boardwalks, sometimes coming within metres of visitors. In the afternoon, the drive south to Kizimkazi for dolphin swimming in warm, shallow Indian Ocean waters. A sunset dhow cruise closes the day.

A day trip to Zanzibar's spectacular east coast — long, windswept, dramatically different from the calm north coast. Paje is East Africa's kitesurfing capital, and even non-kiters can watch the colourful kites overhead and swim in the warm, shallow lagoon at low tide. Bwejuu and Jambiani are quieter, more traditional fishing villages on longer stretches of white sand. The east coast has a different energy to the north — wilder, rawer, and completely beautiful. A roadside seafood lunch at a local restaurant. Return to the north coast in the evening.

The last full day is entirely yours. After seven days of activity and exploration, this is the day to simply be on Zanzibar. The beach, the warm water, the palm shade, and the unhurried Indian Ocean pace that makes this island impossible to forget. Optional: a final dive at the house reef, deep sea fishing, a sunset cruise, or simply nothing at all.

Final breakfast, a last look at the Indian Ocean, and transfer to Zanzibar airport. Eight days that showed you everything the Spice Island has to offer — from its ancient city to its coral reefs, from its endemic wildlife to its finest beaches.