Zanzibar Unfolded: Secluded Beaches, Sunset Dhows, and a Road Trip Around the Island
After a week of safaris and dusty roads in Kenya, we traded the savannah for the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar was the second leg of our East Africa adventure — six days circling the island by rental car, from a secluded villa in the middle of nowhere to the sunset beaches of Nungwi, the calm shores of Jambiani, and everything in between.
Most people do Zanzibar from a single resort. We rented a car and did it as a road trip instead — and it completely changed the trip. This guide covers exactly how we did it, what it cost, what we skipped on purpose, and what we'd do differently.
👉 Coming from the mainland? Read our Kenya itinerary here → Kenya Unfolded
Zanzibar Travel Map
Below is a map that contains all the places we mentioned in this blog! We essentially did a loop: airport → secluded villa (West) → Nungwi (north) → Jambiani (southeast) → Resort (southwest) back to the airport.
Facts about Zanzibar
The locals speak Swahili; English is widely spoken in tourist areas.
Zanzibar is a Muslim island, and everyone is religious. Expect a huge contrast: you'll be walking down a street where the locals are all covered up, turn toward the beach, and see tourists in thongs. Be respectful — dress modestly when you're away from the beach.
The currency is the Tanzanian Shilling (TZS), but USD is accepted almost everywhere in tourist spots — carry small bills.
Expect a short burst of pouring rain around midday almost every day (at least in September) — plan around it, it passes quickly.
On the beaches, especially in the north, expect a lot of people selling tours and souvenirs. A polite, firm "hapana asante" (no thank you) works.
Renting a Car in Zanzibar
If you're staying at one or two places, book private transfers from the airport — a car isn't worth it. But we wanted the flexibility to explore a lot of different corners of the island, so a car felt necessary, and we don't regret it.
We booked with ZanCars Rental, picking up at 9:30 PM right after our evening flight from Nairobi landed.
Car rental : ~25 - 30 USD / day paid in person
Driving permit : 25 USD paid online
Four things to know before you rent:
You need a permit to drive in Zanzibar. Plan this before you leave on your trip — your rental company can usually arrange it.
You drive on the left side, with the steering wheel on the right. Give yourself a day to adjust.
Most roads are good — one lane each way, not much traffic. But getting to accommodations off the main road often means rocky dirt tracks and tight squeezes between houses.
The police will stop you. A lot. On our first day, we got stopped three times in a 45-minute drive. Each time they checked our documents and tried to find a reason for a fine — claiming we were speeding when we weren't, or letting us off with a "warning" They mostly seemed to stop and scam tourists. Stay under the speed limit, keep every document handy, and stay polite.
Tip: Travelling solo with just a backpack? Renting a scooter is a popular cheaper option — just keep the daily rain in mind.
First stop — West Coast
For our first night, we deliberately booked away from the tourist hubs: Mkungu House Private Villa, next to Cheetah's Rock, at the end of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. And that's exactly why it was incredible.
The villa has access to a long beach where, over an entire day, we saw a maximum of two other people. Crystal-clear calm water, soft sand, no seaweed, and nobody around — we ate breakfast by the hammock and did absolutely nothing, magnificently. After a week of 5 AM safari starts, it was such a great start to the island.
Private beach Entrance to the beach Private beach
Accommodation cost : ~73 USD/ Night (Entire villa)
Tip: Whatever your itinerary, book one or two nights somewhere secluded and non-touristic. The difference from the busy beaches is night and day — calm, clear water and a beach to yourselves.
Second Stop — Tourist Towns
Stone Town
Every Zanzibar guide tells you Stone Town is unmissable. We skipped it completely.
Our honest take: from everything we saw and heard, it felt overhyped, and we didn't want to risk navigating its chaotic narrow streets with the rental car on our first day of left-side driving. Six days on the island and we never felt like we missed it. If you're a history buff, spend a half day there — otherwise, the beaches are why you came.
Nungwi
The next morning we drove about an hour north to Nungwi, Zanzibar's most famous beach town, where we stayed two nights at Makofi Guest house, steps from the beach.
Accommodation cost : ~60 USD / Night
Nungwi is beautiful — warm, translucent water, incredibly soft sand, and you can swim all day even at low tide, which isn't true everywhere on the island. The sunsets are the best we saw in Zanzibar.
The Beach at Nungwi The Beach at Nungwi
But our honest take: there are almost as many people selling stuff on the beach as there are tourists, and parts of the beach had a lot of seaweed — which we didn't see at the other beaches we visited. And step anywhere off the coast and the area is visibly poor; the contrast with the high-end resorts on its doorstep is a real culture shock.
The Sunset Dhow Tour
The classic Nungwi activity, and for once the classic is right. The tour runs from about 3:30–4 PM to 6:30 PM on a traditional dhow, with local music on board, fresh fruits included, and drinks for a fee.
Sunset Boat trip Sunset Boat trip
Sunset dhow tour : 15–20 USD / Person
Floating on the water with live taarab music as the sun drops behind the boats — worth it.
Walk to the Northern Point
Nungwi is a great place for a long barefoot walk. We walked from our guest house all the way to the northern point near the aquarium — that end is far less popular, so you escape the crowds and the sellers.
Tip: Watch the tide. The water can rise fast — on our way back it was too high to pass in places, and we had to return by the road. Check the tide schedule before a long walk.
Third Stop — Calm South East
Jambiani
After two nights in Nungwi, we drove about two hours south to Jambiani — and it became our favourite base on the island.
Accommodation cost : ~50 USD/ Night (beachfront bungalows, for two)
Compared to Nungwi, Jambiani is a lot calmer: great beachfront accommodation, far fewer tourists, and you can actually chill on the beach without someone trying to sell you something every five minutes.
The beach itself changes completely with the tide. At low tide, the water retreats so far that we walked over a kilometer out and still didn't reach the edge — passing local women harvesting seaweed and men fishing. At high tide, the water gets deep just a few meters from the sand and there's a lot of movement thanks to the constant wind — which is exactly why Jambiani (and neighbouring Paje) is known as one of the best places in the world to learn kitesurfing and windsurfing. The shallow, steady-wind lagoon is full of first-timers with instructors.
Seaweed farming at low tide Waiting for the high tide Low tide magic
Lost Soles Bar & Lodge
A beachfront restaurant worth planning around: if you're there on a Tuesday, they have a local reggae band and dancing during dinner. Very special place — one of our favourite evenings of the trip.
Snorkeling from a Fisherman's Dhow
On our last Jambiani morning, we took a snorkeling tour: 10–20 minutes by traditional sailboat out to a reef — the water is still shallow there, but much too far from shore to reach on foot. It was a small fisherman's dhow and we were the only ones on board. The snorkeling itself was good — lots of different fish, starfish, and eels — about two hours in total.
Snorkling trip in a traditional boat Snorkling trip in a traditional boat
Snorkeling tour : 27 USD (about 2 hours, private dhow — first offered at 40, so bargain!)
We had planned the famous Mnemba Atoll snorkeling trip, but we were feeling sick and didn't fancy spending hours at sea on a boat with no toilet — some risks aren't worth taking! Our honest take: if you've done island hopping in places like Siargao or Coron in the Philippines, Zanzibar's snorkeling is nothing to write home about — so we were perfectly okay skipping the big tour and chilling at the beach instead. For the price, though, the little dhow trip is absolutely worth it — and sailing alone with a local fisherman beats a crowded speedboat any day.
Usumba Rock Restaurant
A restaurant sitting on its own rock in the ocean — a genuinely beautiful spot to eat, with reasonable prices.
Lunch at Usumba Rock Usumba Rock from above
Tip: Go around noon so the sun is on the right side for photos, and aim for high tide — that's when the setting is at its best. You can technically swim, but at high tide the current was far too strong.
Paje
Paje is the middle ground: more touristy than Jambiani, far less than Nungwi. A nice beach with fewer big resorts, plenty of restaurants and shops. There's also a famous cave nearby to swim in — heavy rain kept us from visiting, so it stays on the list for next time.
For dinner, Basil — Modern Asian Kitchen & Bar was a great change from the usual beach menus: calm, different, and the food was very good.
Last Step: Blue Ocean Resort
For our final night, we treated ourselves to Blue Ocean Resort & Residences — a bit in the middle of nowhere, but the perfect way to end the trip. A beautiful pool, luxurious rooms, good service, and a big buffet at the restaurant. There's no beach here — instead, a small bridge takes you straight into the ocean.
This section of the island is under heavy construction: a brand-new road, big resorts going up — the whole area is in development. The big plus is that it's near the airport, so no complications getting to your flight. And if you're a resort lover, keep an eye on this corner of Zanzibar — it's shaping up to be a spot for wedding ideas and destination stays in the coming years.
Accommodation cost : ~100 USD/ Night
The Maasai Men & the Fake Romance
One thing nobody tells you before Zanzibar: on almost every beach, you'll see Maasai men in their unmistakable red shukas, walking the sand among the tourists. Some are genuinely there selling bracelets, sunglasses, and tours. But there's another business happening in plain sight — romance.
The pattern is easy to spot once you know it. A charming young man strikes up a conversation with a solo traveller, the compliments flow, and within a day it's a holiday "love story." Our honest take: in most cases, it's a transaction dressed up as romance — the goal is dinners, gifts, money sent after the trip ends, and sometimes much bigger asks down the line. It's common enough that locals joke about it, and you'll see the same men working the same charm on someone new the following week.
Tip: A friendly but firm no works fine, and the sellers generally move on quickly. The interactions are harmless — just persistent.
Budget Breakdown: Zanzibar (6 Days / 2 People)
Category | Budget |
Accommodation (6 nights) | ~400 $USD |
Car rental + fuel | ~200 $USD |
Activities (dhow sunset, snorkeling, entrances) | ~100 $USD |
Food | ~250 $USD |
Total | ~900–950 /couple /6 days |
Flights between Nairobi and Zanzibar were about 450 USD per person round trip. Zanzibar can be as expensive as you let it be — the luxury resorts charge European prices — but with a rental car, guest houses, and local restaurants, it's a very affordable island.
Conclusion
Zanzibar surprised us by how different every corner of the island feels: a deserted beach where we saw two people all day, the sunset chaos of Nungwi, the calm kitesurf lagoon of Jambiani. Doing it as a road trip — police stops and all — meant we got to see all of it instead of one resort's slice.
If we had to pick one moment: drifting on a fisherman's dhow off Jambiani, alone on the water, reef below us. That's the Zanzibar we'd go back for.
👉 This was the second leg of our East Africa trip. Read the first part here → Kenya Unfolded: Walking Safaris, Hell's Gate by Bike, and the Maasai Mara on a Budget
The level of detail is insane. Well appreciated, thank you🫶🏻🔥