Luxury Resorts in Zanzibar

Zanzibar is the easiest ending to an East African safari. Leave the Serengeti, the Masai Mara or the gorilla forests in the morning, and be in the Indian Ocean by afternoon.

One thing decides where you stay, and most guides skip it: the tide. On some coasts the ocean retreats several hundred metres by midday. On others you can swim whenever you like. Below are the resorts we book, and the coast each one sits on.

The tide, and why it matters

Zanzibar's tidal range is dramatic, and it varies enormously by coast. This is the single most useful thing to understand before choosing a resort.

• North west, Kendwa and Nungwi. Very little tidal movement, so swimming is possible all day. Sunset facing.
• East coast, Paje and Pongwe. The widest, whitest beaches, though the ocean retreats far at low tide, exposing the reef flat.
• South east, Michamvi. The quietest stretch, with big empty beaches.
• North east, Kiwengwa. A good balance of beach and calm water.

None of this is a problem, provided you know it before booking. Low tide is when the sandbanks appear, and they are beautiful.

The resorts

All of these we have visited. Here is how they differ.

Choose the coast first, then the resort. Never the other way round.

How to choose

• Swimming at any tide. Zuri Zanzibar on the north west.
• Families. Melia Zanzibar.
• All inclusive simplicity. Tulia Zanzibar.
• Adults only. Xanadu Villas.
• Design and honeymoons. Zuri or Xanadu.

Beyond the beach

Zanzibar has more history than any island in the Indian Ocean. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of carved doors and narrow lanes layered with Omani, Indian and African influence, and a sobering memorial to its part in the slave trade.

Beyond it, the spice farms are genuinely interesting rather than a tourist exercise, Jozani forest holds the endemic red colobus monkey, and the diving off Mnemba is among the best in East Africa.

A night in Stone Town on the way to the beach is usually enough to see it properly.

When to go

June to October is dry, sunny and dependable, and it lines up neatly with the Serengeti's peak season, which is why most of our guests travel then.

December to February is hot and clear, and excellent for diving. April and May bring the long rains, when many resorts close or discount steeply. November brings the short rains, which usually pass quickly.

Pairing with a safari

Zanzibar is not only for Tanzania. It works as the ending to almost any East African journey, which is what makes it so useful.

• After a Tanzania safari. The classic. Flights run from the Serengeti airstrips, generally with a short stop, so you leave the plains in the morning and swim that afternoon.
• After a Kenya safari. Flights connect through Nairobi, so guests finishing in the Masai Mara, Amboseli or Laikipia can carry straight on to the island.
• After gorilla trekking. Rwanda and Uganda pair with Zanzibar through Kigali or Nairobi, and the contrast is wonderful, from misty forest one day to the Indian Ocean the next.
• Across all three. On a longer journey we often combine gorillas, plains and beach in a single trip.

Safari first, beach second. Always. Read our guide to luxury camps and lodges in the Serengeti, or for the Kenya half see Amboseli and Laikipia. To compare islands, read our guides to the Seychelles and Mauritius.

Plan your Zanzibar escape

Below are the journeys we would pair with the island, each private and tailormade.