The 5 Best Beaches in Zanzibar (And Which Coast to Choose)

I have visited tons of beaches around the world, but not many compare to the ones in Zanzibar.

I spent almost two weeks here after climbing Kilimanjaro and completely fell in love with the island. The people are lovely, the food is divine and the beaches are PERFECT.

Well… some of them are. Zanzibar’s coastline changes enormously depending on which side of the island you choose, and the beach that looks best in a photo is not necessarily the one where you can swim at 2pm.

I visited five of the island’s main beach areas. These are the five I can actually help you choose between.

The Short Version

Kendwa is my pick if your idea of a beach holiday involves getting in the sea whenever you feel like it. The north coast has far less dramatic tides than Zanzibar’s east coast, the sand is excellent and you get sunset over the water. It is also busier, more developed and less interesting than Paje.

Paje is where I would stay for atmosphere, kitesurfing and a younger independent-travel scene. Just understand that the ocean can disappear a very long way at low tide. Matemwe is the quieter east-coast option, Michamvi gives you two different coastlines on one small peninsula, and Kizimkazi is better for a peaceful southern base than for a classic white-sand beach holiday.

If I returned, I would split the trip. A few nights around Paje or Michamvi, then a couple around Kendwa when I wanted to stop consulting a tide chart every time I fancied a swim.

Beach	The honest take	Best for
Paje	The most atmosphere, but swimming depends heavily on the tide	Kitesurfing
Matemwe	A quieter, longer east-coast beach near Mnemba	Slowing down
Kendwa & Nungwi	Kendwa for sand and swimming; Nungwi for nightlife	Beach holidays
Kizimkazi	Rockier and less postcard-perfect, but peaceful	Southern base
Michamvi	Pingwe for The Rock; Kae for sunset	Couples

Before Choosing a Zanzibar Beach: The Tides Matter

This is the bit that glossy hotel photos tend to skip.

On the east coast, including Paje and Matemwe, the sea can retreat well over a kilometre at low tide. You get an enormous sheet of white sand, shallow pools, seaweed farms and people walking where the ocean was a few hours earlier. It is beautiful, but it can be useless for swimming.

There are two high and two low tides each day, roughly six hours apart, and the times move by around 45 minutes daily. Check the tide table for your actual dates rather than relying on somebody saying a beach is ‘good for swimming’.

Kendwa is much easier. The northwestern coast has a smaller tidal range, so you can normally swim throughout the day. That difference matters more than whether your hotel has scattered a few beanbags under a palm tree.

Tip: Check the tide table before booking an east-coast hotel, then check it again each morning. High tide moves by roughly 45 minutes a day, so yesterday’s perfect swimming hour will not stay put.

1. Paje Beach – Best for Kitesurfing and Atmosphere

Paje is the beach that looked and felt most unmistakably Zanzibar to me. White sand, ridiculously turquoise water and so many kites in the sky that sitting underneath them feels slightly optimistic.

The lagoon is shallow, sandy and protected by an offshore reef, which is why it works so well for learning to kitesurf. The reliable wind seasons are generally June to September and December to February, although conditions vary by day. Even if you have no intention of attaching yourself to a giant kite, watching everyone else charge around is half the entertainment.

At low tide the water can pull back close to two kilometres. I did not see that as a ruined beach; it turns into a completely different landscape. You can walk across the sand flats, local cattle sometimes wander through, and the seaweed farms become visible. But if you booked Paje purely to swim all afternoon, you might feel mildly betrayed.

Paje village has far more going on than the quieter east-coast beaches: kite schools, hostels, restaurants and enough nightlife to keep backpackers from becoming overly healthy. It is the strongest all-round base here if you want more than a resort.

2. Matemwe Beach – Best for Quiet

Matemwe is the east coast turned down a few notches. The beach runs long and pale, the village still feels present behind it, and the horizon faces towards Mnemba Atoll.

It has the same major tide warning as Paje. At low tide the water goes a very long way out, exposing reef flats and seaweed farms. Bring reef shoes if you plan to wander, mostly because standing on a sea urchin is a fairly committed way to remember your holiday.

The draw is space. Matemwe has resorts and increasingly more development, but it does not have Paje’s wall of kite schools and bars. It is a good place to slow down for two nights, take long walks and use as a departure point for snorkelling or diving around Mnemba.

Be careful with wildlife tours. Mnemba’s popularity has produced plenty of crowded dolphin-chasing trips. A responsible operator should keep its distance, limit the number of boats around an animal group and never box dolphins in or repeatedly drop swimmers directly on top of them.

Where I would stay: Matemwe Lodge remains the obvious established option if you want a quiet resort base rather than nightlife.

3. Kendwa and Nungwi – Best for Swimming

Kendwa is the easiest beach on this list to recommend to somebody who simply wants a really good beach.

The sand is broad, the water stays deep enough to swim through most of the tidal cycle and the beach faces west for sunset. Those three things should not feel revolutionary, but after a week of planning your swims around the moon, they are rather wonderful.

The tradeoff is that Kendwa is not a secret. Resorts, sunbeds, boat trips, beach sellers and music are all part of it. Nearby Nungwi is even busier; I would choose Kendwa for the wider beach and slightly calmer feel, then visit Nungwi if I wanted more restaurants and nightlife.

Kendwa Rocks holds its well-known full-moon party each month. I missed it because the timing did not line up, so I am not going to pretend I can review it. But, I’ll definitely make sure to go when I return.

Where I would stay: Zuri Zanzibar is the high-end choice I would look at first. Sunset Kendwa is the more straightforward beachfront option when the room matters less than walking directly into the sea.

4. Kizimkazi – Best for a Quiet Southern Base

Kizimkazi is not the beach I would choose if I wanted five uninterrupted kilometres of soft white sand. The coastline is rockier, the sandy sections are smaller and fishing boats are part of the view.

That is also why it feels different. This is a southern fishing area rather than a beach town built around kite schools or large resorts, and it works better for travellers who want quiet evenings and do not need a row of bars outside the hotel.

Kizimkazi is famous for dolphin trips, but fame has not always been kind to the dolphins. Zanzibar’s own tourism guidelines tell boats not to chase, encircle or cut across them, and swimmers should not be dropped repeatedly into their path. Ask an operator how many boats they allow around a pod and what they do when the dolphins move away. If the answer is basically ‘go faster’, find somebody else.

Heads up: Do not book a dolphin tour solely because it promises swimming. Choose an operator that follows Zanzibar’s watch-and-swim guidelines, keeps its distance and abandons the encounter when the dolphins show signs of disturbance.

The beach itself is pleasant for a dip when conditions suit, but it is not the reason I would cross the island. Come for a quieter part of Zanzibar, the fishing-village atmosphere and a carefully chosen boat trip.

Where I would stay: Unguja Lodge is the established small-scale option here and has an on-site dive centre.

5. Michamvi – Best for Sunsets and The Rock

Michamvi is confusing until you look at a map. The peninsula has an east-facing side around Pingwe and a west-facing side around Michamvi Kae, and they do not feel like the same beach.

Pingwe is where you will find The Rock restaurant sitting on its lump of coral. At low tide you can walk across to it; when the water comes in, a little boat completes the extremely short voyage. It is unapologetically touristy, but the setting really is excellent.

Michamvi Kae faces into Chwaka Bay, making it one of the few places on Zanzibar’s eastern half where the sun drops over the water. The beach is quieter, the bay is shallow and the evening is the main event. Come over late, stay for sunset and do not rush back towards Paje in the dark if you can avoid it.

The peninsula is my pick for couples or anyone who wants a slower finish to the trip. It has less happening than Paje and less dependable all-day swimming than Kendwa, but that is rather the point.

Where I would stay: Michamvi Sunset Bay puts you on the sunset side. If The Rock is your priority, stay around Pingwe and book the restaurant ahead rather than crossing the peninsula twice.

How I Would Plan a Zanzibar Beach Trip

Do not spend a week driving from Stone Town to a different beach every morning. Zanzibar is larger than it looks, the roads are slow, and sitting in a car is a poor use of an island.

I would spend the first night or two in Stone Town, then choose one east-coast base and one north-coast base. Paje plus Kendwa is the easy pairing: atmosphere and kites first, dependable swimming and sunsets second. Swap Paje for Michamvi if you want a quieter trip, or Matemwe if snorkelling around Mnemba is the priority.

A private transfer is easiest, but riding a dala dala at least once is worth doing for the experience. It is cheap, crowded and a far more memorable introduction to island transport than another air-conditioned hotel van.

Once you have picked the coast, then pick the hotel. Not the other way around.

For the rest of the trip, my Zanzibar activities page is useful for comparing transfers, snorkelling and island tours in one place. Just apply the same wildlife test before booking anything involving dolphins.

Read next: my wider guide to things to do in Zanzibar.