Hand-picked boat trips and tours, honest local detail and everything you need to plan your days at the northern tip of the Spice Island.
Nungwi is the fishing and dhow-building village at Ras Nungwi, the northernmost point of Zanzibar’s main island. Its beaches — and neighbouring Kendwa — face west over the Indian Ocean, keep enough water to swim at most tides, and end every day with the sun sinking straight into the sea.
It is also the best base in Zanzibar for getting on the water: Mnemba Atoll’s reefs and dolphins, the quiet reefs of Tumbatu, sunset dhow cruises and some of the island’s best dive centres all start here. This guide covers all of it — plus Stone Town, the spice farms and the practical things you need to know before you land.
Curated, top-rated experiences booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting points in US dollars — tap any tour for live availability in your currency.
Boat trip from $55 The best-reviewed Mnemba trip leaving from the north coast. A speedboat runs round the tip of the island to the atoll, where the crew looks for spinner and bottlenose dolphins before a long snorkel over the reef. Back in time for a late lunch on the beach.
Sunset cruise from $14 Nungwi and Kendwa face due west, which makes them the best place on Zanzibar to watch the sunset from the water. This relaxed cruise under a lateen sail is the classic evening in Nungwi — and one of the cheapest good things you can book on the island.
Wildlife from $55 A guided visit to the Mnarani turtle pond at Ras Nungwi, a natural rock pool where the village looks after sea turtles caught in fishing nets and releases them back to the ocean. Short, easy and a big hit with children.
Boat trip from $55 The most-booked Mnemba day on GetYourGuide, with more than two thousand reviews. A longer, more relaxed version of the classic trip that adds a sandbank stop and lunch — good if you want the whole day on the water.
Day trip from $55 Zanzibar’s three classic sights in one day, with lunch included. It is the most efficient way to see the island’s history from a beach base in the north — choose the pickup option when you book and check that your Nungwi or Kendwa hotel is covered.
Full-day sea trip from $90 Safari Blue is Zanzibar’s best-known sea day: sandbanks, snorkelling, a mangrove lagoon on Kwale Island and a long seafood lunch. It leaves from Fumba in the far south-west, so from Nungwi you need an early start — check whether hotel pickup is offered for your date.
Private tour from $70 A private day that covers the island’s nature and history at your own pace: the endemic red colobus monkeys of Jozani, a spice plantation and the lanes of Stone Town. Excellent ratings, and good value split between three or four people.
Adventure from $72 per group The highest-rated activity in the north, with well over a thousand reviews. You ride dirt tracks through the countryside behind the beaches — a genuinely different view of the island, and a lot of fun. Priced per bike for up to two riders.
Real-time prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most experiences.
Nungwi and Kendwa are the headline, but Mnemba, Stone Town and the spice farms turn a beach holiday into a proper trip.
Nungwi & Kendwa Sunsets at the top of Zanzibar
The white-sand beach that wraps around Ras Nungwi, the northern tip of Unguja. The west side is lined with bars, dive shops and dhow moorings and faces straight into the sunset; the east side is quieter, and the lighthouse point in between is where the village began.
Nungwi & Kendwa The calm, swimmable beach next door
Three kilometres south of Nungwi, Kendwa is a long, wide sweep of soft sand with some of the gentlest tidal range on the island — you can swim here at almost any time of day. Quieter than Nungwi, except on full-moon party nights.
Nungwi & Kendwa A village-run turtle sanctuary by the lighthouse
A natural tidal pool in the coral rock at Ras Nungwi where the community cares for sea turtles accidentally caught by local fishermen, and releases them back into the ocean. Small, simple and genuinely conservation-minded; the entry fee supports the village.
Reefs & islands Zanzibar’s best snorkelling and dolphins
A ring of coral reef off the north-east coast around the tiny private island of Mnemba. The protected reef has the clearest water and richest marine life around Zanzibar, and pods of dolphins are often seen on the way out. Boats from Nungwi take around an hour.
Stone Town & inland Zanzibar Zanzibar’s UNESCO-listed old town
The historic heart of Zanzibar City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000: a maze of coral-stone houses, carved doors, mosques, bazaars and seafront palaces built by Swahili, Omani, Indian and European traders. About an hour and a half by road from Nungwi.
Stone Town & inland Zanzibar Giant tortoises off Stone Town
A small island about 30 minutes by boat from Stone Town, with a prison built in the 1890s that was never used as one and a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises, some of them more than a century old. Good snorkelling and a beach add to a half-day trip.
Beachfront resorts, boutique villas and good-value bungalows in Nungwi and Kendwa — compared, with live rates.
A Marriott Tribute Portfolio resort on the beach in Nungwi, with a pool, ocean-view rooms and international-brand service — the dependable mid-to-upper choice in the village.
A five-star, low-rise beach resort run by Mantis, with a pool, an attentive team and a quieter feel than the hotels in the centre of the village.
Kendwa’s best-known address, right on the widest part of the beach — rooms and bungalows, a big beach bar and the famous full-moon party once a month.
Snorkel Mnemba Atoll, sail a dhow into the sunset, swim with turtles and walk the lanes of Stone Town. Compare the best-rated experiences and book in a couple of taps.
Yes — it is the most popular beach area in Zanzibar for good reasons: west-facing sunsets, water you can swim in at most tides, and the easiest access to Mnemba’s reefs. You can compare the best tours here.
It is about 60 km — roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by car. Most people pre-book a private transfer or take a taxi; the cheapest option is the dala-dala via Stone Town. See our airport to Nungwi guide.
In July–August and over Christmas and New Year the best Mnemba and sunset trips fill up days ahead. Most tours on GetYourGuide offer free cancellation and many let you reserve now and pay later, so booking early costs nothing.
A Tanzanian visa (most nationalities can apply online for an e-visa or get one on arrival) and, since October 2024, Zanzibar’s mandatory inbound travel insurance, bought online before you travel. Rules change — see our travel guide for the details.
Nungwi for restaurants, bars, dive centres and village life; Kendwa for calmer water that is swimmable at almost any tide and a quieter beach. They are only 3 km apart. See where to stay.
