DestinationsBeach destination · Zanzibar East Coast
Zanzibar East Coast
Zanzibar's east coast is a long lagoon held by a reef, where the tide sets the shape of the day: at low water the sea walks out towards the reef, and by high water it is back, turquoise and calm.
- Recommended nights
- 4 nights
- Best months
- Jan, Feb, Jun +5
- Airstrip
- Fly in possible
About
About Zanzibar East Coast.
Zanzibar's east coast is a long lagoon held by a reef, where the tide sets the shape of the day: at low water the sea walks out towards the reef, and by high water it is back, turquoise and calm.
The coast runs for most of the island's length, from Matemwe in the north east, facing the Mnemba reef, through Kiwengwa and Pongwe to Michamvi, Paje and Jambiani in the south east. The beaches are white coral sand, the lodges are mostly small, and village life carries on beside them: at low tide women tend seaweed farms on the reef flat, and fishermen walk out to their traps.
The tide is the thing to understand before you choose. On much of this coast the lagoon empties for several hours around low water, so swims are timed to the tide rather than the clock. Some places soften this. Pongwe Bay Resort has a pier that runs three hundred metres out, so you can swim whatever the tide is doing. At Pongwe Beach Hotel a reef a kilometre offshore keeps the bay calm, and at Boutique Hotel Matlai, at Michamvi Pingwe, the sea can still be swum at low tide. Several lodges also give rooms their own plunge pool.
Mnemba Atoll lies off Matemwe, and a snorkelling trip there is the classic outing, with the chance of green turtles and dolphins. Further south, Paje and Jambiani have steady winds for kitesurfing from June to September and December to February, with schools on the beach paid locally. Priced excursions from this coast, each an optional extra, include Mnemba snorkelling, the Jambiani and Matemwe village tours, Jozani Forest for the red colobus monkeys, spice tours and Safari Blue. Each island operator runs its own list, and the trip builder shows what yours offers, with its price, before you book.
Where you stay changes the feel. Matemwe is quiet and faces Mnemba, with small hotels such as Kasha, SeVi and Mambo Paradise. Pongwe and Kiwengwa offer the wider choice, from TOA Hotel & Spa and Meliá Zanzibar to Zanbluu on its low coral cliff. Jambiani is a village coast of family run and boutique houses, among them Blue Oyster, Marea, Kupaga and Zanzistar. It is the coast for couples who want quiet, for snorkellers and kitesurfers, and for anyone happy to let the tide set the pace.
When to go
Best time to visit Zanzibar East Coast.
- January: best
- February: best
- March: not a best month
- April: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- June: best
- July: best
- August: best
- September: best
- October: best
- November: not a best month
- December: best
June to October is cool, dry and breezy, the classic time after a dry season safari, and the south east is in its main kitesurfing season. December to February is hot and usually sunny, with a second wind season and often calm mornings for boat trips to Mnemba.
From March to May the long rains bring heavy showers and rougher seas, and April is the wettest month. Several lodges close for a few weeks between April and early June, and each lodge page shows its own dates. November brings shorter showers. Around the full and new moon the tides run furthest, so check the tide times before planning a swim or a boat day.
Gallery
A closer look.
On the map
Zanzibar East Coast and its neighbours.
5.990° S, 39.380° E
Government fees
Fees at Zanzibar East Coast.
Passed through to the Tanzanian government, paid directly to the authority on top of accommodation. Our trip builder itemises every line.
| Fee | Amount | Peak | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zanzibar Infrastructure Tax | $5.00 | No peak rate | Per person per night |
Read nextZanzibar beach guideWhich camps close in the long rainsTanzania park fees 2026
Where to stay
Lodges and camps here.
Properties we work with directly. Each links to a dedicated lodge page with rooms, amenities, and best months.
AHG Dream's Bay Beach Hotel
Twenty four adults only rooms in a coconut garden, looking out at Mnemba
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Beach
AHG Sun Bay Mlilile Beach Hotel
Fifty four rooms on the sand at Mlilile, with Mnemba a boat ride off the reef
- Beach
- Rest After A Safari
- Snorkelling
Blue Oyster Hotel
Eighteen rooms in a palm garden on the beach at Jambiani, run by the same family since 1999, with an upstairs restaurant over the lagoon.
- Couples
- Families
- Value Beach Stay After Safari
Boutique Hotel Matlai
Two thatched villas and six rooms on a quiet stretch of Michamvi Pingwe, where the sea still swims at low tide and a white sandbank surfaces in front of the beach.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Families In A Whole Villa Booking
Jambiani Villas
Three small houses on the Jambiani sand, four hundred metres apart
- Couples Who Want A House Rather Than A Hotel Room
- Groups Of Friends Taking A Whole Villa
- Anyone Learning To Kitesurf
Kasha Boutique Hotel
Seventeen rooms on a coral ledge at the quiet end of Matemwe, eleven of them with a private pool and a clear view across the lagoon to Mnemba.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Snorkelling And Diving
Kholle Villa
Six rooms in a contemporary white house at Mwendawima, a minute back from the Jambiani sand, with a pool in the garden and a rooftop that looks straight out over the lagoon.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Small Families
Kupaga Villas
An adults only house of about eleven rooms on the sand at Jambiani, where the tide decides the shape of the day
- Couples And Honeymooners
- A Quiet Week After A Safari
- Travellers Who Care About What Is On The Plate
Mambo Paradise
Seven rooms on the sand at Matemwe, a few steps from the village fish market and the boats that supply the kitchen.
- Couples
- Families
- Small Properties
Marea Boutique Hotel
Fourteen rooms on the sand at Jambiani, where the tide walks out at dawn and the village walks out with it.
- Couples
- Honeymoon
- Quiet Beach Stay
Meliá Zanzibar
A large all inclusive beach resort on Zanzibar's quiet northeast coast, gardens and pools running down to a wide reef fringed shore at Kiwengwa.
- Family
- Honeymoon
- All Inclusive
Pongwe Bay Resort
Twenty six rooms on a reef held bay on the quiet east coast of Unguja, with a pier that runs three hundred metres out so you can swim whatever the tide is doing.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Beach
Pongwe Beach Hotel
Two hundred metres of private white sand halfway up the east coast, with a reef a kilometre out that keeps the bay calm.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Families
SeVi Boutique Hotel Zanzibar
Thirteen thatched bungalows and one beach villa on the quiet sand at Matemwe, each with its own plunge pool and a clear view out to Mnemba.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Snorkelling And Diving
TOA Hotel & Spa
A hundred rooms and four pools on the reef held lagoon at Pongwe, where the tide walks out at dawn and comes back by mid morning.
- Families
- Couples
- Honeymoon
Zanbluu Beach Hotel
Sixteen thatched bungalows and a private villa on a low coral cliff at Kiwengwa, with an infinity pool that ends in open ocean.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Family
Zanzistar Lodge
Seven rooms in the middle of Jambiani village, fifty metres back from the lagoon
- Couples Who Want A Small Place Rather Than A Resort
- Families Taking The Separate Bungalow
- Anyone Learning To Kitesurf
Zoi Beach Luxury Villa
Five en suite bedrooms, a private pool and a rooftop terrace above the Matemwe reef, ninety metres from the hotel and entirely your own.
- Families
- Groups Of Friends
- Multigenerational Travel
Zoi Retreat Hotel Zanzibar
Twelve rooms in one whitewashed Swahili house at the quiet southern end of Matemwe, with a makuti roof, a garden of palms and the reef flat starting at the end of the lawn.
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Snorkelling And Diving
What to do here
Experiences in Zanzibar East Coast.
The journeys we plan around this destination. Each one covers the best months, what it costs, and how to build it into a trip.
Diving & Snorkelling
Turtles around Mnemba, deep reefs on the Pemba Channel and whale sharks off Mafia: Tanzania's coast matched to your level and your month.
Explore : Diving & SnorkellingWellness & Yoga
Spas, slow mornings, yoga by the sea and forest walks on Zanzibar's quieter east coast, as a calm counterweight to the early starts of safari.
Explore : Wellness & Yoga
Common questions
Questions, answered.
How do the tides work on Zanzibar's east coast?
The east coast is a lagoon held by a reef, and the tide range is large. For several hours around low water the sea draws back towards the reef, leaving sand flats and pools, then it returns turquoise and calm. The tides run furthest around the full and new moon, so swims and boat trips are planned around the tide times.
Can you swim at low tide on the east coast?
At some places, yes. Pongwe Bay Resort has a pier three hundred metres long for swimming at any tide, Pongwe Beach Hotel sits on a bay kept calm by a reef a kilometre offshore, and at Boutique Hotel Matlai at Michamvi Pingwe the sea can still be swum at low tide. Several lodges also give rooms a private plunge pool.
When is the kitesurfing season in Paje?
Paje and Jambiani have two wind seasons, roughly June to September and December to February. Kitesurfing schools on the beach run lessons and rentals, paid locally.
Matemwe, Kiwengwa or Jambiani: which part of the east coast?
Matemwe, in the north east, is quiet and faces Mnemba Atoll, so it suits snorkellers. Pongwe and Kiwengwa have the wider choice of lodges, from boutique to large resorts. Jambiani, in the south east, is a village coast of small houses and family run hotels, close to the kitesurfing at Paje.
How do I get to Mnemba Atoll from the east coast?
Snorkelling trips go by boat from Matemwe, on the coast facing the atoll, and priced trips collect you from hotels along the coast. Mnemba Island itself is private and closed to day visitors, so trips snorkel the protected reef around it. The reef is a marine conservation area with a daily entry fee per visitor, paid locally on the day where a trip's price does not include it. Each island operator runs its own list, and the trip builder shows what yours offers, with its price, before you book.
When is the best time to visit the east coast?
June to October and December to February are the main beach seasons, and both are also wind seasons for kitesurfing. The long rains from March to May are the quietest time, with April the wettest month, and several lodges close for a few weeks.
Make it part of your trip
Plan a safari that includes Zanzibar East Coast.
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