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Lodges & partnersZanzibar North

AHG Hisia Nungwi Experience Hotel

Twenty nine rooms in Nungwi village, a few minutes walk from the sunset side of the island

Tier
Comfort
twenty nine rooms in three buildings
Location
Zanzibar North
Reviews
4.0 ★ on TripAdvisor
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About

About AHG Hisia Nungwi Experience Hotel.

Hisia sits inside Nungwi village at the northern tip of Unguja, in three buildings around two pools. It is not a beachfront hotel. The sand is about 280 to 300 metres away, which is a walk of three to five minutes through the village, and the hotel photographs make it look closer than it is. It reopened under the AHG name in July 2025 in what was the Zanzibar Star Resort, so the brand is new and the buildings are not.

What Nungwi gives you is the west coast. The sun sets over the water here, the reef sits further out than it does on the east coast, and the sea stays deep close in, so swimming works at any state of the tide rather than only at the top of it. The counterpoint is that the dry sand narrows when the water is high and this is the busiest beach on the island, with boats, hotels and vendors along it.

Rooms run from a twenty square metre Classic through Superior and Deluxe to a forty two square metre Junior Suite, all with one double bed rather than twins, air conditioning and a safe. There is one restaurant, a terrace lounge, a small massage corner and an excursion desk. There is no gym, no club for children and no dive centre on the property, and the buildings are reached by stairs, which the hotel says makes them unsuitable for guests with reduced mobility.

It suits a few nights at the end of a safari for people who want the village, the sunsets and a short walk to the water, at a price well below the beachfront hotels either side of it. It does not suit anyone who wants to step from the room onto the sand, or a quiet stretch of coast. Guests consistently report firm beds, rooms that feel older than the marketing suggests, and some street noise on the village side.

Signature experiences

Why guests choose it.

  1. The sunset

    Nungwi faces west, which on an island that mostly faces east is the whole point. The sun goes down over the water every evening and the beach fills slowly to watch it.

  2. Mnemba and the reef by boat

    Boats leave from Nungwi beach for snorkelling and diving trips along the north coast and out towards Mnemba. Reef fish and coral are typical and turtles are possible.

  3. The dhow builders

    Nungwi still builds wooden boats on the sand at the north end of the village, by hand and by eye, and you can watch the work from the beach.

  4. The turtle sanctuary at Mnarani

    A tidal lagoon in the village where green turtles are kept and released, ten minutes on foot and open through the day.

Room types

Where you will sleep.

Up to 2 guests

Classic Room

Twenty square metres, one double bed, air conditioning, terrace or balcony, two guests.

Up to 2 guests

Superior Room

Thirty square metres, one double bed, air conditioning, terrace or balcony, two guests.

Up to 2 guests

Deluxe Room

Thirty six square metres, one double bed, air conditioning, terrace or balcony, two guests.

Up to 2 guests

Junior Suite

Forty two square metres with a sitting area, one double bed, air conditioning, terrace or balcony, two guests.

At a glance

The essentials, in brief.

Amenities

  • Two Swimming Pools
  • Restaurant
  • Terrace Lounge
  • IKI Massage Corner
  • Free WiFi Throughout
  • Air Conditioning In Every Room
  • Safe In Every Room
  • Flat Screen Television
  • Laundry Service
  • Excursion Desk
  • 24 Hour Reception

Best for

  • Beach
  • Rest After A Safari
  • Sunsets
  • Couples
  • Value

Wildlife and nature

  • Reef fish and coral on the boat trips out from Nungwi
  • Green turtles at the Mnarani sanctuary in the village
  • Dolphins sometimes seen off the north point

Best time to visit

When to go.

  • 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
Best months

Best months: June to October and December to February.

Location & access

Getting there.

Location

Zanzibar North

Arriving by air

Kilimanjaro International to Zanzibar in about 1 hour 20 minutes, then about 1 hour 30 minutes by road. Zanzibar is the only airport on the island, so every arrival finishes by road.

By road

There is no road journey worth making from Kilimanjaro. Fly Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar, about 1 hour 20 minutes with several departures a day, then about 1 hour 30 minutes by road to Nungwi, roughly 64 kilometres.

On the map

Where it sits.

5.732° S, 39.294° E

What's included

What the rate covers.

Included

  • Accommodation in the room category booked
  • Breakfast Every Morning
  • Dinner every evening in the hotel restaurant
  • Use of the two swimming pools and the sun terraces
  • Sun loungers, umbrellas and towels at the pools
  • WiFi Throughout The Property
  • Air conditioning and a safe in the room
  • All Applicable Government Taxes

Not included

  • Local infrastructure tax of 5 USD per person per night, collected at the hotel
  • Lunch, and anything not named in the half board plan, charged at the hotel
  • Compulsory Christmas Eve dinner of 88 USD per person on 24 December 2026
  • Compulsory New Year Eve dinner of 117.33 USD per person on 31 December 2026
  • Treatments at the IKI massage corner
  • Boat trips, diving, snorkelling and other excursions booked on site
  • Airport Transfers
  • Tanzania inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per adult, compulsory since 1 October 2026
  • Tips And Gratuities
  • Items Of A Personal Nature

Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

Is the hotel on the beach?

No. It stands inside Nungwi village about 280 to 300 metres from the sand, which is three to five minutes on foot. Several of the photographs in circulation make it look closer than it is.

Where exactly is it and how do I get there?

At the northern tip of Unguja, in Nungwi village. From Zanzibar airport it is roughly 64 kilometres and about an hour and a half by road.

How many rooms does it have?

Twenty nine, in three buildings around two pools. The buildings are reached by stairs and the hotel says they are unsuitable for guests with reduced mobility.

Is this a new hotel?

The brand is new, the buildings are not. AHG reopened it in July 2025 in what was the Zanzibar Star Resort, and guests say the rooms feel older than the marketing suggests.

Can I swim in the sea?

Yes, at any state of the tide. Nungwi is on the west coast where the water stays deep close in, unlike the east of the island where the sea walks a long way out at low water. The dry sand narrows when the water is high.

What is included in the rate?

Half board: the room, breakfast every morning, dinner every evening, the pools and sun loungers, wifi, and the taxes that sit in the rate. Lunch and anything else is charged at the hotel.

What will I pay at the hotel?

A local infrastructure tax of 5 US dollars per person per night, and anything you order outside the half board plan. The compulsory Christmas Eve dinner on 24 December 2026 (88 US dollars per person) and New Year Eve dinner on 31 December 2026 (117.33 US dollars per person) are itemised in your trip price rather than paid at the hotel.

Are children welcome?

The hotel takes children, but our system can only price the two guest occupancies this contract sets out, so a third guest cannot be booked here yet. We have asked the hotel to confirm what a child pays and these rooms open to families as soon as we can price them exactly.

What is the minimum stay?

Two nights, and seven nights between 23 December and 6 January.

What is there to do?

The beach and the sunsets, boat trips for snorkelling and diving from Nungwi beach, the dhow builders working on the sand, the turtle sanctuary at Mnarani, and Kendwa bay fifteen minutes down the coast.

When is the best time to come?

June to October is dry and breezy, January and February are hot and clear, and April and May are the long rains, the quietest and cheapest weeks of the year.

Do I need travel insurance?

Yes. Tanzania has required inbound travel insurance since 1 October 2026, 44 US dollars per adult, and it is not in the rate.

What's nearby

Worth the short trip.

  • Nungwi beach

    About 280 to 300 metres from the hotel, three to five minutes on foot through the village.

  • Mnarani turtle sanctuary

    A tidal lagoon at the north end of the village, ten minutes on foot.

  • Kendwa

    The next bay south, a wider and quieter stretch of sand, about fifteen minutes by road.

  • Stone Town

    About an hour and a half by road, the old quarter with its carved doors, market and waterfront.

Nearby

Other places to stay nearby.

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