Up to 2 guests
Pool View
A room of 47 square metres over the garden and the pool, with a king bed under a mosquito net, air conditioning and a ceiling fan, a walk in dressing room, a walk in shower and a private terrace. Sold for one or two guests.
Lodges & partnersZanzibar East Coast
Kupaga Villas
An adults only house of about eleven rooms on the sand at Jambiani, where the tide decides the shape of the day
- Tier
- Comfort
- Location
- Zanzibar East Coast
About
About Kupaga Villas.
Kupaga Villas sits on the sand at Jambiani, a long working village on the south east coast of Unguja where fishing and seaweed farming are still what people do for a living. The property is small, about eleven rooms, and it is reached down a sand lane through the village rather than through a gate off a main road. The owners built it from the ground up and opened it in December 2018, and it has stayed the size it was built at. There is one pool, six metres by twelve, one restaurant on the beach, and a garden between the rooms and the water.
The tide is the thing to understand before you book this coast. The range at Jambiani runs to roughly three metres, and close to four on a spring tide. At high water the lagoon fills and you can wade out several hundred metres and still be no deeper than your chest, which is a particular pleasure and not at all like swimming off a steep beach. At low water the ocean pulls back a long way and the flats come out: seagrass, rock pools, dhows resting on the sand, and the staked lines where the Mwani Mamas grow their seaweed and harvest it by hand. The good swimming hours move about fifty minutes later each day, so over a week they travel right through the day. The pool is there for the hours when the sea is out.
Every room is the same, 47 square metres, which is unusual and means there is no bad room to be given. A king bed under a mosquito net with a fan inside it, air conditioning, a walk in dressing room, a walk in shower, a desk and an armchair, a mini fridge and a kettle, and a private terrace. Two ground floor rooms face the ocean directly and the rest look over the pool and the garden. Breakfast is the thing guests write about most: cooked to order from a menu with a buffet alongside it, herbs from the garden, bread from local bakeries, and the kitchen handles vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free without being asked twice. The restaurant sits on the beach with lounge seating and takes non resident diners in the evening.
It suits couples, honeymooners and anyone who wants a small, quiet, well fed week with staff who will know your name by the second morning. It is a natural second half to a safari, about an hour and a half from Zanzibar airport, so you can land from the Serengeti in the morning and be on the sand that afternoon. It is adults only and takes nobody of 16 or under, so it is not a choice for a family. It is not a resort either: one restaurant, one pool, no kids club and no nightlife. Guests who need dependable internet for work should know that the connection here is the one thing reviewers complain about with any regularity.
Signature experiences
Why guests choose it.
Walking out at low tide
Twice a day the ocean withdraws several hundred metres and the flats open in front of the village. Walk out barefoot past the tidal pools and the seaweed lines, and watch the dhows settle onto the sand. Water shoes matter here, because sea urchins sit in the reef crevices.
Breakfast cooked to order
The thing guests remember. A menu rather than a counter, herbs from the hotel garden, bread from local bakeries, and a kitchen that handles vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free without fuss.
A morning with the Mwani Mamas
The women of Jambiani have farmed seaweed on the flats in front of the village for decades. The hotel runs a short tour out to the lines, timed to the tide, and makes its own soap from what they grow.
The high water float
When the lagoon fills you can wade out a long way and still stand up. On a calm afternoon it is less like swimming in the sea than like being in an enormous warm pool.
Room types
Where you will sleep.
Up to 2 guests
Ocean View
One of the two rooms closest to the water, the same 47 square metres and the same layout, looking straight out at the lagoon from its terrace. Sold for one or two guests.
At a glance
The essentials, in brief.
Amenities
- Swimming pool of 6 by 12 metres
- Beach Restaurant With Lounge Seating
- Direct Access To The Sand
- Rooms of 47 square metres, all the same layout
- King size bed under a mosquito net
- Air conditioning and a ceiling fan
- Walk In Dressing Room
- Walk In Shower
- Private Terrace With Every Room
- Mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea
- Safe In The Room
- Beach umbrellas, loungers and beach towels
- Laundry Service
- Wireless Internet
- Free Parking On Site
- Massage and treatments arranged at the property
- Yoga Mats And Blocks
- Books And Board Games
- Security on the property at night
- Airport and Stone Town transfers arranged by the hotel
- Adults only, guests must be older than 16
- Pets Welcome
Best for
- Couples And Honeymooners
- A quiet week after a safari
- Travellers who care about what is on the plate
- Anyone who wants village life rather than a resort
- Guests who want every room to be the same good room
Wildlife and nature
- Zanzibar red colobus in Jozani forest, found nowhere else on earth
- Resident bottlenose and humpback dolphins in Menai Bay off Kizimkazi
- Humpback whales passing offshore between July and October
- Reef fish, rays and turtles on the snorkelling trips out of the village
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: best
- December: best
Best months
Best months: June to February.
Location & access
Getting there.
Location
Zanzibar East Coast
Arriving by air
About 75 minutes in the air from Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar, then about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes by road across the island to Jambiani.
By road
Zanzibar is reached by air. There is no road route from Kilimanjaro airport.
On the map
Where it sits.
6.334° S, 39.553° E
What's included
What the rate covers.
Included
- Accommodation in the room you choose
- Breakfast daily, cooked to order with a buffet alongside it
- Air conditioning, a ceiling fan and a mosquito net in every room
- Private terrace, walk in dressing room and in room safe
- Mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea in the room
- Use Of The Swimming Pool
- Beach umbrellas, loungers and beach towels
- Wireless Internet
- Daily Housekeeping
- Parking On Site
Not included
- Zanzibar city tax, 4 US dollars per person per night, collected by the hotel at check in
- Zanzibar inbound travel insurance, 44 US dollars per adult for the whole stay, compulsory and bought online at visitzanzibar.go.tz before you arrive
- Lunch and dinner, ordered from the restaurant menu
- All Beverages
- Airport transfer, which the hotel arranges at 45 US dollars each way
- Excursions, Diving And Kitesurfing Lessons
- Massages And Treatments
- Laundry
- Tips And Gratuities
- International and domestic flights, visas and departure taxes
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
How many rooms does Kupaga Villas have?
About eleven, and every one of them is the same 47 square metres with the same layout. Two ground floor rooms face the ocean directly and the rest look over the pool and the garden. The property has said it is expanding, so the number may rise.
Where exactly is it?
On the sand at Jambiani, on the south east coast of Unguja, reached down a sand lane through the village. Paje is about 10 kilometres north and Stone Town about an hour by road.
How do guests get there?
By air to Zanzibar airport, then about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes by road across the island. The hotel arranges the car at 45 US dollars each way. Coming from a safari, flights from the Serengeti airstrips and from Arusha and Kilimanjaro all land at Zanzibar.
Are families with children welcome?
No. Kupaga is adults only and accepts nobody of 16 or under. If you are travelling with children we will show you other properties in Jambiani and Paje that take families.
What is included in the rate?
The room and breakfast, which is cooked to order with a buffet alongside it, plus the pool, beach loungers, umbrellas and towels, wireless internet, housekeeping and parking. Lunch, dinner and all beverages are ordered at the restaurant and paid there.
What is not included?
The Zanzibar city tax of 4 US dollars per person per night is collected by the hotel at check in, and the compulsory Zanzibar inbound travel insurance of 44 US dollars per adult is bought online before you travel. Meals other than breakfast, beverages, the airport transfer, excursions, massages and laundry are also extra.
What is the swimming like?
Tidal, and worth planning for. At high water the lagoon fills and you can wade out several hundred metres in warm, chest deep water. At low water the sea pulls back a long way and the flats come out, which is the time to walk rather than swim. The good hours shift about fifty minutes later each day, and the pool covers the rest.
When is the best time to visit?
June to October is the long dry season and the most reliable window, and December to February is the second, hotter and usually dry. April and May are the long rains and the wettest months. Seaweed can gather on east facing beaches, most often reported around December to March.
Is there kitesurfing or diving?
Both are arranged with independent operators rather than run by the hotel. The main kite hub is at Paje, about 15 minutes north, and the hotel works with a kite school there and with a dive centre for PADI courses.
Do the rooms have air conditioning and wireless internet?
Yes to both, and there is a ceiling fan as well as a fan inside the mosquito net. The internet works but it is the one thing guests mention as unreliable, so do not plan to work from here.
Is there a spa and a gym?
Massages and treatments are arranged at the property and there are yoga mats and blocks. There is no full spa centre and the hotel does not list a gym among its own facilities.
Is it suitable straight after a safari?
It is one of the better landings. The flight from the Serengeti arrives at Zanzibar in the morning and you are on the sand by the afternoon. Four nights is enough to feel the pace change before flying home.
What's nearby
Worth the short trip.
Kuza Cave
In Jambiani, a few minutes
A limestone cave at the Kibigija end of the village with a clear groundwater pool you can swim in, and a culture centre running Swahili cooking, drumming and dance.
Maalum Cave
About 15 minutes
A natural rock pool in a collapsed cave near Paje, open to a small number of swimmers at a time and booked in advance.
Paje
About 10 kilometres, roughly 15 minutes
The next village north and the island main kitesurfing hub, with the schools, shops and a cash machine. Jambiani itself is the quieter neighbour.
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
About 30 to 40 minutes
Zanzibar only national park and the main refuge of the Zanzibar red colobus, with a forest trail of about an hour and a mangrove boardwalk. A guide is compulsory.
Stone Town
About 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes
The old town of Zanzibar, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2000, with the Old Fort, the cathedral built on the site of the former slave market and the spice farms behind it.
Nearby
Other places to stay nearby.
Mambo Paradise
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Marea Boutique Hotel
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Meliá Zanzibar
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Pongwe Bay Resort
View : Pongwe Bay Resort
Pongwe Beach Hotel
View : Pongwe Beach Hotel
SeVi Boutique Hotel Zanzibar
View : SeVi Boutique Hotel ZanzibarEvery lodge we work with in Zanzibar East Coast
The Zanzibar East Coast guide: where to stay, when to go and how to get there.
View : Every lodge we work with in Zanzibar East Coast
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