Up to 3 guests
Deluxe Sea view
Six villas nearest the shore, looking out over the water, each with a double bed, a ceiling fan, an open private shower and a private terrace. Sleeps up to three with a single bed added.
Lodges & partnersZanzibar Stone Town and Southwest
Unguja Lodge
Eighteen rooms and villas in a small coastal forest at Kizimkazi, where red colobus cross the paths and the dolphin boats leave from the village beach
- Tier
- Comfort
- Location
- Zanzibar Stone Town and Southwest
About
About Unguja Lodge.
Unguja Lodge sits at Kizimkazi, the fishing village at the south west tip of Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar. It is a long way, in feel if not in distance, from the resort strips of Nungwi and Paje. The lodge is built inside two hectares of coastal forest that runs down to a shore of rough coral boulders, with the shallow water of Menai Bay beyond. The buildings follow the ground rather than flatten it, and the paths between the villas are shared with the animals that live in the trees.
Those animals are part of the stay. Red colobus, the monkey found only on Zanzibar, feed in the canopy around the villas, along with blue monkeys, the tiny dik dik antelope and the elephant shrew, which most visitors to East Africa never see. Out in the bay, Kizimkazi is known for the bottlenose and humpback dolphins that are seen most mornings, and the boats that go out to find them leave from the beaches of the village. Between roughly July and October humpback whales pass along this coast as well.
There are eighteen rooms in three kinds. Six deluxe villas sit nearest the shore and look out over the water, and four more sit back among the trees, each with a double bed, a ceiling fan, an open private shower and a private terrace, and room for a single bed if a child or a third guest is sharing. Eight standard rooms are arranged in two bungalows of four, each room with its own bathroom, the bungalow sharing a living room, an outdoor shower and a terrace that faces the ocean. There is a swimming pool, a restaurant and a beach lounge, and the activity centre at reception arranges the dolphin trips, snorkelling and excursions to Stone Town and Jozani forest. The rate is bed and breakfast, and lunch and dinner are ordered at the restaurant.
It suits families, because children are welcome at any age and a child under 12 sharing a villa with two adults is priced at half the per person rate, and it suits couples who want a quiet week with nature close by. It is not a resort, and it does not try to be one. The lodge changed management in 2025 and was renovated, and recent guest reviews single out how clean and well kept it is, as well as the friendliness of the staff. Guests who need a strong internet connection in their room should know that reviewers describe the signal in the villas as limited.
Signature experiences
Why guests choose it.
Dolphins in Menai Bay
Kizimkazi is the village Zanzibar knows for its dolphins, and the boats leave from the beaches here early in the morning when the water is calm. The activity centre at the lodge arranges the trip, and the best of it is often the quiet ride out across the bay.
Red colobus at breakfast
The lodge forest is home to the red colobus, a monkey that lives only on Zanzibar, and they move through the trees around the villas most days. Blue monkeys, dik dik and elephant shrews share the same two hectares.
The old mosque at Kizimkazi Dimbani
A short way up the coast is one of the oldest mosques in East Africa, with an inscription dated to the early twelfth century. A visit is quiet and short, and modest dress is expected.
A day in Jozani forest
Zanzibar only national park lies inland, with a forest trail where the red colobus are easy to watch and a boardwalk through the mangroves. A guide is compulsory and the activity centre can arrange the day.
Room types
Where you will sleep.
Up to 3 guests
Deluxe room Garden
Four villas set back among the trees of the lodge forest, each with a double bed, a ceiling fan, an open private shower and a private terrace. Sleeps up to three with a single bed added.
Up to 2 guests
Standard room
Eight rooms in two bungalows of four, each with its own bathroom, the bungalow sharing a living room, an outdoor shower and an ocean facing terrace. Sleeps two, no extra bed.
At a glance
The essentials, in brief.
Amenities
- Two hectares of coastal forest with resident red colobus, blue monkeys and dik dik
- Swimming Pool
- Restaurant
- Beach Lounge
- Reception And Activity Centre
- Ceiling fan in every deluxe villa
- Open private shower and private terrace in every deluxe villa
- Ocean facing terrace and shared living room in the standard bungalows
- Wireless Internet
- Parking On Site
- Massage On Request
- Bicycles Available
- Dolphin, snorkelling and island excursions arranged at the activity centre
Best for
- Families With Young Children
- Couples who want a quiet week after a safari
- Travellers who like wildlife close to the room
- Anyone who wants village life rather than a resort strip
- Dolphin Watching In Menai Bay
Wildlife and nature
- Zanzibar red colobus in the lodge forest and in Jozani, found nowhere else
- Bottlenose and humpback dolphins in Menai Bay off Kizimkazi
- Humpback whales passing offshore, roughly July to October
- Blue monkeys, dik dik and elephant shrews on the lodge grounds
- Reef fish and turtles on the snorkelling trips in the bay
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 Stone Town and Southwest
Arriving by air
About 75 minutes in the air from Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar, then about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes by road south to Kizimkazi.
By road
Zanzibar is reached by air. There is no road route from Kilimanjaro airport.
On the map
Where it sits.
6.449° S, 39.467° E
What's included
What the rate covers.
Included
- Accommodation in the room you choose
- Breakfast Daily
- Use Of The Swimming Pool
- Wireless Internet
- Parking On Site
- A compulsory festive dinner on 24 and 31 December, already added to your trip price at 45 US dollars per person each night
Not included
- Zanzibar infrastructure tax, 4 US dollars per guest per night, paid at the lodge on arrival
- 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 at the lodge restaurant
- All Beverages
- Airport And Stone Town Transfers
- Dolphin trips, snorkelling and other excursions
- Massages
- Tips And Gratuities
- International and domestic flights, visas and departure taxes
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
How many rooms does Unguja Lodge have?
Eighteen in three kinds: six deluxe villas facing the sea, four deluxe villas in the garden and eight standard rooms in two bungalows of four. There are also two family villas, which are not yet available to book through Savannah and Sands.
Where is it?
At Kizimkazi, the fishing village on the south west tip of Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar, on the shore of Menai Bay. It is a quiet part of the island, well away from the resort beaches of the north and east.
How do guests get there?
By air to Zanzibar airport, then roughly 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes by road to the south of the island. Flights from Kilimanjaro, Arusha and the safari airstrips all land at Zanzibar, so it works well straight after a safari.
Are children welcome?
Yes, at any age. A child under 12 sharing a deluxe villa with two adults pays half the per person double rate, and one adult with one child pays the double room rate. Standard rooms take two guests only, so a family of three needs a deluxe villa.
What is included in the rate?
The room and breakfast each day, the swimming pool, wireless internet and parking. Lunch and dinner are ordered at the restaurant and paid at the lodge. On 24 and 31 December a festive dinner is compulsory and is already added to your trip price.
What is not included?
The Zanzibar infrastructure tax of 4 US dollars per guest per night, paid at the lodge on arrival, and the compulsory Zanzibar inbound travel insurance of 44 US dollars per adult, bought online before you travel. Meals other than breakfast, beverages, transfers, excursions and massages are extra.
Can we see dolphins?
Kizimkazi is the village Zanzibar knows for its dolphins, and bottlenose and humpback dolphins are typically seen in Menai Bay on the morning boat trips. The lodge activity centre arranges the trip. Sightings are likely but never certain.
What wildlife lives at the lodge?
The lodge stands in two hectares of coastal forest where red colobus, blue monkeys, dik dik and elephant shrews live. The red colobus is found only on Zanzibar, and guests often see them from the paths between the villas.
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 warm and usually dry. April and May are the long rains, when rates are lower and the island is at its quietest. The lodge is open all year.
Is there wireless internet and air conditioning?
Wireless internet is included, but guests describe the signal in the villas as limited, so do not plan to work from your room. The deluxe villas have ceiling fans rather than air conditioning.
What's nearby
Worth the short trip.
Kizimkazi Dimbani mosque
A few minutes up the coast
One of the oldest mosques in East Africa, with an inscription dated to the early twelfth century.
Menai Bay dolphin trips
From the village beaches
Morning boat trips in search of the resident bottlenose and humpback dolphins, usually with snorkelling on a nearby reef.
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
About 40 minutes by road
Zanzibar only national park and the main refuge of the red colobus, with a forest trail and a mangrove boardwalk. A guide is compulsory.
Stone Town
About 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes by road
The old town of Zanzibar, on the UNESCO World Heritage list, with the Old Fort, the cathedral on the site of the former slave market and the spice farms behind it.
Nearby
Other places to stay nearby.
Dhow Palace Hotel
View : Dhow Palace Hotel
Maru Maru Hotel
View : Maru Maru HotelEvery lodge we work with in Zanzibar Stone Town & Southwest
The Zanzibar Stone Town & Southwest guide: where to stay, when to go and how to get there.
View : Every lodge we work with in Zanzibar Stone Town & Southwest
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