Zanzibar Beach

Zanzibar is an equatorial paradise, with a warm climate and almost no seasonal variation (high temperatures are between 82 and 91 degrees F year-round). As such, the only consideration you need to account for when making Zanzibar travel plans is precipitation. March through May is the monsoon season, when the islands get about a twelve inches of rain per month. It's also the least touristy season, so plan accordingly.

Getting to Zanzibar has never been easier as its international airport brings in thousands of guests from around the world. It also has a strong schedule of domestic flights that can help connect destinations on an itinerary.

International-style beach hotels are far from the norm in Zanzibar, and those that could be described thus sometime seem to miss the point and could be anywhere. Service standards on Zanzibar are steadily improving, and can be good in a laid-back way, but they don’t usually reach the levels of service that most people would expect from a top international resort in, say, the Caribbean.Far from the super-slick style of international beach hotels found, many Zanzibar beach lodges have more in common with a good African safari lodge. Typically you can expect attractive beaches and a laid-back atmosphere, while at the top of the range are some smaller and more intimate beach lodges that have a boutique feel. Most of our suggestions in Zanzibar are along these lines, and to find them start looking along the east coast, on the Michamvi Peninsula and in south-west Zanzibar.

Stone Town can look spooky at night when you first arrive—the dimly-lit collection of narrow streets and back alleys doesn’t exactly invite aimless wandering by the uninitiated. But don’t let the eeriness and travel advisories calling for extra caution after dark keep you confined to your room after sundown. Stone Town is bustling with life in the evenings, with kids out playing, couples strolling, and everywhere people feasting. The central park-turned-night market, Forodhani Gardens, is packed with locals and tourists sampling the couple dozen fresh food stalls. Skip the skewers of shellfish, which may have been sitting out all day, and opt for grilled Indian spiced chicken and Zanzibar pizza, chased with fresh sugar cane juice.