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Zanzibar

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Zanzibar Holidays

A Dream Beach Holiday in Zanzibar

Travel to Zanzibar and you arrive at the crossroads of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Zanzibar has long been at the centre of the Indian Ocean experience and its name evokes images of spice markets, golden beaches and white-sailed dhows on a clear turquoise sea. Happily, even today this is still true. Much of the coast is unspoilt, its scattered islands are havens for marine life and you can mix cultural tours with the lazy beach life and still have time for water sports and swimming with dolphins.

A Zanzibar holiday is a sensory one: you can go on spice tours, taste local cuisine and walk the cobbled streets of Stone Town, a World Heritage Site complete with colourful markets and local flavours. And then there are the beaches, ideal for luxurious beach vacations but also home to some of Africa’s best dive sites as well as easy snorkelling reefs and a wide range of water sports.

There’s plenty of accommodation too. One of the world’s classic romantic travel destinations, Zanzibar specialises in luxury beachfront cottages and exclusive boutique hotels for honeymooners and discerning couples. Families on the other hand will be tempted by Zanzibar’s range of family-friendly hotels with baby sitters, kids’ activities and safe-swimming beaches.

Accessible from travel hubs Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar combines easily with East Africa’s top safari destinations such as the Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. You can even reward yourself with a few days on the beach after a wet and muddy gorilla trek in the rainforests of Uganda or Rwanda.

Although Zanzibar can be a stand-alone holiday, we’d recommend that it’s part of a larger safari itinerary. Browse our tried-and-tested tours and our recommended accommodation or simply contact us for assistance with planning the perfect Zanzibar travel experience.

Zanzibar on the map

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What To Do

Activities to Look Forward to

1. Hit the Beach

Encircled by golden beaches, Zanzibar delivers the quintessential beach experience – go for an early morning stroll & then retire to a shady hammock to recharge. Head north & east for Zanzibar’s best beaches.

2. Dive the Reefs

Zanzibar’s coral reefs & those of its outlying islands are justly famous for their pristine nature & amazing diversity; the snorkelling is great & several lodges specialise in scuba diving – ask us for more information.

3. Get on the Water

Zanzibar was made for water-lovers: its lodges offer sailing, kayaking, kite-surfing, water-skiing & wind-surfing as well as fishing trips & sedate sunset dhow cruises.

4. Get on Two Wheels

Hire a motorbike or scooter for the day & explore the island at your own pace, stopping off for a lunch & chat with the locals.

5. Tour Stone Town

The historic capital of Zanzibar is a world heritage site & home to a beguiling atmosphere of local markets, crumbling colonial architecture & cobbled back streets.

6. Visit a Desert Island

Mnemba is a tiny island about a kilometre off north-east Zanzibar; its reefs provide excellent snorkelling & diving & the island is also a nesting site for turtles.

7. Order a Table for Two

Zanzibar’s exotic pedigree & luxurious accommodation have long made it a favourite for romantic travel; several lodges specialise in honeymoons & offer indulgent suites & private dining – ask us for more information.

8. Bring the Family

Several Zanzibar hotels & beach lodges welcome families with children; you’ll find large family rooms, swimming pools, kids’ activities plus warm, shallow & safe ocean swimming with made-for-sandcastles beaches.

Tailor-made Holidays

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Hands-on Expertise

  • We’re based in Africa
  • Consultants Travel in Africa
  • Knowledgeable team
  • Expect great customer service

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  • SATSA – Bonded Membership (2061)
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  • Travel Support from Start to Finish

Reviews

Best trip I have ever been on. Highly recommend.

Would highly recommend. Safari online asked questions when booking and were efficient and knew exactly what we were looking for in terms of accommodation and animals were wanted to see. Gave advice on a few little extras with no pressure, which we did and am very grateful which make trip even more exciting. Would definitely recommend booking with them.

An incredibly well organised tour with no hassles whatsoever.

Safari Online understood our needs and was able to present us with sensible options to choose from. It was evident that this tour operator has knowledgable and experienced agents who can arrange a seemless tour. We were provided with a professional online itinary which was comprehensive and easy to use, knew exactely what to expect, and encountered no stumble blocks along the way.

Gwen (AU)
Safari Online made our fantastic family holiday dream come true!!

Safari Online have been nothing but professional and incredible from the time we made our first enquiry to the last day of our stunning holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for Walter. We are now starting to plan our next family Safari for 2019. Guess who we will be booking with??? Safari Online we hope you are ready!!!!!

Penni (AU)
Safari Online were extremely efficient and absolutely charming to work with.

Our 28-day itinerary took us to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. A magnificent and unforgettable adventure. Everything ran smoothly and efficiently from the flights, transfers, rides, connections, etc. Absolutely wonderful! Can’t thank them enough!

Ann and Mario (Canada)
Professional, patient, efficient and responsive. Met all our travel needs and requirements spot on

Communication was excellent – I asked A LOT of questions and did a ton of research myself and Walter was extremely patient with me and very responsive. he was straight forward and extremely professional. Tour itself was excellent – an incredible experience and one never to be forgotten. Everything was spot on.

Neena
Professional, quick and top of the edge service!!!

From the very first contact we’re very happy about the respond time and quality of information from safari-online.com. Based on the received first tailor-made quote, which is a weblink with all the details about the flights, photos of the lodges etc. we knew that this is “our” partner for this trip. Our expectations were excelled!!!

Lukas (Germany)
Karina was absolutely instrumental to our safari success.

Our experience with Safari Online was excellent. After becoming very frustrated trying to search for a safari destination on our own, we turned to Karina for help and she was a lifesaver.  We had an amazing safari adventure at the lodge–the experience of a lifetime–and are so grateful for her help. We literally couldn’t have done it without her!

Chris (USA)
It was a safari of a lifetime and exceeded all of our expectations!

Our mom grew up in Central and South Africa so we had visited the continent many times. My sister and I wanted to take our teens and husbands to Africa to experience the magic. We had a limited budget but big and specific expectations and by some miracle Walter was able to manage both.

Heather (USA)
Walter has always been an excellent communicator and has supported us fully

We have been to Africa for 24 of the last 27 years so know a bit about what is involved. Walter has arranged the details for the last couple of years, and has done a superb job. He is always quick to respond and comes up with answers immediately……..no evasive tactics, always head-on!

Roger (UK)
Very helpful good suggestions for holiday ideas always available for questions good organising

Excellent service and they supplied good suggestions for our holiday they also organised all internal flights and arranged check in for us so we had no worries while on holiday. We have had a most memorable holiday staying at wonderful places thanks to Sabrina and Safari Online. Would recommend Safari Online to organise your holiday.

Lorraine (UK)