6-Day Zanzibar Holiday — One Easy Beach Hotel, Culture, Wildlife & Sea
trip overview
One easy hotel, six very different days.
This 6-day Zanzibar holiday is built around a single beachfront hotel, so there's no packing up and moving hotels partway through your trip — check in once on Day 1 and unpack for good. From that one base, you'll head out on a mix of day trips: a Stone Town & spice tour, the full-day Safari Blue dhow and snorkeling trip, and a nature-focused day combining Jozani Forest's red colobus monkeys with the giant tortoises of Prison Island. In between, two full free days give you plenty of time to simply enjoy the beach. It's an easy trip to navigate — one hotel, one set of directions to remember, and a good spread of culture, wildlife, water and downtime.
day-by-day itinerary
Six days, one hotel, a good mix of everything.
You'll be based at Baraza Sands Beach Hotel on Kiwengwa Beach for all 5 nights — central enough on the east coast that each day trip below is a comfortable drive away and back, with the beach right outside your room every evening.
Arrival & Check-in at Kiwengwa Beach
You'll be met on arrival at Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport and driven straight to Baraza Sands Beach Hotel on Kiwengwa Beach, on the island's east coast. This is where you'll be based for the whole trip, so there's no need to think about hotels again.
The rest of the day is free to settle in, walk the beach and get your bearings before the first day trip tomorrow.
Stone Town City Tour & Spice Farm (Day Trip)
After breakfast, you'll be driven to Stone Town, the island's historic old city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a guided walk through the House of Wonders, the Old Fort, the Old Slave Market memorial and the famous carved Zanzibari doors, with time in the local markets afterwards.
In the afternoon, you'll visit a nearby spice farm to walk among cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom, with tastings along the way, before the drive back to your hotel in Kiwengwa for the night — same room, no re-packing.
Safari Blue Dhow & Snorkeling (Day Trip)
Today you're driven south to Fumba for the full-day Safari Blue tour — a relaxed sailing trip aboard a traditional wooden dhow through Menai Bay's marine-protected waters. Expect snorkeling over coral reefs, a chance to spot dolphins, and time swimming around a sandbank at low tide, with a fresh seafood lunch served on the sand.
In the late afternoon you're driven back across the island to Kiwengwa, so you're sleeping in the same bed again tonight.
Jozani Forest & Prison Island (Day Trip)
A morning walk through Jozani Forest, Zanzibar's last remaining patch of tropical forest, brings you face to face with the rare Zanzibar red colobus monkey, found nowhere else on earth, before a boardwalk through the forest's mangrove lagoon.
In the afternoon, a short boat ride takes you to Prison Island (Changuu), home to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises, some over 100 years old, plus a calm patch of reef just offshore for a bit of snorkeling before heading back to Kiwengwa for your final two nights.
Free Day at Kiwengwa Beach
With three day trips behind you, today is left completely open. Swim, nap on a sun lounger, or just enjoy having nowhere to be — Kiwengwa's wide white beach and calm water are right outside the hotel.
If you'd rather stay active, a few optional add-ons can be arranged and quoted separately: a snorkeling trip out to Mnemba Island, a sunset dhow cruise, or a quad-bike ride along the coast. All are optional — just let us know if you'd like to add one.
Free Morning & Departure
Enjoy a final free morning at the beach or by the pool before checking out of the one hotel you've called home all trip. You'll be transferred back to the airport in time for your onward flight.
where you'll stay
One hotel, the whole trip — that's the whole point.
No changing hotels partway through, no repacking, no second set of directions to give the driver. You check in once and everything else happens around that one base.
This hotel can be swapped for another beachfront property at your preferred comfort level — just ask when booking; the one-hotel, day-trips-only format stays the same.
what's included
Exactly what's covered — and what isn't.
- Airport pick-up & drop-off
- 5 nights at one mid-range beachfront hotel in Kiwengwa (twin/double occupancy)
- Meals as listed on the day-by-day itinerary above
- Guided Stone Town city tour & spice farm tour
- Full-day Safari Blue tour, including snorkeling gear & seafood lunch
- Jozani Forest & Prison Island day trip with entry fees and guide
- Private transfers on every day trip
- Flights to and from Zanzibar
- Travel & medical insurance (required)
- Dinners (except where noted) & the optional Day 5 add-ons
- Alcoholic & bottled soft drinks
- Souvenirs & personal expenses
- Tips for your guides & drivers
- Additional accommodation before or after the tour
Important to know before booking
- Zanzibar is reached by a short flight (roughly 45–75 minutes) from Arusha, Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam — flights are not included and should be booked separately or added to your quote.
- Because you stay at one hotel throughout, day trips involve driving across the island and back on Days 2, 3 and 4 — expect roughly 45–75 minutes each way, which is factored into the day's schedule.
- Stone Town is a conservative, historic town — modest dress covering shoulders and knees is appreciated, especially near mosques and religious sites.
- Bring swimwear, a towel and reef-safe sunscreen for the Safari Blue and Prison Island days — snorkeling gear is provided.
- A Tanzania e-Visa is required for most nationalities and covers Zanzibar as well as the mainland — apply at immigration.go.tz at least 3 weeks before travel.
- A yellow fever certificate may be required depending on your transit country.
pricing
What you'll pay — no hidden extras.
Placeholder price shown below, based on the mid-range hotel named above — update to your actual rate before publishing.
| Option | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6-day Zanzibar mixed-activity holiday 5 nights, one hotel, meals as listed, all day trips included | $1,590 | Per person, twin/double sharing |
Payment & extras
A deposit confirms your booking, with the balance due before departure. Full terms are on our booking policy page.
Flights to and from Zanzibar, any additional accommodation, and the optional Day 5 add-ons can be arranged and quoted separately.
Ready to book your Zanzibar getaway?
Reach out and we'll confirm hotel availability for your dates and send you a full quote.
frequently asked questions
Questions we get asked most often.
Kiwengwa sits centrally enough on Zanzibar's east coast that Stone Town, Safari Blue and Jozani Forest are all comfortable day trips there and back. Staying in one hotel the whole time means no re-packing, no second hotel to research, and a beach to come home to every evening.
Each of the three guided days (Stone Town & spice tour, Safari Blue, and Jozani & Prison Island) runs a full day, roughly 8am to early evening, including the drive there and back. You'll be dropped back at the hotel each night.
Day 5 is left completely open so you can relax at your own pace. If you'd rather stay active, we can arrange a Mnemba Island snorkeling trip, a sunset dhow cruise, or quad biking — all optional and quoted separately.
Yes. Baraza Sands Beach Hotel is our recommended mid-range pick, but we can quote a budget or luxury alternative in Kiwengwa or a nearby beach — just let us know your preference when booking. The one-hotel, day-trips-only format stays the same either way.
Yes — this is a popular add-on after a Kilimanjaro climb or northern circuit safari. Let us know your other travel dates and we can arrange the connecting flight and transfers.
Most nationalities need a Tanzania e-Visa, available at immigration.go.tz, which also covers Zanzibar. A yellow fever certificate may be required depending on your transit country.
We recommend taking out travel insurance as soon as you confirm your booking. Full cancellation and payment terms are on our booking policy page.
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Sunset Dhow Cruise — An Evening on the Water
Dolphin Tour — Kizimkazi Boat Excursion
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Jozani Forest Tour — Red Colobus Monkeys & Mangroves
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