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Paje & Jambiani
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Paje & Jambiani

Kitesurfing Lagoons and Seaweed Farms on the East Coast

Plan this trip
3 daysIdeal stay₹4,760From / night₹1,900Food / day₹1,140Entry

Zanzibar's east coast: long white beaches behind a reef lagoon that drains far out at low tide (wading to the seaweed farms) and fills turquoise at high tide. Paje is Africa's best-known kitesurfing beach, windy from June to September and December to February; Jambiani to the south is a quieter fishing village. The Rock restaurant on its rock at Michamvi and the red colobus monkeys of Jozani Forest are near. Many small east-coast hotels close in the April-May long rains.

Highlights

  • Kitesurf lesson on Paje lagoon
  • Red colobus monkeys in Jozani Forest
  • Lunch at The Rock
  • Walk out to the seaweed farms at low tide
  • Kuza cave swim
  • Jambiani village and fishing dhows

Things to do

  • Beginner kitesurf lesson on Paje lagoonJun–Sep, Dec–MarMorning · 3h
  • Jozani Forest and the red colobus monkeysMorning · 3h
  • Lunch at The Rock, MichamviAfternoon · 2h
  • Low-tide walk to the seaweed farmsAfternoon · 2h
  • Kuza cave swimAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: June – October, December – February

Worth knowing

Many East-Coast Hotels Closed

Many small hotels and restaurants in Paje, Jambiani and Bwejuu close for the long rains in April and May, and it rains most days. Those that stay open cut their rates; check that yours is open before you book, or stay in Nungwi or Kendwa, where more resorts stay open.

Worth knowing

Zanzibar's Compulsory Travel Insurance

Every visitor to Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation's inbound travel insurance, US$44 a person (US$22 for children aged 3-17), valid up to 92 days, even with another policy. Buy it online before you arrive; it is checked at the airport and the ferry port.

Heads up

Ramadan in Zanzibar

Ramadan 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 9 March. Many local restaurants and cafes in Stone Town close until sunset, and eating, drinking or smoking in the street by day causes offence; cover shoulders and knees, and swimwear stays on the beach. Hotels and resorts serve visitors normally. Eid (about 10 March) fills the ferries and flights.

  • Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr — Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim. During Ramadan (expected about 8 February to 9 March 2027, by moon sighting) many local restaurants in Stone Town close until sunset, eating, drinking and smoking in public by day is frowned on, and modest dress matters more than ever; hotels and beach resorts serve visitors as usual. The evenings are lively, and Eid (about 10 March 2027) brings three days of celebration, fairs and full ferries.
  • Mwaka Kogwa (Shirazi New Year), Makunduchi — The Shirazi new year in Makunduchi village in Zanzibar's south, usually in late July: a ritual mock fight with banana stems, the burning of a hut, then feasting, music and dancing. A short drive from Jambiani; visitors are welcome.
  • Christmas and New Year peak — The busiest fortnight of the year in Zanzibar and on the northern circuit: lodges set peak rates and minimum stays, Zanzibar resorts add gala dinners, and Kilimanjaro climbs fill. Book lodges, bush flights and the climb by September or October.