Unguja beach. Unguja beach is one of the beautiful Zanzibar beaches that travelers can get to explore while on a Zanzibar Island holiday. Unguja, also known as Zanzibar Island is the largest island with white sand beaches, evergreen forests and mangrove wetlands with a variety of options for adventure and relaxation. Unguja is the most popular and famous island. Unguja can be categorised into five main sections including Zanzibar City, Northern, North East, East Coast and the South Coast.
Zanzibar City
Zanzibar city is the capital of Zanzibar and thus the largest city in Unguja. The Zanzibar City has two main parts including Stone Town and Ng’ambo. Ng’ambo literally translates to the other side. Zanzibar city is the main entrance point to the rest of Unguja, which is the starting pint of most Zanzibar Island tours.
Travelers are best advised to spend more time in Stone Town while in Zanzibar city, a town as rich in culture and history as you may get to experience while on a Stone Town tour.
Northern Area
The northern most area of Unguja can be reached by car. The northern most part of Unguja has a number of other beaches including Nungwi beach which is 2-3 hours’ drive from Stone Town and is a popular destination for travelers after swimming, kite surfing and diving. Kendwa beach can also be found here and offers travelers amazing diving and snorkelling adventures.
North East
The north estern part of Unguja is quieter and is perfect for travelers after a bit of quiet and relaxation, if not exclusivity in some of the most luxurious Zanzibar resorts and hotels. Other islands and beaches in the north east of Unguja include Matemwe beach, Pwani and Kiwenga, as well as not so far the beautiful Mnemba Island.
East Coast
The East Coast of Unguja includes some of the unique and more quite Zanzibar island beaches and islands like Paje, Bwejuu, and Jambiani.
Things to Do in Unguja
There is so much to do while in Unguja. Some of the activities in Unguja that travelers can enjoy include swimming, scuba diving, snorkelling, Stone Town tour, Zanzibar spice farm tour, Prison Island visit, dhow ride, swim with dolphins, among so many others. Travelers could also simply choose to stroll their fine white sand beaches of the Zanzibar resorts or hotels they are stay at.
Where to Stay while at Unguja
There are a variety of accommodation to opt for while on a Zanzibar vacation, ranging from simple boutique hotels, backpackers hostels to more all-inclusive resorts and honeymoon retreats. Some of the Unguja hotels and resorts include Chavda Hotel, Ten to Ten Hostel, Flamingo Guest House, Zanzi Resort, Zanzibar Serena Lodge, Dhow Palace Hotel, Nungwi House, Makofi Guest House, Morningstar Bungalows, among so many others.
How to Get to Unguja
Travelers can access Unguja by flying into the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport that operates flights by Ethiopian Airways, Air Tanzania, Kenya Airways, Qatar Airlines, Arkia Israeli Airlines, KLM, Fly Dubai, Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airlines, among so many others. In Tanzania travelers can fly to the Abeid Karume International Airport from Kilimanjaro International Airport, Arusha Airport. Travelers can also opt to take a ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar.
When to Visit Unguja Beach
Just like Tanzania, Unguja has 2 rainy seasons with one shorter than the other, and 2 dry seasons as well. The long wet season falls in the months of March to May with monsoon winds often more then and thus has the beaches less congested and the various Zanzibar hotels and resorts avail discounted rates to travelers. The short rain season falls in the months of October to December, though the rains received then are shorter. The best time to visit Unguja is during the dry season which falls in the months of December to February and June to August, much are crowding should be expected.
Zanzibar Island, or Unguja beach if you may call it, is a beautiful beach holiday destination that travelers ought to consider visiting and be rewarded with amazing beach holiday experiences, also at a much more affordable rate. While you can visit solely for beach holidays, note that you can also combine your Unguja beach holiday with a classic Tanzania safari experience in some of the most sought after Tanzania wildlife safari destinations including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Selous Game Reserve, among so many others. Get in touch with a reputable tour operator to help you pitch an amazing Zanzibar beach holiday, with possibilities of combining it with a Tanzania safari tour.
