Property Tags: Scuba Diving & Snorkelling

Pongwe Beach Hotel

Location

Pongwe Beach Hotel occupies a secluded bay on Zanzibar’s east coast, 45 kilometres northeast of Stone Town – far enough to escape the tourist bustle but close enough for day trips when island exploration calls. The hour-long drive from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport follows good tarmac roads through rural villages and spice plantations, offering glimpses of local life before the palm trees part to reveal your beachfront sanctuary. The immediate area remains refreshingly undeveloped, with just a handful of small restaurants within walking distance and the sleepy village of Pongwe maintaining its unhurried rhythms despite decades of nearby tourism.

The hotel’s position halfway up the island’s palm-fringed east coast provides easy access to both northern and southern attractions. Kiwengwa’s busier beaches lie 20 minutes north, while the kitesurfing mecca of Paje sits 45 minutes south. Stone Town’s UNESCO World Heritage medina, with its carved doors and spice markets, makes for an essential cultural day trip, though the $60 taxi fare each way means most guests plan these excursions strategically. The protected bay creates an ever-changing beachscape that defines the Pongwe experience – at high tide, warm waters lap just metres from your lounger, while low tide exposes up to 500 metres of sand perfect for beachcombing adventures (sturdy shoes recommended for protection against shells and sea urchins).

Operated independently by English expat Val Preston, who has owned and refined the property over many years, maintaining a philosophy of affordable quality that prioritizes guest satisfaction over profit margins.

Rooms

Pongwe’s 23 rooms scatter across beachfront and gardens in whitewashed cottages topped with traditional makuti thatch, each designed to capture cooling ocean breezes through thoughtfully positioned windows and doors. The property philosophy of “barefoot luxury” extends to room design – expect handcrafted Zanzibari furniture and comfortable four-poster beds draped with mosquito nets rather than contemporary sleekness, though recent upgrades have added air conditioning to most categories alongside the original ceiling fans.

The three Garden Rooms offer exceptional value for those happy to trade sea views for a 30-second beach stroll, with double beds, colourful local textiles, and shaded verandas perfect for afternoon reading. The 11 Beach Front Rooms deliver exactly what the name promises – direct beach access with ocean views from your terrace, where morning coffee delivery becomes a ritual worth setting an alarm for. These semi-detached cottages maintain privacy while fostering the friendly atmosphere that defines Pongwe, with two units interconnecting for families.

Four Sea View Suites raise the comfort level with private plunge pools and extra space, positioned to capture the best ocean vistas while maintaining easy beach access. The two Two-Bedroom Beach Front Suites provide ideal family accommodation with master bedrooms, twin rooms, and private plunge pools spanning 120 square metres of living space plus 80-square-metre terraces.

The property’s newest additions, two Cliff Ocean Suites and one Cliff Ocean Superior Suite, represent Pongwe’s highest specification accommodations. These contemporary spaces feature king-size beds, sitting areas with daybeds (convertible for children), and private decks with plunge pools overlooking the ocean. The Superior Suite adds wrap-around decking with private dining areas, perfect for honeymooners seeking extra privacy without sacrificing the property’s welcoming atmosphere.

Communal Areas

The heart of Pongwe Beach Hotel pulses through its open-sided timber and thatch pavilion, where ocean breezes flow freely between bar, lounge, and restaurant spaces. This central gathering place manages the delicate balance between providing social opportunities and preserving peaceful retreat – conversations flow as naturally as the evening cocktails, but nobody judges if you prefer your book’s company. The infinity pool, positioned to blur boundaries between chlorinated blue and ocean azure, becomes a natural congregation point during afternoon heat, with poolside service ensuring cold drinks appear before you realize you’re thirsty.

The beachfront transforms throughout the day from sunrise yoga platform to afternoon siesta sanctuary, with hammocks strung between palms and traditional makuti parasols providing shade options. A complimentary tea and coffee station operates throughout the day, while the 4pm appearance of fresh fruit and home-baked treats has achieved legendary status among repeat guests. The small spa offers massages in a poolside pavilion where ocean sounds provide the soundtrack – nothing fancy, but skilled hands know how to unknot safari-cramped shoulders.

Activities

Despite its peaceful demeanour, Pongwe offers enough activities to satisfy restless spirits without disturbing those committed to hammock meditation. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and mountain bikes are complimentary, with the tidal rhythms determining optimal usage times – high tide for paddling through warm, clear waters; low tide for cycling expeditions to neighboring villages. The house reef, one kilometre offshore, provides respectable snorkeling when conditions align, though trips to Mnemba Atoll (additional cost applies) deliver the spectacular underwater experiences serious snorkelers seek.

Fishing enthusiasts can arrange traditional dhow excursions targeting kingfish and barracuda (additional cost applies), while cultural explorers might combine Stone Town’s historical sites with a spice farm tour. Jozani Forest’s red colobus monkeys make an easy half-day excursion (additional cost applies), though many guests find the hotel’s resident creatures – bush babies emerging at dusk, tropical birds in the gardens – entertainment enough. The hotel gladly arranges diving trips to top sites (additional cost applies), though the distance from prime locations means dedicated divers might choose properties closer to the action.

 

Matemwe Lodge

Location

These bungalows can be found on the northern edge of Matemwe village in north-east Zanzibar. They sit on a small ridge of coral rock just metres above the atoll, a few minutes’ walk from the beach and a short distance from its sister property, Matemwe Retreat. From here there are great views looking out towards Mnemba Island. This peaceful, remote position is a rare feat for any ‘beach property,’ and its white sands make it yet more desirable.

Rooms

There are 12 whitewashed stone bungalows altogether, all sea-facing and with thatched roofs. The interiors combine elegance with a natural, rustic feel through the pairing of high-quality fittings with traditional furnishings, including the Zanzibari game of baoboard. These comfortable, spacious bungalows have great ocean views in private surroundings, and each comes with a generously-sized bathroom complete with a luxury Persian stone bath.

Out on the veranda, there is a double hammock perfect for lazing in the shade. At high tide, waves crash up against the cliff and rocks just in front of the lodge and rooms; whether this sound is comforting or off-putting is down to personal preference.

Communal Areas

Matemwe’s relaxed communal areas are located just a short walk from a quiet and perfectly white sandy beach. This is a public beach, used by residents of the nearby village of Matemwe, however this the case with all beaches on Zanzibar. The beach, accommodation, and communal facilities are connected by flower-lined pathways. It is here that you can also spot a giant chess board with prawns for pawns!

The restaurant offers great service, a varied menu and views that stretch across the Indian Ocean to a second, south-facing beach, where fishermen can be seen taking in the day’s catch.

Activities

Onsite facilities at Matemwe are simple, as you would expect from such a small property. There is, however, a good range of activities offered at Matemwe, including sailing in traditional nglawa outriggers, snorkelling, kite-surfing, diving and big-game fishing, as well as reef-walks, bike-hire and day-trips with picnics.

 

The Residence Zanzibar

Location

This resort occupies 32 hectares of land on the South West Zanzibar Coast. It has a private, west-facing beach that welcomes outstanding sunsets each evening. Given the large scale of the resort, you are provided with a bicycle and golf cart with which to get around. A nearby fishing village called Kizimkazi has a coast that is well-suited for swimming with dolphins.

Rooms

The Residence has a total of 66 luxury villas, each with its own private and generously sized 8×3-metre swimming pool with sundeck and loungers, all surrounded by stunning gardens. Each villa has a large lounge, master bedroom, and indoor and outdoor showers.

These villas are spacious and luxurious with sleek modern designs, however the sheer scale of the resort and uniformity of its design means it lacks the personality offered by smaller, more traditional properties. The Residence feels as if it could be in a beach resort anywhere in the world.

Having said this, the rooms are finished to a very high standard, with beautiful imported fabrics and woods from Indonesia and Malaysia and a choice between ocean- or –garden-facing views. Each room also comes with its own personal butler, who is always just a call away.

Communal Areas

The main lodge enfolds a huge infinity pool, where there are plenty of spaces for sun-lounging. This lodge is large and not very intimate, and we found that the service didn’t match the standard of accommodation – though this should improve in time as the resort becomes more established.

Activities

The great onsite facilities at The Residence are primarily water-based, and include (at no extra cost) kayaking, sailing, snorkelling, pedal boating, fishing, and swimming. For an additional fee, guests can also try out kite surfing, deep-sea fishing or diving. Out of the water, The Residence offers a fitness centre and tennis court, and, when you want to relax, free yoga classes. The resort’s excellent spa facilities are one of its star attractions, offering a large range of massages and beauty treatments, as well as hairdressing and make-up.

Kilindi

Location

Kilindi can be found on the island’s north-western coast. Although it is not far from the party beaches and mass-market hotels of Kendwa, its location is far more peaceful and secluded.

The beach directly in front of Kilindi is quite small, but a 20-minute coastal walk from the resort will take you to Kendwa Rocks, known as one of Zanzibar’s best beaches.

Rooms

There are 15 guestrooms available at Kilindi, all with uninterrupted seafront views and set within private tropical gardens. With their domed roofs and whitewashed walls, these private villas have an efficient and attractive eco-design that deflects heat and collects rainwater for the gardens. Each consists of a lounge, bedroom, large wet-room, a shaded sundeck, and two plunge pools.

Communal Areas

Communal areas at Kilindi are housed in distinctive domed structures that pair understated Scandinavian elegance with Middle Eastern splendour. In a two-storey pavilion, you will find the lounge, where seating areas and coffee tables sit beneath chic gold lanterns and interesting artwork. The top floor flows out onto the roof, where you can fully take in the ocean views.

This grandeur extends to the restaurant, where excellent food is served overlooking the ocean and Kilindi’s impressive 25m infinity pool. Buffet breakfasts, light lunches and formal dinners are all served here.

Anyone in need of some pampering can head to the spa, which occupies a secluded location within the gardens and offers an extensive range of massages, facials, and body wraps.

Activities

Given the size of the property it is no surprise that the onsite facilities are not as sophisticated as in high-end resorts on Zanzibar. This is a necessary sacrifice for such an intimate and private property. A good range of activities is available however, including watersports ranging from water-skiing and jet-skiing to banana boat trips, ringo rides and hobie catting.

Guests can try their hand at fly-fishing and deep-sea fishing, as well as scuba diving and snorkelling. Land-based trips and tours are available, and guests can even enjoy a private sunset dhow cruise along the island’s coastline.

The Tides Lodge

Location

Tides Lodge is close to Pangani on Tanzania’s north-east coast. The upside of the property’s remote location is that once you arrive, you’re likely to have the beach to yourself. The lodge sits on the scenic Ushongo beach, whose white sands are fringed with palm trees.

Rooms

The seven beach cottages are well spaced along either side of the lodge’s main area, where palm trees offer privacy and shelter. Rooms are bright and airy with simple designs. A sea-facing veranda on each cottage contains a private sunbathing area and king-sized sun loungers. A private lodging, Mawimbi Villa, has large, secluded gardens and four wings sleeping twelve people.

Communal Areas

Tide Lodge’s main area is an open wood-and-bamboo structure located right on the beach edge. A nice pool is set away from the beach. The restaurant offers great, simple food, and the staff appear genuinely delighted to help or simply talk with you.

Activities

Activities include kayaking, dhow or dingy-sailing, snorkelling and scuba-diving (not usually possible from mainland Tanzanian properties). Unlike Zanzibar, which is surrounded by a coral reef and where at low tide the water retreats nearly a mile out, Tides Lodge rests on a sand beach where swimming is possible all day. Nearby Maziwe Island boasts pure white sand and pristine reefs, and lucky snorkelers may glimpse dolphins and sea turtles. Upon request, Tides can set out lunch for you here, making an unforgettable experience.

Guests may take a fishing village tour, visit the nearby Saadani National Park, or take a historic tour around Pangani, a sleepy backwater town loaded with history and largely untainted by tourism.

Mnemba Island

Location

Mnemba Island sits 3 kilometres off Zanzibar’s northeast coast opposite Muyuni Beach, positioned where warm Indian Ocean currents create 20-30 metre visibility and 27°C water temperatures year-round. The triangular island spans roughly 500 metres in diameter, small enough that you’ll hear waves breaking on all sides from your banda. The journey from Stone Town requires a 90-minute drive through spice plantations and local villages before reaching the departure point near Matemwe, followed by a 10-15 minute boat crossing that can turn adventurous when afternoon winds pick up.

The island forms part of the Mnemba-Chwaka Bay Marine Conservation Area, a protected zone where green turtles have nested for centuries and dolphins patrol the drop-offs. This positioning at the edge of the continental shelf means the house reef plunges from ankle-deep shallows to 40-metre walls within swimming distance—a rarity that makes Mnemba exceptional for both snorkelling and diving. During low tide, the exposed reef flat extends the island’s footprint dramatically, creating temporary tide pools where octopi hunt and coconut crabs emerge.

The isolation that defines Mnemba’s appeal also means weather dependencies matter. Boat transfers halt in darkness and rough seas, so afternoon arrivals risk delays during the October-March monsoon transitions. The protected western side provides calm anchorage most of the year, though April-May closures acknowledge when nature makes the island genuinely inaccessible.

Rooms

Rather than fighting the tropical environment, Mnemba’s accommodation embraces it completely. The 11 beachside bandas and one family banda use traditional construction—woven palm fronds for walls, makuti thatch overhead, polished concrete floors that stay cool underfoot. Each banda spans 126 square metres set within private forest clearings 10-15 metres apart, close enough for easy access to communal areas yet far enough for complete privacy.

The open-air design means ocean breezes flow continuously through your living space. Canvas curtains on runners let you control privacy without blocking airflow, though most guests quickly abandon any pretence of enclosure. Your bedroom centres on a hand-carved Zanzibari bed draped in mosquito netting—essential given the open design—with built-in benches and niches eliminating the need for freestanding furniture. The aesthetic mixes shipwreck romanticism with Swahili craftsmanship: scrolled wooden headboards, brass lanterns, cushions covered in coastal textiles.

Bathrooms connect via covered walkways lined with cowrie shells and coral fragments. Double vanities carved from single pieces of wood face an open shower with glass-bead curtains that catch the light. There’s no bath—the ocean serves that purpose—but the separate toilet offers the only fully enclosed space on the property. Outside each banda, a foot bath becomes surprisingly essential when you’re perpetually sandy.

The family banda expands the standard design with an additional children’s room featuring twin beds and its own bathroom, connected yet separate enough for both togetherness and privacy. With only two children under 12 permitted on the island at any time, families essentially get exclusive use of this corner of paradise.

Your private beach sala sits roughly 20 metres from your banda—a raised platform with day beds and loungers where butlers materialise with cold towels and fresh coconut water just when you need them. Here the genius of Mnemba’s layout becomes clear: everyone has ocean frontage without anyone overlooking anyone else.

Communal Areas

The main lodge occupies the island’s highest point—perhaps three metres above sea level—where coastal forest opens to panoramic ocean views. The open-sided structure uses massive reclaimed dhow timber for posts and beams, with a makuti thatch roof that seems to float above the dining and lounge areas. There are no walls, just different zones flowing into each other: sink-into sofas around a coral-stone coffee table, a communal dining table that seats everyone when the mood strikes, a bar where the bartender knows your preferred sundowner by the second night.

The beach shop, tucked discretely into the forest, stocks necessities you forgot (reef-safe sunscreen, a hat) alongside beautiful Zanzibari textiles and jewellery that make meaningful souvenirs. The wellness banda houses two treatment rooms where therapists use African botanicals for massages that leave you boneless, plus a yoga deck where daily sessions begin before the heat builds.

The dive centres—one on the island’s north side, another on the south to ensure easy departures regardless of wind direction—rank among the Indian Ocean’s best-equipped PADI facilities. The library feels almost redundant when nature provides such entertainment, though the selection of field guides proves useful for identifying the birds that wake you at dawn.

What strikes you most is how the communal areas never feel communal in the crowded sense. With only 24 guests maximum, there’s always a quiet corner, an empty lounger, a stretch of beach that feels entirely yours. The design encourages interaction when you want it—sunset drinks at the bar become naturally social—while protecting solitude when you don’t.

Activities

Mnemba’s location at the edge of the continental shelf creates diving conditions that PADI instructors dream about: 20-30 metre visibility, water temperatures hovering around 27°C year-round, and dive sites ranging from shallow coral gardens to 40-metre walls, all within a 20-minute boat ride. Your stay includes two dives daily with certified dive masters who know every cleaning station and octopus den. The house reef, accessible directly from the beach, serves as an ideal check-out dive or night diving spot where ghost pipefish and seahorses hide in the sea grass.

If you’re not certified, the Discover Scuba programme introduces basics in chest-deep water before guided dives to 12 metres—enough to encounter most of Mnemba’s underwater residents. Full certification courses run continuously for those wanting to upgrade skills. The mandatory refresher for anyone without recent dives ensures safety while acknowledging that Mnemba’s conditions differ from wherever you learned.

Snorkelling requires no certification yet reveals nearly as much marine life. The waters directly off your banda hold enough interest for hours, while guided snorkelling trips explore the outer reef where green turtles surface and dolphins occasionally cruise past. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and traditional ngalawa outriggers let you explore at your own pace. The sunset dhow cruise has become ritualistic—sailing into the sunset on a traditional wooden boat while the crew serves drinks and canapes.

Seasonal variations add special moments: green turtles nest on Mnemba’s beaches year-round but peak from April to July, with hatchlings emerging 60 days later in scenes that reduce grown adults to tears. The island’s conservation team turns these into educational experiences, explaining how they’ve monitored nests for over 20 years.

Cultural excursions to Stone Town reveal Zanzibar’s complex history through its carved doors and spice markets, while trips to working spice plantations explain why Zanzibar still bears the “Spice Island” nickname. The commitment to community development means village visits showcase real projects rather than staged authenticity.

Breezes Beach Club

Location

Breezes sits on a pleasant stretch of beach along the Michamvi Peninsula, on the south-east of the island. This is a spectacular beach, with powdery white sand and clear waters, although in recent years there has been an increase in beach sellers touting day trips and sunglasses.

Rooms

With 70 rooms available, Breezes lacks the intimate feel offered in smaller-scale properties.

There are three different categories of room available – standard, deluxe, and suites. They are similar in décor and size, but deluxe rooms are located closer to the beach than standard rooms, while suites have larger bathrooms, a walk-in wardrobe, a private sunbathing area, and an upper-deck balcony.

All rooms are housed in timber-and-thatch bungalows, with adequate air-conditioning, double or twin beds, a sofa bed, and comfortable seating. Furnishings are a tasteful mix of crisp white linen, warm gold tones, dark woods and brass lanterns. Due to the rectangular nature of the site guests are not guaranteed a sea-view, however the beachfront is only a short walk away.

Communal Areas

Breezes offers a sizeable range of onsite restaurant and bar options, with options varying from beachfront dining to more intimate candlelit dinners for two in the Safari Bar. Guests keen to work off those extra calories can make use of the resort’s ample fitness facilities, while those simply looking to relax can do so on the beach (one of the nicest on the island) or in the award-winning Frangipani Spa, which offers facials, body treatments, and massages.

Activities

There is an exceptional array of activities offered at Breezes, ranging from sports to entertainment. In addition to a spacious swimming pool, floodlit tennis court, well-equipped fitness centre, movie room and water-sports centre, the wide-ranging facilities also cater for volleyball, floating trampolines, kite surfing, snorkelling and bike hire.

The Rising Sun Dive Centre provides first-class diving facilities, with well-trained instructors who will accompany you on dives along the fantastic 65km reef a mile offshore. Guests can also take part in guided reef walks, where you will discover the local marine life’s natural habitat.

Baraza Resort and Spa

Location

Baraza occupies a prime position along Bwejuu Paje Beach on Zanzibar’s southeast coast, where powder white sand stretches for nearly 20 kilometres and low tide transforms the oceanfront into a natural aquarium waiting to be explored. The resort sits approximately 50 to 60 kilometres from Zanzibar International Airport, with transfers taking just under an hour along excellent tarmac roads – close enough for convenience yet far enough to feel properly removed from Stone Town’s beautiful chaos. The location places you in the heart of the island’s kitesurfing corridor, where consistent trade winds between May and October transform the shallow lagoon into a playground for beginners and experts alike.

Like all east coast properties, Baraza experiences dramatic tidal variations with water receding up to 1.5 kilometres at low tide, revealing expansive sand flats perfect for guided reef walks where you discover trapped octopi, colourful starfish, and coral formations normally hidden beneath the waves. The Rock Restaurant, that famous image of a restaurant perched on a rocky outcrop surrounded by water, sits just minutes away near Pingwe – though it looks best at high tide when waves lap against its foundations. The immediate area around Bwejuu village maintains an authentic feel despite tourism growth, with local fishermen still launching their ngalawa outriggers at dawn and the Tuesday market offering everything from fresh octopus to hand woven baskets.

Operated by The Zanzibar Collection, a family owned company dedicated to preserving Zanzibar’s spirit through close cooperation with local communities while maintaining world class facilities. Within the immediate Michamvi Peninsula region, sister properties include The Palms, an intimate adults only retreat with seven villas offering total seclusion; Breezes Beach Club, a relaxed 70 room resort perfect for families; and Zawadi Hotel, a contemporary clifftop sanctuary with spectacular ocean views.

Rooms

Zanzibar’s sultanate heritage lives on through Baraza’s 30 villas, where dramatic Swahili arches, hand carved cement decorations, and intricate brass lanterns create palaces in miniature. The design philosophy embraces maximalist luxury – no surface goes unadorned, no corner lacks character, with handmade furniture and antiques sourced from across the Indian Ocean trade routes creating spaces that feel collected rather than decorated.

The one bedroom villas span 148 square metres, featuring master bedrooms with walk in dressing rooms, en suite bathrooms with freestanding tubs, separate living areas with Sultan’s lounge beds (essentially ornate daybeds perfect for afternoon reading), and private terraces with plunge pools. The level of detail astounds – hand carved wooden doors that take two people to open, copper fixtures aged to perfect patina, and textiles that reference both Arabic geometry and Swahili patterns.

The two bedroom villas expand to 193 square metres, adding second bedrooms with twin beds and en suite shower rooms – ideal for families where children need their own space or friends travelling together. The extra room doesn’t diminish the grandeur; if anything, it amplifies the palace feeling with additional archways and carved details creating natural separation between spaces.

The single Royal Beach Villa stretches across 254 square metres with two master bedrooms, each with en suite bathrooms, plus a central lounge with uninterrupted seafront views and a larger plunge pool. This represents the apex of Baraza’s ambitions – essentially a private residence within the resort where every detail has been elevated, from the hand painted ceiling details to the antique doors sourced from Lamu.

What sets these villas apart isn’t just size but the commitment to creating fully realised environments. Air conditioning hides behind carved screens, televisions disappear into antique chests, and modern amenities integrate seamlessly into spaces that could have existed centuries ago. The private plunge pools, shaded by makuti thatch and surrounded by carved privacy screens, become secret courtyards where you can float while listening to the ocean just metres away.

Communal Areas

Baraza’s communal spaces read like a dissertation on Indo Arabic architectural fusion, with every pavilion, terrace, and pathway contributing to the sultanate narrative. The main swimming pool stretches alongside the beach, flanked by the Frangipani Spa featuring its own lap pool with underwater music, indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, plus treatment rooms where therapists from Thailand, Bali, and India practise their crafts. The spa’s Sultan’s Bath – the signature couples’ treatment – transforms bathing into ceremony with rose petals, essential oils, and private pavilions overlooking the ocean.

The dining venues scatter across the property like separate palaces, each with distinct character. The Livingstone Terrace operates as an open air restaurant serving breakfast daily and dinner on select evenings, with views across the pool to the ocean beyond. Sebule, the lunch venue, offers lighter fare including daily specials and pizzas between 12:30 and 2pm. The Sultan’s Dining Room elevates dinner into theatre with menus drawing from Arabic, Indian, Persian, and Swahili traditions, while the Dhahbu Bar & Lounge provides the setting for sundowners and digestifs.

The Water Club, positioned directly on the beach, serves as headquarters for all water based activities. Here, equipment for various sports awaits, while instructors prepare beginners for their first kitesurfing attempts or guide experienced sailors through the channels between coral heads. The fitness centre and tennis court occupy a discrete corner of the property, far enough from villas to avoid disturbing the peace yet convenient for those maintaining routines.

The kids’ club reflects Swahili culture’s embrace of children with dedicated facilities including toys, games, and supervised activities that range from sandcastle competitions to junior cooking classes. The genius lies in its location – close enough for easy supervision yet separate enough that adults seeking child free tranquillity never hear a sound.

Activities

As Zanzibar’s first approved kite school with IKO certified instructors, Baraza’s Water Club has established itself as the island’s premier water sports centre, where state of the art equipment meets perfect learning conditions in the protected lagoon. The shallow, warm waters between the beach and reef create ideal training grounds for beginners, while experienced kiters can venture further out where stronger winds and deeper channels provide proper challenges. Kitesurfing lessons and equipment rental (additional cost applies), along with windsurfing instruction and sailing lessons on Hobie Cat boats (both additional cost applies), run throughout the season with professional guidance. Kayaking through the mangrove channels that line parts of the coast comes included with your stay, offering peaceful exploration at your own pace.

The Rising Sun Dive Centre operates as Zanzibar’s only PADI 5* Gold Palm and National Geographic Dive Centre, taking small groups of maximum six divers to explore the surrounding reefs (additional cost applies). The coral reefs around Zanzibar host over 500 marine species, with the famous Mnemba Atoll – roughly an hour by boat – offering encounters with turtles, dolphins, and between September and December, whale sharks. Night dives reveal entirely different ecosystems with Spanish Dancer nudibranchs, hunting lionfish, and bioluminescent plankton creating underwater fireworks. Diving courses from complete beginner to professional levels run throughout the year.

The daily reef safari at low tide has become Baraza’s signature experience (included), with expert guides leading walks across the exposed reef, pointing out octopi hiding in coral crevices, demonstrating how starfish regenerate lost arms, and explaining the complex ecology of these tidal pools. Snorkelling trips venture to different spots depending on tides and seasons, with equipment provided and instruction available for nervous swimmers – all included in your stay.

Cultural activities weave throughout the weekly schedule – Swahili lessons under palm trees, palm weaving workshops, cooking classes focusing on spice use, and Bao games (traditional African strategy game) in the evening. Excursions venture beyond the property to Prison Island’s giant tortoises, spice farm tours exploring Zanzibar’s aromatic heritage, Jozani Forest to spot rare red colobus monkeys, and Stone Town’s labyrinthine streets (all additional cost applies).

The beach itself provides endless entertainment, from morning jogs along firm sand at low tide to sunset volleyball games organized by staff. Traditional Swahili dancers perform regularly, while the resident Taarab band plays music that would have entertained the Sultan’s court in the 1880s – an effort to preserve this iconic art form for future generations.