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With excellent wildlife, lovely, white sandy island beaches and good transport links between them, Tanzania has huge potential for family safari and beach holidays. In reality, only a handful of safari camps and beach holiday lodges are suitable for family holidays in Tanzania; we've highlighted the best below.
ZANZIBAR
Even as it grows in popularity among travellers, Zanzibar remains a rustic paradise. Large parts of the Zanzibar islands (with exotic names like Mafia Island, Pemba Island and Mnemba) are still pristine, offering you the chance to experience an exotic and authentic Indian Ocean island holiday.
Zanzibar's name alone is evocative of spice, colourful fabrics and exotic beaches fringed by coral reefs. Located off the west coast of Tanzania, this African paradise has a rich history, tropical climate, vibrant multi-cultural people and a variety of Zanzibar accommodation to make Zanzibar island holidays unforgettable.
The markets of Stone Town are always bustling, rich with the sounds of competitive trading and the smells of a thousand spices. The city's old quarter and has been declared a World Heritage Site for its historical and cultural significance. The diving in Zanzibar is considered to be some of the best in the world and diving sites around the islands offer an underwater safari to rival even your most memorable overland adventures.
Diving is excellent all year round, although December - March offers the best scuba diving. Find out the best time to visit Zanzibar before planning your Zanzibar island holiday. And let's not forget the mainland beaches of Tanzania. Pangani and Bagamoyo offer a delightful alternative and are better sutied for those with time constraints. We'll show all the beaches of Tanzania and you'll agree that this is a treasure on the Indian Ocean.
Located right up on the northern coastline of Tanzania, Pangani is a quiet and interesting port that has largely escaped the developments seen elsewhere in Tanzania. Once a very important trading post for slaving in the 19th century, this Arabian and Swahili influence is still prevalent in the architecture and atmosphere. Similar to the lodges to the south of Dar es Salaam, the idyllic beaches around the town now offer a viable alternative to Zanzibar.
As you arrive into this small town, sitting on the mouth of the Pangani River, it is apparent that this is a town that has been forgotten, but was once powerful. Historically the town was at the epicentre of trade into and out of Tanzania in the 18 and 19 hundreds and has featured heavily in the journals of such explorers as Burton. The name itself, some would argue, comes from the Swahili word for “arrange”, alluding to the gathering and arranging of slaves that would have happened here before being put onto boats and shipped out.
The location of the town is relatively new with official reports stating that it was founded by Arab merchants on the north bank of the river in the late 17th century. What remains today, however, is well worth a look and, with resorts such as the Tides only an hour or so away, it makes a good day trip to come into town and wander around, taking in the Swahili ambience.
This small island in the sun has grown in popularity as the fortunes of Zanzibar have grown…the reason being that, on Zanzibar there are around 150 hotels, and on Pemba there are around 3! Getting to the lodges is, in itself a mission, and can involve planes, vehicles and boats….and what you are getting is utter seclusion!
The main town of Chake Chake sits right in the heart of the main island and is the location for the small airport and around 70% of the island’s population. Life has changed very little in this town and on the island, with the main agricultural export being cloves.To talk of Pemba and not mention the diving would be heinous as it offers some of the best along the entire east African coastline with a range of levels, from beginner to advanced. One of the best sites that we have heard about (but, unfortunately not yet dived) is a pinnacle dive out in the Pemba channel where it is possible to see schooling hammerheads…don’t worry, the never come in around the island!
All in all, Pemba offers a bit of everything and excels at a few things. The diving is world class, the beaches on the mainland are reasonable, but there are superb sand bars and spits within minutes, and the general ambience is one of utter seclusion. We have started to really recommend the place.
At around half the size of Pemba to the north, Mafia truly is a getaway from it all. Little has changed on the island for the last century or so and, while coconut exportation is no longer the lucrative enterprise it once was, its bi-products are to be seen all over the island from the roofs to the walls and even the local alcohol.
Life, on the whole, is centered on the small village of Kilindoni, and this dusty collection of huts, set amongst tall palms, is the first view that many see of the island. Like many of the bush strips of the interior, the runway moonlights as the village football pitch and so it is not uncommon to see the game disperse only second before a plane comes in to land! Elsewhere, the main income on the island is now fishing and so there are small huts and communities that have popped up along the short, 50km coastline, making use of the island’s abundant marine life.
For the average tourist, the reason to head to the island is for the fantastic Mafia Island Marine Park that encompasses around 50% of the coastal waters of the island. On top of this, there are a few remnants of Mafia’s more important past, as a trading post for the Omanis’ and also as a small colony for the Germans….a good example of their legacy is on Chole Island where it is possible to wander amongst the overgrown buildings and walls.
