Why Jambiani is the place to be in Zanzibar?
Jambiani is an authentic, beautiful village in Zanzibar. What are the best restaurants, lodges and activities to do in Jambiani? Read all about it.
13 December 2017
Zanzibar’s cultural diversity, beautiful nature and friendly people make this tropical island the perfect getaway. Our favourite place to stay in Zanzibar is Jambiani. And if you love beautiful beaches, exciting activities, nice restaurants with delicious food and authenticity, it will be yours, too.
Fishing village
Jambiani is an old fishing village on the southeast coast of Zanzibar. It’s still really authentic, with only a few small lodges and guest houses, a laid-back vibe and friendly locals who mix with tourists. Their main source of income is fishing and seaweed farming. Here, you can get a good insight into the local way of life and the best thing: everything is in walking distance.
Pick one of the several good restaurants at the beach, enjoy seafood or other local delicacies, and take a little stroll in the sand afterwards. Yes, Jambiani is just that beautiful!
Jambiani beach
Let’s stay at the beach! The 7 kilometre long beach with powdery white sand and swaying palms has hardly any rocks or sea-urchins – contrary to some beaches in the north. The barrier reef lies a few kilometres out, with a beautiful crystal turquoise lagoon in between. This is the perfect place for wading, snorkelling, and diving, and it offers an excellent view of the marine life. Thanks to its steady side shore winds, Jambiani is also an ideal spot for wind or kitesurfing. At high tide it’s nice to swim in the Indian Ocean and at low tide you can enjoy a nice beach walk.
Restaurants in Jambiani
Discovering the many charming restaurants in Jambiani is an activity in itself. You’ll find most of them as part of lodges located at the beach. Enjoy freshly caught seafood, pizza, meat or vegetable dishes and so many more delicious meals. If you love seafood, go to Casa Del Mar to order lobster and Cigal (tasteful Zanzibari lobster) – trust us, you’ll be in culinary heaven! Other good restaurants we can recommend are Nur Beach, Blue Reef and The Loop. The Blue Reef has a wood-fired pizza oven and serves the best pizza in Zanzibar and also great cocktails.
Since there are so many good restaurants in Jambiani, we advise you to book only bed and breakfast at your lodge and not full board.
Live music, food, and drinks in Jambiani
All lodges have their own restaurant where everyone is welcome for a drink or nice meal. To entertain the travellers, they organise live music, happy hours or barbecues at a different lodge every day.
Daily: Happy hour at Blue Reef (5 to 7 pm) – enjoy the perfect mix of music, sunset, and cocktails
Wednesday: Barbecue and disco at New Teddy’s on the Beach (Paje)
Thursday: Barbecue and live music at Demani Lodge, Bar & Restaurant (Paje)
Friday: Live music at Jambo Jambiani Beach Villa
Saturday: Live music at Before
Sunday: Live music at Vuvuzela and Red Monkey Lodge
Lodges in Jambiani
Discover some of the most beautiful Jambiani lodges to unwind in.
Activities in Jambiani
Deep Sea Fishing
We can arrange a half or full day deep sea fishing tour. With a huge variety of fish, such as tuna, marlin, sailfish, barracuda and dorado, the Indian Ocean is famous for excellent game fishing. Sail out to the deep waters to catch some spectacular big fish that can easily weight up to 60 kg.
Scuba diving
The beautiful coral reefs host some of Africa’s finest corals. There are several diving spots and the variety of marine life is impressive. We work together with the diving school Nakupenda, located at The Loop, so that you can meet seahorses, octopuses, stingrays, frogfish, Napoleon fish and turtles in their home.
Kitesurfing
Due to its steady side shore winds, Jambiani is an ideal spot for wind or kitesurfing. The beaches are quiet, and the waters are shallow with little sea-urchins. Of course, you can also ditch the kite and ride the waves with just a board.
Activity just outside Jambiani
Visit local village
Discover local life by visiting a school, tailor or boat builder. You can also see how locals make soap or cream out of seaweed or all the products they create out of coconuts.
Snorkelling at Blue Lagoon
Start the day by driving to Dongwe (15 minutes), where the Blue Lagoon is located. This is one of the best snorkelling spots in Zanzibar due to its beautiful coral and tropical fish. The visibility is good and the depth range, between 1 and 4 metres, is perfect for snorkelling. Treat yourself afterwards to nice food and drinks at The Rock. This restaurant is built on a rock in the ocean. An awesome place to enjoy the views. End the day at Kae Funk in Michamvi where you can experience the most beautiful sunset in Zanzibar.
Our top 4 activities on Zanzibar
Wrapping up
Jambiani is about 55 kilometres from Stone Town which means, it will take you just about 1.5 hours to get there (absolutely worth it!).
You want to see this hidden gem for yourself? Or maybe you’d like to combine relaxation deluxe with a once-in-a-lifetime safari? Whatever you want your Tanzania holiday to look like, get in touch, and we’ll make your dream come true!
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