Zanzibar has enchanted travelers for centuries — Omani sultans, Persian merchants, Portuguese explorers, and spice traders all left their imprint on these Indian Ocean islands, creating a cultural mosaic unlike anywhere else in Africa. This eight-day luxury itinerary takes you deep into the heart of the archipelago, beginning with three nights in Stone Town, the UNESCO World Heritage old quarter of Zanzibar City, before flying north to Pemba Island, the lesser-known "Green Island" whose pristine reefs, untouched forests, and intimate luxury resorts offer an experience worlds apart from the tourist mainstream.
Stone Town rewards the curious. Its labyrinth of narrow streets reveals carved Zanzibari doors of astonishing craftsmanship, rooftop restaurants overlooking the harbor, bustling markets fragrant with cloves and cinnamon, and historic sites that tell the complex story of the East African coast. On Day 4, a short flight carries you to Pemba Island, known to early Omani sailors as "The Green" for its lush, hilly interior blanketed in clove plantations and tropical forest. Here you'll stay at a luxury beachfront resort famous for its underwater room — a floating structure with a bedroom submerged beneath the ocean surface, where reef fish glide past your window as you drift off to sleep.
Carved doors, the slave market, the Sultan's Palace, and the Forodhani night market
One night beneath the Indian Ocean, reef fish visible through glass beside your bed
Coral walls, turtles, reef sharks, and the deep Pemba Channel
A working spice farm and the story of the world's clove capital
What makes this itinerary so compelling is the contrast between its two halves. Stone Town is vibrant, layered, and intensely social — a place where history lives in every carved doorway. Pemba is serene, remote, and elemental — a place where the natural world dominates and human presence feels like a footnote. Together, they offer the fullest possible experience of the Zanzibar Archipelago: culture and nature, history and wilderness, energy and stillness.
June through October and December through February bring the driest weather and the clearest diving conditions around Pemba's coral walls.
The shoulder months of March, June, September, and November offer lower rates and quieter streets in Stone Town, with a chance of brief showers. We recommend avoiding the long rains from April through May, when some Pemba dive sites see reduced visibility.
Upon arrival at Zanzibar International Airport, you are met by a Nashivai representative and transferred to your boutique hotel in the heart of Stone Town, a restored merchant's house with rooms arranged around a central courtyard, hand-carved furniture, and a rooftop terrace overlooking the old city and harbor. The remainder of the afternoon is yours to begin exploring at your own pace — the call to prayer echoing from a nearby mosque, the scent of cloves drifting from a spice vendor's stall, sunset painting the whitewashed walls gold. In the evening, wander down to the Forodhani Gardens night market, where vendors grill octopus and kingfish skewers, press sugar-cane juice to order, and serve Zanzibar pizza under strings of colored lights — the perfect introduction to the island.
After breakfast on the rooftop, your private Swahili guide leads a walking tour through Stone Town, beginning at the 17th-century Old Fort and the House of Wonders, the former Sultan's Palace. The tour continues through the former slave market, now the site of the Anglican Cathedral, an essential and sobering stop for understanding Zanzibar's history. Wander on through the maze of streets admiring the famous carved Zanzibari doors and the bustling Darajani Market, before a traditional Swahili lunch on a rooftop terrace — coconut fish curry, pilau rice, and passion-fruit juice.
In the afternoon, visit a working spice farm on the outskirts of town, where vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, and the prized Zanzibar clove all grow side by side. Your guide leads you through the plantation to smell, taste, and identify each spice fresh from the plant, ending with a farm-to-table snack of fresh fruit, spiced tea, and coconut bread. Return to Stone Town for a free evening — your guide can point you to the best rooftop restaurants overlooking the harbor.
A short dhow ride carries you to Prison Island, home to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises — some over 150 years old — that roam freely and can be gently approached. Spend the morning exploring the island and snorkeling the reef off its beach, then return to Stone Town for a free afternoon, ideal for browsing the city's antique shops and jewelry workshops. In the late afternoon, board a traditional wooden dhow for a sunset cruise along the coast, with chilled wine and canapés served as the sky turns copper and violet over the old city skyline. Enjoy a final Stone Town dinner at one of the waterfront seafood restaurants.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the short flight north to Pemba Island, its interior a swirl of deep-green clove plantations and mangrove-fringed creeks fringed by white sand. A resort vehicle meets you at the airstrip for the scenic drive through villages and mango groves to your beachfront resort of just sixteen rooms, each with an ocean-facing deck and outdoor shower. The centerpiece is the resort's floating Underwater Room, whose bedroom sits below the surface surrounded by glass panels opening onto the reef — you'll spend one night here during your stay. The remainder of the afternoon is free to settle in, swim, and snorkel the house reef before your first dinner of fresh-caught fish and Swahili curries.
Pemba sits on the edge of the deep Pemba Channel, and today you discover why it's one of the great dive destinations of the Indian Ocean. Two guided dives take you from shallow coral gardens to sheer walls dropping into the blue, where Napoleon wrasse, giant trevally, schooling barracuda, and reef sharks are common, with green turtles nearly guaranteed and a chance of whale sharks or manta rays. Non-divers can snorkel the house reef or join a guided excursion to nearby Misali Island's marine-protected reefs. In the afternoon, kayak the mangroves, paddleboard, or simply relax by the pool.
Tonight is your night in the Underwater Room. As the sun sets, a private boat takes you out to the floating structure, where you descend to the submerged bedroom and watch the reef's evening shift unfold outside the glass — parrotfish settling in for the night, triggerfish returning to their nests, and nocturnal predators emerging from the deep.
Begin with a gentle sea-kayak paddle through Pemba's mangrove channels, where kingfishers perch on exposed roots and fiddler crabs wave from the mudflats, your guide explaining the mangrove's role as a nursery for the ocean's food chain. For anglers, an optional deep-sea fishing excursion can be arranged in the morning — the Pemba Channel is renowned for yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dorado, and giant trevally, all fished on a catch-and-release basis. In the late afternoon, visit a local Pemba village to meet the elders, watch cloves being harvested and dried, and see women weaving palm-frond mats, with a portion of your visit fee supporting the village community fund.
Your final full day on Pemba is devoted to Misali Island, a tiny uninhabited coral island thirty minutes by boat, surrounded by a marine conservation area with some of the richest reef systems in the western Indian Ocean. Spend the morning snorkeling over pristine coral gardens, grazing turtles, and the occasional reef shark, with a picnic lunch served on the sand beneath the palms. Return to the resort mid-afternoon for a swim or spa treatment before the evening's farewell sunset dhow cruise along Pemba's coast, champagne in hand as the sky turns copper over the mangrove islands. A special farewell dinner is served on the beach by lantern light.
A final breakfast overlooking the ocean and, if time allows, one last swim from the beach before the resort vehicle transfers you to the airstrip for your flight back to Zanzibar, where you connect with your onward international flight or the start of a mainland safari extension. If you're combining this trip with a Serengeti or Northern Circuit safari, Nashivai coordinates all internal flights and transfers seamlessly.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing a double or twin room.
| Season | Dates | Price (Per Person) | Single Supp. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Season | Apr 1 – May 31 & Nov 1 – Dec 19 | $2,490 | $450 | Available |
| Shoulder | Jun 1 – Jul 31 & Sep 1 – Oct 31 | $2,890 | $550 | Available |
| Peak Season | Aug & Dec 20 – Mar 31 | $3,490 | $750 | Limited |
Price includes accommodation, meals as specified, internal flights (Zanzibar–Pemba return), all tours and activities listed, and airport/hotel transfers. Your Underwater Room night is included regardless of season and is not affected by the single supplement.
Book a 3+ day safari with Nashivai and add this island extension for 5% off the island rate.
Combine a Kilimanjaro climb with this beach extension for 10% off the island rate.
| Day | Accommodation | Type | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1–3 | Boutique Heritage Hotel, Stone Town | Boutique Hotel | ★★★★ |
| Days 4–7 | The Manta Resort, Pemba (incl. 1 night Underwater Room) | Luxury Beach Resort | ★★★★★ |
The tour begins and ends at Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ), which receives direct international flights from Europe, the Middle East, and neighboring African countries. Alternatively, fly into Dar es Salaam (DAR) and connect on a short domestic flight, or take the Azam Marine high-speed ferry (1.5–2 hours). If combining with a mainland safari, we coordinate your internal flights from the Serengeti, Arusha, or Kilimanjaro directly to Zanzibar.
A Nashivai representative meets you at Zanzibar International Airport on arrival for the transfer into Stone Town, approximately fifteen minutes away. Pickup time is tailored to your arrival flight details.
Zanzibar to Pemba: approximately 30 minutes with Coastal Aviation or Auric Air. Serengeti to Zanzibar (via Arusha): approximately 2 hours with Coastal Aviation. Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar: approximately 1.5 hours with Precision Air or Coastal Aviation. Luggage limit is 15 kg in soft-sided bags on all domestic flights.
Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival for USD $50 (USD $100 for US citizens), valid for both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar/Pemba. A passport valid for at least 6 months is required, and a yellow fever certificate may be required if arriving from an endemic country.
Arusha, Tanzania • Established 2015 • TATO Member
Nashivai Safaris is a licensed Tanzanian tour operator based in Arusha, and a member of TATO (Tanzania Association of Tour Operators). Specializing in wildlife safaris, Kilimanjaro treks, and curated Tanzanian experiences since 2015, our island team knows Stone Town and Pemba intimately — from securing the Underwater Room months in advance to coordinating every internal flight so your journey flows without a hitch.
We book the Underwater Room months in advance, so your night beneath the ocean is secured, not waitlisted.
Every Zanzibar–Pemba flight and transfer is coordinated by our team, with no separate bookings or logistical gaps.
Most guests combine this trip with a mainland safari. We design seamless Serengeti-to-beach itineraries with combo discounts of 5–10%.
Do the safari first and the beach last. After days of early morning game drives, the freedom of sleeping in on Pemba — with nothing more demanding than deciding whether to snorkel or read a book — feels like the reward it truly is.
