Questions about putting it together

It is sold as one. It is also a World Heritage town with a long and largely unhappy history, a forest with a primate found nowhere else, and a reef that is properly good.

A resort perimeter is remarkably effective at keeping all of that at a distance, which is why the structural questions — how many nights, which coast, Stone Town in or out — matter more here than which hotel has the best photographs.

It is a separate immigration formality from mainland Tanzania even though it is the same country, which surprises people. It is quick.

Requirements change often enough that we confirm the current position for your nationality and route rather than publishing something here that may have moved.

On the east and south-east coasts, at times, yes — both farmed seaweed in the shallows and seasonal natural weed on the sand.

It is a significant local livelihood, largely run by women, and it is not a sign of a poor hotel. People told beforehand generally find it interesting; people not told are sometimes disappointed, which is a planning failure rather than a problem with the beach.

We would rather you did not book the usual version. In practice the trips at Kizimkazi frequently amount to boats pursuing a pod, with swimmers put into the water in front of animals trying to move away.

If it matters to you, ask for an operator that keeps its distance and does not chase, and accept that you may watch from the boat. We would rather lose the booking than arrange the other version.

Very, with one caveat: the tide. On much of the east coast the sea goes a long way out for hours at a time, which matters enormously if somebody wants to be in water at four in the afternoon.

The north coast is barely tidal and is the straightforward answer for families, along with anywhere that has a good pool.

Beach resorts operate normally. Stone Town changes considerably — many restaurants closed during daylight, quiet by day and alive after dark.

It is a fascinating time to visit and a frustrating one to visit unprepared, so it is worth knowing rather than avoiding.

A Zanzibar safari is usually quoted fully inclusive: accommodation, all meals, park and conservancy fees, your guide and vehicle, and transport between parks. Most camps include soft drinks, house wine, beer and laundry.

Not included: international flights, visas or travel authorisation, travel insurance, tips, premium drinks, and extras like balloon flights and spa treatments.

For July to October — the migration months in the Masai Mara — six to twelve months is normal, and the best small camps sell out first. Christmas and New Year book up just as early.

For the shoulder months, three to four months is usually comfortable. Inside eight weeks we can still put a very good trip together, but you are choosing from what is left rather than from everything.

This site is a planning guide. When you send an enquiry it goes to Nomad Africa, our partner travel agency in Kenya, who prepare your itinerary and quote and handle the booking, the payments and you on the ground.

You deal with one team from the first email to the airport transfer home.

No. Sending your dates, getting an itinerary and getting a costed quote is free and carries no obligation. Money only changes hands when you decide to hold space at a camp.

The safari areas themselves are well run, and camps take guest safety seriously. The practical risks are ordinary travel risks: road transfers, sun, stomach upsets and not listening to your guide around animals.

Check your own government’s current travel advice for Zanzibar before you book and again before you fly, and take out insurance that covers medical evacuation. We will not tell you an area is fine if the advice says otherwise.