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South-west Zanzibar
South-west Zanzibar
South-west Zanzibar
South-west Zanzibar
South-west Zanzibar
South-west Zanzibar
South-west Zanzibar

There are some excellent dive sites in south-west Zanzibar

South-west Zanzibar is the quietest part of the Island.

There are only a few but very lovely accommodation options...

...which are great for relaxing on the beach...

...as well as by the pool.

The beaches are amazing for swimming...

...and there is a lot to discover under the water’s surface.

South-west Zanzibar

Reviews of holidays to South-west Zanzibar

152 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include South-west Zanzibar.

Showing 121-130 of 152
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs C
Kent

"Wonderful holiday - thanks"

I visited Zanzibar and 1 other country between 29 Nov 2008 and 11 Dec 2008
"Firstly, thank you all very much for organising such a wonderful holiday. The pre-holiday information removed all the usual anxiety of the unknown and, with a few minor exceptions, was very very helpful.

You didnlt ask about Primate Safaris so I have to ass that they were fantastic – our guide was William. What a great guy, he looked after us very well.

Seeing the Gorillas was just amazing – what an experience! The trek wasn't particularly difficult (thankfully), it only took about an hour and 10 minutes in total, and not too hard either. With hindsight we should have done 2 gorilla treks. The Golden Monkeys were interesting but nothing like seeing the gorillas – we were the only people who did the monkey trek, so we had a guide, a trainee guide, two trackers, a porter and two armed guards – and us!!!

A couple of things that are different from your info:

There is an exit charge from Zanzibar Airport of $30 each. We were told that there was no facility to get money from the airport and anyway they would only accept it in US$. What happens if we don't have $60 cash we asked – you get a taxi to Stone Town and get the money, was the reply. Fortunately we had $62 – but I just don't know what would have happened if it had been a Sunday and the banks were shut.

The Spice Tour was $60 EACH – for about 2 & a half hours and 1 hour 20 minutes of that was travelling to and fro. Interesting but not worth £85.

All in all we had a truly wonderful holiday and would not hesitate in recommending Expert Africa. We will certainly be back.

Many thanks" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms J & Mr B
London

"EA does what it says in on the website"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 15 Nov 2008 and 28 Nov 2008
"Excellent. We enjoyed all aspects of our trip and were impressed with the accuracy of EA's descriptions of the various parts of our holiday and what we might expect. The lists of what to pack etc were also extremely helpful, as was the Brandt guidebook.

I should also mention Claire Scott, who dealt very efficiently with our holiday arrangements whilst Eleanor was away." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
Hants

"A huge thank you!"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 15 Nov 2008 and 28 Nov 2008
"The Expert Africa website is a great starting point - it is rare to get so much information including honest assessments from EA about the lodges. The in depth practical information is very useful.

Ellie could not have been more helpful and friendly. The lodges that she suggested for us were perfect - she really listed to what we said about the type of holiday and accommodation we were after. We spent a lot of time talking through the pros and cons of different venues and it was refreshing to speak to a tour operator who would give you their own views.

We had a fantastic time and can't thank Expert Africa enough for all your help and careful planning!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs B
N Yorks

"Our holiday in Zanzibar"

I visited Zanzibar between 8 Nov 2008 and 16 Nov 2008
"We had a truly wonderful time. We found nothing but courtesy and friendliness in Zanzibar, and everyone was incredibly welcoming.

We were taught a few Swahili phrases each day by staff at Fumba Beach Lodge - and it really is worthwhile using it with local residents. The organisation of the trip by Expert Africa was superb: they really know what they are talking about, and they took the trouble over even the smallest details.

We came back much refreshed - and, once in the UK in gloomy November, immediately wished we were back there!

Suggestions for improvement:

No suggestions - you clearly understand your clientele and how you can tailor a holiday to suit their requirements." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 4 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Worcester

"A very memorable holiday"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 4 Nov 2008 and 19 Nov 2008
"A wonderful holiday. At times it exceeded expectations, and never really disappointed. The safaris were a tremendous experience, and will be remembered for a long time.

The organisation was excellent, and everything went without a hitch. All the transfers were smooth, and the Tanzanians were very helpful and friendly. The yellow fever cert. was not even looked at or requested.

Following our first conversation you came up with excellent suggestions, and provided the kind of holiday I had in mind. As I commented in previous feedback, I think we could have probably been quite happy with one day less in both camps, and two days less at Fumba, but I know that we had to work around BA flights, so this might not have been possible.

We were glad that we went to southern Tanzania rather than the north, as I think it would have been more crowded in the north, and not nearly such an experience of bush life. The vehicles that we travelled in were better than landrovers, and more open, and from what we heard from others at Fumba we had better weather too!

All in all, an excellent trip. Many thanks for arranging it." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
J & P
Ireland

"Expert africa staff"

I visited Zanzibar and 1 other country between 1 Nov 2008 and 14 Nov 2008
"delighted with what was our first safari - and our first experience of a "travel agent" booking.

Thank you for your recommendations - they all turned out to exceed our expectations. Would book with you again," Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs D
Lancashire

"Our first beach holiday in years"

I visited Zanzibar between 21 Oct 2008 and 31 Oct 2008
"Since we haven't had a beach holiday for a long time and was a little concerned whether we could cope with sitting on a beach reading etc, we have really enjoyed ourselves.

As usual with your company everything went like clockwork everything is sorted out so we just have to relax and enjoy ourselves that is one of the reasons why we keep using you please keep up the good work." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs F
Valmer

"A great holiday"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 13 Oct 2008 and 29 Oct 2008
"We look back on our holiday as a wonderful memory. It was certainly all we had hoped it would be, and felt that our wishes had been well understood and catered for.

Suggestions for improvement:

The only thing that springs to mind is to stress to clients the importance of having proper reef shoes for this kind of holiday. One doesn't appreciate how sticky the sea bottom is at low tide, and many people only have flip flops, which are disastrous.

Thank you for organising such a stress-free and enjoyable holiday!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
Kent

"Si' s feedback"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 11 Oct 2008 and 29 Oct 2008
"I'm a terrible winge. Thea thought it was all fantastic & is now depressed. I got a couple of bluebottles off Echo which was educational. So did Andy which cheered me up, except mine wouldn't go down. Off Unguja it was like swimming through clouds of used condoms which were also a bit pricky, so I got spots on my spots. Elies gave me some anti histomine which calmed them down a bit. Also my guts gave out. Luckily everybody else was on honeymoon so mozzies were no problem. Up in Selous we copped some bad patches of tetse which came up very nicely & set off my jelly stings to perfection. Luckily these have all lasted quite well & Ive been able to show the girls in the office. By chance I read the blurb on Rufigi so we shot round Stone town pillaging the cash machines. A suitcase of Tshillings just about covered our bill at Rufigi but we were not prepared for Madze to be back in the 50s too & we just scraped by with a mottly mix of currencies. Richard was not happy. & neither was I. I hate paying real money. Not that Tshillings is real money. When I was a lad you could get a tusker for 3 bob, at Madze its 8124." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
R family
Berks

"Wow what an experience"

I visited Zanzibar and 1 other country between 20 Sep 2008 and 5 Oct 2008
"This was a pretty special trip for us - taking our three grown up sons and their other halves on safari and then onto Zanzibar. The excitement and joy everyone experienced was worth every penny we spent.

The trip was talior made to our requirements thanks to Expert Africa. Every aspect of the holiday was discussed - recommendations made - our likes and dislikes taken into account - suggestions adjusted to fit the budget set . I cannot praise them highly enough.

They could not have picked a better camp for us to stay in . We will never forget the thrill of finding a leopard and the priveldge of being able to sit quietly for over an hour observing her - following her every now and then. And then there were the lion pride with their youngsters - playing with each other and their parents - watching a male lion gently licking and nuzzling his son. All this from about five feet away.

Wild life wandered in and out of camp during the night and the sounds were magical as we lay in our huge beds in luxurious tents.
'There was nothing about the holiday that wasnt good - even being chased by an elephant we put down to experience - because we trusted our guides and rangers to help us out of danger.

we have almost 2,000 photos between us to recapture every moment and relive the experience all over again.
Zanzibar - total chill out - total removal from the reality of day to day life at home. And the snorkelling - wow!!

So thank you Expert Africa - I will definetley be recommending you to anyone who is thinking of a trip to africa.

Suggestions for improvement:

I cant think of anything that needs to be adjusted - apart from the credit card companies charging a surcharge if you want to pay by credit card!!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 121-130 of 152
98%
152 reviews of South-west Zanzibar by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
143
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Where to stay in South-west Zanzibar

Our suggestions for beach lodges in South-west Zanzibar


Unguja Lodge

Unguja Lodge

Unguja is a small, rustic lodge in southern Zanzibar standing on a quiet beach, with some of the most spacious rooms we have seen on Zanzibar.


92% (79 reviews)
Chumbe Island Lodge

Chumbe Island Lodge

Situated on the tiny Chumbe Island, this lodge is an award-winning example of eco-tourism, with excellent snorkelling.


98% (48 reviews)
Fumba Beach Lodge

Fumba Beach Lodge

Fumba Beach Lodge is stylishly put together, with spacious, luxurious rooms, comfortable communal areas and a fantastic infinity pool.


87% (39 reviews)
The Residence Zanzibar

The Residence

The Residence is a very large resort hotel in south-west Zanzibar. Each villa has its own 8-metre lap pool.


100% (2 reviews)

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