World Unite! in Zanzibar

Coronavirus! Travelling to Zanzibar is currently possible and important! Please read our article about Corona Safety in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Zanzibar is a tropical archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The ship from the mainland takes around 2 hours, by plane it is only around 20 minutes from the Tanzanian mainland.

Since 2006 we have been active in Zanzibar where we have welcomed thousands of participants over the years. We are the "original" and the originators who have set foundations for volunteer and internships placements, language lessons and active travel in Zanzibar. No other operator has as much experience in Zanzibar as we have and is so intensively linked with local communities as we are. On our Facebook Page we have countless image galeries, participant reports and news from Zanzibar!

Watch a joyful video by our participant Isabel about her stay in Zanzibar!:

About Zanzibar

When referring to "Zanzibar", most people in fact mean the archipelago's main island Unguja. In the past, Unguja was a rich island, as it was a main trading location along the Indian Ocean sea routes between Africa, Arabia, India, East Asia and Europe. The blend of cultures can still be seen today, but the Arabian-Islamic influence is clearly dominating. Today, Islam in Zanzibar is considered relatively liberal. Tourism is Zanzibar's main source of income, but there is also farming of spices and tropical fruits.

Unguja is only about 85 km long and at its widest point, 30 km wide. The capital "Zanzibar Town" is located on the east coast and all parts of the island are easily accessible by star-shaped streets. In Unguja, we have a wide range of activities in Zanzibar Town. Those who want to know rural Zanzibar, can opt for a project in the beach village of Nungwi and the wider Jozani Forest National Park area, where we are running our "Mother Nature Environmental Conservation Camp". Hotel Internships are available at all beach resorts.

There are direct flights from Europe to Zanzibar (ZNZ). It is often cheaper to fly to Dar-es-Salaam (DAR), from where you can reach Zanzibar relatively easily by ferry (2 hours) or connecting flight.

Zanzibar is considered to be a safe country. Even as a woman alone, there is no increased security risk, if you follow some basic rules. National languages are Swahili and English.

Locations in Zanzibar

Zanzibar Town

Check out our video on Zanzibar Town!

This video shows a day in Zanzibar Town with the volunteers Sabrina and Uwe from Hamburg. They show their placements at the Cultural Arts Centre and Vikokotoni environmental group, their accommodation, visit their host family and explain various interesting aspects of their daily life in Zanzibar.

Zanzibar - Spice Island in the Indian Ocean

Zanzibar is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar is about 2 hours away from the Tanzanian mainland by boat or 20 minutes by plane. When you research “Zanzibar”, it usually means the main island of Unguja. Unguja was very rich in the past, because the island was a major trading port along the sea routes between Africa, Arabia, India, East Asia and Europe. This can be seen today in the mixing of cultures, the Arab- Islamic influence, but is relatively liberal in Zanzibar. Today, tourism is the main source of income of Zanzibar, besides the cultivation of spices and tropical fruits.

Stone Town, the historic core of Zanzibar Town is the only intact historic coastal trading town in East Africa. Within the fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets full of small shops, souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels and hectic smaller places, it feels like one is in a dream of the "Thousand and One Nights”. Fantastically, there are also the heavenly white beaches and crystal clear waters with colorful coral reefs, which compete with the Caribbean or the Maldives in catering to wealthy tourists. Zanzibar Town, in addition to Stone Town have plenty of other neighborhoods like Kiembe Samaki, Mwanakwerekwe, Mbweni and others, in which many organizations have their offices and are active.

In addition, there are many villages along the beaches and in the interior of the island.

The biggest problem of the island is the overwhelming poverty of the population, whose only employment consists of cultivation and fishing for their own and thus, have no money, cannot afford education for their children, medical care, etc. A lack of education means that the following generations can hardly escape the vicious circle of poverty. Population growth, which is mainly due to immigration of people from mainland Tanzania, results in the exploitation of nature.

Things to do in Zanzibar

In Zanzibar, there is a wide range of excursions: day and half day trips include a visit to a spice plantation, the Jozani Forest National Park, the mangroves of Mungooni and Uzi, beach resorts such as Nungwi, Paje and Jambiani, a "Safari Blue”, sailing through the Menai Bay Conservation Area, Prison Island, the Island Chumbe Coral Park and a city tour of Stone Town, where there are lots of interesting souvenir shops, bars, cafes, regular concerts and even a handful of "clubs" and events.

In your spare time, you can also take music and dance lessons, yoga classes and interesting workshops by the Cultural Arts Centres participants in Zanzibar.

Many participants also travel to the mainland of Tanzania to do a safari or to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. You use our accommodation Moshi, Kilimanjaro at affordable prices to stay as a base for activities in northern Tanzania.

Rural Zanzibar (Nungwi, Muungoni)

Nungwi

Nungwi is a village on the northern tip of Zanzibar and one of the places where the beach tourism began, about 20 years ago. The difference between low tide and high tide here, is the lowest of all Zanzibar, which makes the beaches of Nungwi and Kendwa especially popular with tourists. There are luxury hotel facilities and small, local backpacker accommodations and especially during the season, tourist "Nightlife" with several bars along the beach. There are also several diving and water sports centers. The turtle conservation station at the lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction. The snorkeling and sunset cruises on a dhow, the traditional sailing ships of the Indian Ocean, which are built in Nungwi on the beach, are also popular. Since especially during the season many tourists walk through the village, many residents of Nungwi try to benefit from it through small shops for tourists, selling products and offering their services for tours.

Muungoni

Muungoni is a village in the south of the island, where there is no tourism except for the few visitors to the "Zanzibar Land Animal Park" by teacher Mohammed; this is probably because this is away from white sandy beaches and large mangrove areas of the coast. Most residents of Muungoni are fishermen or farmers and little has changed in their lives over the past hundreds of years. Here, you can still get to know a part of original rural Zanzibar. By being accommodated in the village, you are in the middle of their living and will be warmly integrated in the village society. The mangrove areas are the largest of Zanzibar and part of the Jozani Forest Chwaka Bay National Park; they are of priceless ecological value.

The village lies on the road connecting the capital, Zanzibar Town, and the tourist beaches of the south-east coast (Paje, Jambiani, Michamvi) and the West Coast (Kizimkazi). Due to the excellent connection by the public transport system of Zanzibar, the area is 40 minutes by Daladala from the city and 25 minutes to Paje.

Please watch the video, "Faces of Muungoni", which was created by our volunteer, Iris from Hamburg:

Activities in Zanzibar

Internships & Volunteering

In Zanzibar, we offer a very wide range of voluntary work and internships in the areas of welfare, education, medicine, nursing, psychology, environmental protection, agriculture, sports, design, culture, tourism and much more, both in the city and in the rural areas.

A project in Zanzibar can be combined with one in the mainland of Tanzania!

You can find all the internship and volunteering project options in the main menu above, or using our Activity Finder.

Active Travel

In Zanzibar, we offer our exciting World Adventure Itineraries. They combine a few days of volunteering with various day trips and activities, through which you get to know the natural and cultural peculiarity of Zanzibar. In addition, there are World Adventure Itineraries that include a safari on the mainland of Tanzania.

You can find the World Adventure Itineraries in the main menu above or using the Activity Finder.

Through our good connections in Zanzibar with many NGOs, government and private institutions, and because we are at the same time logistical services providers (transport, accommodation, guides), we are the ideal partner for Group Study Tours and Special Interest programs in Zanzibar (also in connection to the Tanzanian mainland).

World Learner

There is a lot to learn about in Tanzania! In addition to learning Swahili and Cooking Courses, you can gain insights into traditional herbal medicine and in the construction of traditional sailboats . These activities are also great for combining with Voluntourism and Internships/Volunteering.

You can find the World Learner options in Zanzibar in the above menu or through the Activity Finder.

Academics

Theses Abroad are available in a variety of subject areas in Zanzibar, where we can assist you because of our good connections with NGOs, government and private institutions.

Discover The Country

Almost all of our participants also travel around to get to know their host country, Zanzibar and Tanzania. As a World Unite! participant you will get a 15% discount on all safaris, day trips, Kilimanjaro climbs and watersports activities on www.budget-safari-tanzania.com and on the "Eco Packages" on zanzibar.eco.