Beyond Unguja
Zanzibar Islands Guide
Quick answer
Three islands, one archipelago, three different reasons to go.
The Zanzibar islands guide by Boutique Hotel Matlai compares Tanzania's three main tourist islands — Unguja (Zanzibar itself), Pemba and Mafia — plus the dolphin coast on Unguja's south-west. Pemba is 25–30 minutes from Zanzibar by air and Mafia about 1h25 via Dar es Salaam, so each island earns its place on its purpose: beach and culture, diving, or whale sharks.
| Zanzibar (Unguja) | Beaches, Stone Town, kite, the south-east coast |
| Pemba | Wall diving · 25–30 min nonstop from Zanzibar |
| Mafia | Whale sharks in season · about 1h25 via Dar es Salaam |
| Dolphin coast | Kizimkazi & Menai Bay · south-west Unguja |
| Connections | Coastal Aviation daily · Azam Marine ferry to Pemba |
| Realistic combo | Zanzibar + one island, 10–14 days |
| Last verified | 2 October 2026 |
The archipelago
Which island is which?
Pemba: is it worth the trip?
Pemba is the island almost nobody reaches. Zanzibar absorbs nearly all the tourist traffic, which is precisely why divers and eco-travellers seek Pemba out. Hilly and forested, with a deeply indented coastline, mangrove channels and clove plantations, it is called the Green Island for good reason — the hills rise straight from the sea. Underwater it is a different proposition entirely: the channel's strong tidal currents and the walls that fall away into the dark carry soft coral, sea fans and schooling fish in the kind of density that brings divers back. What Pemba does not have is a beach holiday in the Zanzibar sense — no broad resort strip, no beach bars. The full Pemba guide covers the dive sites and the island's endemic flying foxes.
Mafia: what is it for?
Mafia is the least-visited of the three, and it belongs to the mainland, not to Zanzibar: Mafia Island Marine Park, run by Tanzania's Marine Parks and Reserves Unit, puts it about 120 km south-east of Dar es Salaam, reached by air from Dar. No beach clubs, no kite schools, no resort strip. What it has, in season, is the whale shark — the largest fish in the ocean — feeding off the south coast; the park lists swimming with it among its activities, alongside snorkelling and diving in Chole Bay. Chole Island itself, a short boat crossing away, holds coral-rag ruins from the Arab trading era. It is a marine-wildlife destination, not a beach one: the shores are mangrove-fringed. The Mafia guide has the encounter protocol and the questions to ask before you book.
Zanzibar itself: why it stays the anchor
Zanzibar stays the anchor of almost every trip: white sand and coral reef, UNESCO-listed Stone Town, kitesurfing at Paje, the quiet south-east around Michamvi. It is where the international flights land and where the infrastructure lives, and for most visitors it is also where the whole holiday should stay. The question this guide exists to answer is not "which island is best" — it is whether a second island earns the internal flights it costs you. The island-hopping guide works that through with real itineraries.
Connections
How do you get between the islands?
The practical connector is light aircraft. Coastal Aviation's own timetable, valid to May 2027, lists Zanzibar to Pemba every day, nonstop in about 25–30 minutes, at USD 100 per adult plus USD 30 taxes and charges. Zanzibar to Mafia runs daily via Dar es Salaam, about 1h25 in all, at USD 209 plus USD 46. Book with the airline or through your lodge: small-aircraft schedules move with the seasons, and the times are estimates on the day.
By sea, and by road
Is there a ferry, and where is the dolphin coast?
There is one real ferry in this story. Azam Marine runs daily between Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Pemba and Tanga, with its timetable and fares on its own site; Mafia is not on its routes, so for Mafia flying is the realistic option. Note the geography before you book a crossing: Pemba's airport sits near Chake Chake in the middle of the island, while the port at Mkoani is in the south. The UK government's advice is worth reading first: there have been serious ferry accidents on these routes, so do not board a boat that looks overloaded, find the life jackets when you get on, and ignore touts at the ports.
The fourth chapter of this cluster needs no aircraft and no ferry. The dolphin coast is on Unguja itself, on the south-west side: Kizimkazi, about 40 minutes by car from Michamvi, and Menai Bay, a protected area reached from Fumba village south of Stone Town. Kizimkazi has resident Indo-Pacific bottlenose and spinner dolphins. Both reward the same discipline: go early, go small, and go with an operator who does not chase. The dolphin guide covers the ethics and the old mosque at Kizimkazi Dimbani.
Timing
When should you go to each island?
Mafia runs on the whale shark's calendar. The marine park publishes no season dates, so build the trip the other way round: ask the park office or your operator which weeks the sharks are being seen, then book the flights. The long rains, roughly March to May on this coast, make the seas rough and close some lodges, so a trip in those months risks arriving to no boats running.
Pemba dives year-round, and the calmer months of the north-east monsoon suit it best, which is what makes the Zanzibar + Pemba combination work in the same months as a classic beach stay. It is not a learner destination, though: the signature dives are current-driven walls that want drift-diving comfort and at least an advanced open water certification. If that is not you yet, learn in calmer water first and come back for the walls.
The dolphin coast has no closed season — the dolphins at Kizimkazi are residents, so the limiting factor is sea state rather than month. In the Kusi months, May to October, the south-east wind can build through the morning and make late departures choppy; the Kaskazi months, November to March, usually bring calmer water. Whatever the month, morning beats afternoon.
The chapters
The islands, in four parts
Pemba Island
Diving walls, clove farms and the island most visitors never reach.
Facts checked 2 October 2026
Read the guide →Mafia Island Whale Sharks
Season, boats and what a whale-shark morning is really like.
Facts checked 2 October 2026
Read the guide →Tanzania Island Hopping
Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia in one trip — flights, days, order.
Facts checked 19 September 2026
Read the guide →Dolphins in Zanzibar
Kizimkazi and Menai Bay, done early, small and without the chase.
Facts checked 2 October 2026
Read the guide →Who it suits
Is a second island worth it?
Island hopping makes sense for travellers with more than ten days, a specific interest in diving or marine wildlife, and a reasonable tolerance for small-aircraft logistics. Many people enjoy that sector in its own right — low altitude over turquoise water, small airstrips, minimal formality. It is not seamless, though: schedules change, the aircraft are small, and an island whose next flight is tomorrow tests a patience that beach-only travellers did not sign up for.
The honest version we give guests: divers should seriously consider Pemba, because the in-shore Zanzibar reef is good but Pemba is in a different category. Whale shark seekers should consider Mafia, in the right weeks. Everyone else — the majority — gets more out of two extra nights on the south-east coast than out of one rushed night somewhere else, and the dolphin coast delivers a wildlife morning without a single internal flight. Our guide to day trips from the east coast shows what else is within reach without a flight, and our hotel in Michamvi is where we would end the trip.
Where these facts come from
Official sources
- Coastal Aviation: timetable and price list (valid to 31 May 2027, updated July 2026): The daily Zanzibar–Pemba and Zanzibar–Mafia flights, their times and fares.
- Azam Marine & Kilimanjaro Fast Ferries: The ferry operator's own routes (Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Pemba, Tanga), timetable, fares and booking.
- Marine Parks and Reserves Tanzania: visitor guide: Mafia Island Marine Park: where it is, how to get there, its activities (whale sharks, snorkelling, diving) and the online entry permit.
- Zanzibar Airports Authority: The authority that runs Zanzibar's international airport and Pemba Airport.
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: safety and security in Tanzania: Ferry safety between Dar es Salaam and the Zanzibar islands, and the advice on ticket touts.
Checked on 2 October 2026. We link to the bodies that set the rules, not to summaries of them. Rules change: check the page itself before you travel.
Good to know
The questions guests ask before they add an island
Collected from the pre-arrival conversations we have every week, answered the way we answer them on WhatsApp.
Can I do Pemba as a day trip from Zanzibar?
Not sensibly. Coastal Aviation's timetable lists Zanzibar–Pemba daily, nonstop in about 25–30 minutes, but with the transfers at both ends Pemba is a full day there and back, and it is realistically worth two to four nights to justify the effort.
When is whale-shark season on Mafia Island?
Whale sharks are seasonal visitors off Mafia. Mafia Island Marine Park lists swimming with them among its activities but publishes no season dates, so ask the park office or your operator which weeks are running before you book flights. Sightings are never guaranteed: plan at least three nights. Our Mafia guide covers what a whale-shark morning is like.
Do Pemba and Mafia need a separate visa or insurance?
No separate visa: Zanzibar (Unguja), Pemba and Mafia are all in Tanzania and covered by the Tanzania tourist visa (USD 50). For the mandatory insurance you buy one, for where you land first: the Zanzibar insurance (ZIC, USD 44) if that is Zanzibar, the mainland's NIC (USD 44) if you fly in via Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro. Pemba belongs to Zanzibar, Mafia to the mainland, and each insurance is recognised on the other side.
Which island is best for diving?
Pemba, clearly — steep wall dives in current, soft coral and sea fans, and the protected reefs around Misali Island. Mafia's Chole Bay, inside the marine park, is the gentler alternative. Pemba's current dives need drift-diving comfort and at least an advanced open water certification.
Where do you see dolphins in Zanzibar?
On the south-west coast of Unguja. Kizimkazi, about 40 minutes by car from Michamvi, has resident Indo-Pacific bottlenose and spinner dolphins; Menai Bay, reached from Fumba, is the quieter alternative. Go early, go small and choose an operator who does not chase: boats crowding the dolphins is the complaint we hear most from guests.
How many islands can I fit into one trip?
Two, comfortably. Zanzibar plus Pemba works in 10–12 days; Zanzibar plus Mafia in 12–14. Attempting all three needs 14+ days, because two internal flights and their transfers leave only about two nights on each island — not enough anywhere. Most guests are better served going deep on two.
Whichever islands you add —
— one of them should be the quiet one. Six rooms on the south-east coast, tide table included. Staying at Michamvi Pingwe.
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