In short
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago of Tanzania, with its own government and its own rules. The main island, Unguja, is the one everyone calls Zanzibar.
Stone Town, the World Heritage listed old town, is a maze of Swahili, Arab and Indian lanes, with its carved doors. The north (Nungwi, Kendwa) has the most usable beaches. The east (Paje, Jambiani) is kitesurfing country. The south is quieter.
Arriving and getting around
Zanzibar airport takes direct international flights and links from Dar es Salaam and Arusha. The fast ferry from Dar es Salaam takes about two hours.
The dala-dala, local minibuses, link the villages cheaply but slowly. Private transfers are the norm for visitors.
What it really costs
Zanzibar is more expensive than mainland Tanzania. The east and north coast complexes often run all-inclusive.
Staying in Stone Town or in the villages rather than a resort changes the budget considerably.
When to come
June–October and December–February are the dry seasons.
March–May are the long rains: many establishments close.
Ramadan changes life on the island: Zanzibar is majority Muslim, and many restaurants outside the resorts close during the day. Its dates shift each year.
What nobody tells you
The tides are the subject nobody announces. On the east coast the tidal range is considerable: at low tide the sea withdraws several hundred metres and swimming becomes impossible for hours. The northern coasts (Nungwi, Kendwa) are far less affected — that is the main criterion for choosing your beach, ahead of price.
Covering dress is expected away from the beaches, shoulders and knees included, for men as well. It is not a courtesy suggestion but a firm local norm, and Stone Town is not a beach resort.
Stone Town's former slave market today holds an Anglican cathedral and a memorial: Zanzibar was one of the main slave-trading ports in East Africa, until the end of the nineteenth century.
Jozani forest shelters the Zanzibar red colobus, an endemic species seen nowhere else.