The southern tip of Zanzibar Island

After leaving Michamvi Sunset Bay on the east coast of Zanzibar, JJ and I travelled one hour by taxi to Kizimkazi via Jozani Forest. At the southern tip of Unguja Island, Kizimkazi is popular with tourists because of its bottlenose dolphins. Despite being a well-known destination on the archipelago’s main island, we found the perfect secluded lodge to stay at.

LOCATION

Our accommodation for the last two nights of this Zanzibar trip was a sea view villa at Unguja Lodge. I chose this lodge as it has a maximum capacity of only 30 guests and because of its low environmental impact. The buildings are all integrated into the natural environment and no vegetation was removed during construction.

In front of Unguja Lodge, the water comes right up to the cliff at high tide. This is the best time for swimming or snorkelling as you can just walk downstairs straight into the ocean. At low tide, the water retreats to about 70 metres from the property exposing the wet sand. There’s not really a beach for sunbathing on per se.

View from our villa

The flora and fauna of the site make it really special, there are old mango trees and lots of baobabs. Unguja Lodge is home to a variety of animals like blue monkeys, tree hyraxes, elephant shrews and bats.

It’s recommended to keep all belongings locked inside your bedroom, including toothpaste and soap, ‘cos the local monkeys are curious. There was a platter of fresh fruit waiting for us in our room after we checked in. As soon as we uncovered it to tuck in, the monkeys descended. They were screeching and banging on the flyscreens of our bedroom windows, demanding to be fed – SO cheeky! If you’re not keen on close encounters with wildlife, this might not be the place for you. For me, the animals and natural setting were a drawcard.

LODGE FACILITIES

On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by one of the lodge managers, who gave us a short orientation and cocktails. I had booked one of the 7 self-contained sea view villas, with a private terrace overlooking Menai Bay. The villa was only about a 20-metre walk from the lodge reception, restaurant and swimming pool.

In addition to the enclosed bedroom, was an open-air shower, toilet and lounge area. There was no aircon in the bedroom, but JJ and I were comfortable. If you keep the windows open and fan on, the inside temperature is pleasant. Our villa also had a mezzanine level with 2 single beds covered by a fly-mesh tent. We didn’t use this additional area, but it would have been great for a couple with kids.

Comfortable, clean room (sanctuary for avoiding cheeky monkeys)

If you feel like taking an excursion during your stay, the front desk staff can organise various activities for you. Examples of what’s on offer are; dolphin watching, local village tour, Jozani Forest trip, sunset dhow cruise etc.

Unguja Divers is the lodge’s PADI dive centre, where guests can borrow snorkelling gear and book dive trips or courses. On our first afternoon, I stopped by Unguja Divers to book a double boat dive for the following morning. JJ had just developed a nasty cold so he wasn’t up for scuba. Surprisingly the dive centre staff were able to pair me with a buddy at relatively short notice.

Moorish idols

My buddy and I dove at Kizidi Reef and House Reef which were beautiful, colourful, fairly shallow sites. The boat trip only took 10 minutes from Kizimkazi. I won’t list all of the sea life that we saw but there was loads and the vis was excellent.

Our dive master was very professional and cautious when it came to bottom times and safety stops. I didn’t bring any of my own dive gear and was happy with the loan equipment. I’d recommend bringing your own mask if you can as some of Unguja’s have seen better days.

FOOD + DRINK

Unguja Lodge’s restaurant is located next to the swimming pool (on the opposite side from the PADI centre). The bar is at the entrance to the restaurant and offers a wide variety of cocktails. Breakfast was served buffet-style and lunch/dinner à la carte. I enjoyed all of my meals at Unguja Lodge, the food was simple and fresh, prepared with mainly local ingredients. As is common in Zanzibar, seafood featured heavily on the menu, but there were always alternatives.

Sundowners at the bar on our final night in Zanzibar

JJ and I loved our time at Unguja Lodge, I only wish we had a couple of extra days. It would have been good to enjoy more of the amazing diving and snorkelling in Menai Bay. As we left Kizimkazi, our 7 memorable days on Zanzibar’s Unguja Island came to an end. Catch up on the rest of our adventures below.

More posts from this trip:

Stone Town (Old Zanzibar City)

Michamvi, Chwaka Bay – Southeast Coast Sunsets

Jozani Forest National Park – Monkeys + Butterflies

8 Days in Rwanda – Primate Tracking

3 Day stopover in the United Arab Emirates

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