· 3 min read
Kendwa is small. That is the point of it. But the north of Zanzibar puts a lot within reach of a short drive, and the beach itself supplies most of the rest.
Two to three hours, from the beach. The wooden dhows that have worked this coast for centuries now take visitors out in the late afternoon. You sail out, the sail goes copper, and Kendwa turns into a thin white line behind you. Ask at reception and we will arrange a boat.
Monthly, ten minutes on foot. Zanzibar's best-known night out has been running on this beach for more than two decades — DJs, fire dancers and acrobats on the sand, held on the Saturday closest to each full moon.
It is a ten-minute walk from our gate. More to the point, it is a ten-minute walk back to a quiet room afterwards, which is not something you can say if you are staying on top of it.
Half or full day. Dive centres along the beach run trips to the reefs off the north coast and out to Mnemba Atoll, the best-known site on the island. Boats leave in the morning, and beginners can do a first dive the same week they arrive.
2.7 km, ten minutes by car. A working fishing village where dhows are still built by hand on the sand, plus a turtle sanctuary in a natural tidal lagoon. Go in the morning, before the day boats arrive.
About an hour by road. The UNESCO-listed old city: carved doors, the fish market, the old fort, and the Forodhani food stalls that set up along the seafront in the evening. It works as a long day trip from here, and it is worth staying into the evening for the food.
Half day. Zanzibar's spice tour is the classic island half-day — clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, tasted straight off the plant. Combine it with the Mangapwani coral cave, about 40 km down the west coast.
All day, on site. A perfectly respectable option, and the one guests most often say they wish they had allowed more of. The pool is quiet most mornings, there is shade under the thatch, a bar two steps away, and yoga if you would like to feel virtuous about it.
Breakfast is served every morning under the thatch and is included in the rate. We do not run a full restaurant in the evenings, but the kitchen will bring food to your table or your room — and some of the best eating in Kendwa is a short walk away: Sunset Kendwa at 600 m, The Lebanese Cuisine Kendwa at 750 m, Fisherman Lokal at 800 m, and the beach restaurants at 650 m.
Ask at the bar and we will tell you which of them is on form this week, and call you a taxi if you would rather not walk back in the dark.
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