Jambiani

Discover Zanzibar

Jambiani is a small fishing village on the South East coast of Zanzibar. It's a genuine and charming African village with one of the best beaches in Zanzibar.

The Beach

The life in Jambiani is mainly spent on the Beach. As a tourist you will share the beach with the locals. There are no large hotels on the beach and no parts that are closed for the public. The Jambiani beach is around 15 km from South to North and in the North it continues to the neighbour village of Paje. The sand is just amazingly white and powderly and the water is as clean as it can be. There is a huge difference between low and high tide. The water literally dissappears a few times per day. At those times you have to walk for 1-2 km to reach the water. It's advised to have water sandals since there can be corals or sea urchins that might hurt your feet.

The Village

The Jambiani village stretches all the way along the beach. It's a traditional African village where most houses are very simple with no electricity. There are a few schools and small shops in the village. You can buy most of the necessarities in the shops like soap, tooth paste and toilet paper. You can also buy soda, spring water, fresh fruit and vegetables. If you want to prepare fresh fish by yourself you can buy it direct from the fishermen on the beach. Alcohol beverages are only sold in Stone Town. There is a small Hospital with a doctor in Jambiani. There is also a chiropractor available.

The People

The Jambiani families makes their living by tourism, fishing and seaweed farming. Every day at low tide you can see the women going out in the water to work with the seaweed. They collect it in the water and carry it to land for drying. The locals are very friendly. They greet you with "Karibo" that means Welcome or "Jambo" that means Hi. There are many kids in Jambiani who you will see walking to and from school. After school they usually play football on the beach. At the beach you will aslo find people trying to sell you trips, fruit or souvenirs. You can also get a massage on the beach.