Travel advisory (October 2026): The US State Department lists Tanzania at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, so check travel.state.gov before you book. The UK government does not advise against travel to Zanzibar and warns only about the area within 20 km of the Mozambique border. Protests are possible, internet access can be cut, and crime has been reported at Zanzibar beaches and resorts. Details are on the UK travel advice page .

Things to Do in Kendwa

Kendwa is a village and resort strip on a west-facing bay in Kaskazini A, on the north-west coast of Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar. Nungwi is about 3 km to the north. Days here are built around the beach, the water and the evenings.

Kendwa Beach

The bay is a wide stretch of white sand with free public access. Kendwa is the north-west bay where swimming works at every state of the tide, although the tidal range is limited rather than zero. Hotels provide loungers to their guests and to people who eat or drink at them. Do not assume there are lifeguards, keep an eye on children, and do not leave drinks unattended.

Diving and snorkelling

Scuba Do Zanzibar is a PADI 5-Star operation with two dive bases on Kendwa Beach. It runs courses and fun dives to reefs near Kendwa and to Tumbatu and Mnemba. Its own undated price list shows Open Water at US$575, Scuba Diver at US$365 and Discover Scuba at US$110, so confirm figures before you book. Spanish Dancer Divers, inside Nungwi Beach Hotel, is another PADI 5-Star centre and visits Mnemba, Leven Bank and Tumbatu.

The coral gardens in front of Kendwa are small and damaged, so snorkellers usually go by boat to Mnemba or Tumbatu instead. Mnemba Island is a private concession and closed to landing, so all swimming happens from boats on the surrounding reef. The Mnemba conservation area fee for non-East-Africans is US$10 per adult and US$5 per child aged 5 to 15, and the Mnemba Special Area around the island is US$25 and US$10. Ask whether your operator includes the fee. Find a snorkel trip

Full Moon Party

Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel holds a party every month on a Saturday around the full moon, so check the date before you plan around it. A secondary guide lists 21 November, 25 December and 31 December for 2026. Tickets start from about TZS 32,000, with an optional afterparty. Children are admitted until midnight only, and outside drinks are not allowed. The hotel’s own site is kendwarocks.com .

Sunset dhow cruises

Wooden dhows sail along the north-west coast at sunset. Confirm the price, the departure point and any child policy with your hotel desk before you pay a beach vendor.

Wind and other water sports

Wind at Kendwa is weak and unreliable, so it is not a kitesurfing base. The kite schools are at Paje and Jambiani on the east coast, with one at Nungwi Kite Beach. The village has no museums or pottery studios, and its culture lives in daily life at the beach and in Nungwi.

Practical notes

• Every foreign visitor must buy the Zanzibar government insurance before arrival: US$44 per adult for up to 92 days, bought through visitzanzibar.go.tz . Private travel insurance does not replace it.
• The currency is the Tanzanian shilling, and US dollars are widely used. Bring recent, undamaged notes.
• Cover your shoulders and knees away from the beach. Tourists in clothing the authorities consider inappropriate can be fined at least US$700.
• Avoid walking alone on quiet stretches of beach, and stay in daylight.

Read more: Day trips from Kendwa and Kendwa for families .

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