Walks and Beach Strolls in Kendwa

Travel advisory, October 2026: The US State Department lists Tanzania at Level 3, Reconsider Travel; check travel.state.gov for the current wording. The UK does not advise against travel to Zanzibar, but it warns against walking alone in remote or lonely places and reports crime at beaches and resorts. Walk in daylight, in company, and read the UK safety advice .

Walks and Beach Strolls in Kendwa

Kendwa is a resort strip behind a beach, so walking here means sand, a short village walk and one useful beach route to Nungwi, not city circuits or heritage trails.

Kendwa to Nungwi along the beach

The beach walk to Nungwi is about 3 km and takes about 30 minutes, and it works only at low tide. At high tide the rocky sections are impassable, and the alternative is the back road. Check the tide table with your hotel before you set out, and plan your return with the same care, since the tide that let you through may close the route behind you. Wear sandals or shoes you can walk in on rock, and carry water.

Nungwi boatyard and fish market

Once in Nungwi, walk to the dhow-building yard at the north tip of the island. The fish market is best visited in the early morning, as Wikivoyage’s Nungwi page recommends. Nungwi village beach is more tidal than Kendwa, so at low tide you may wade far out from the shore.

A guided village walk

A guided walk through Kendwa village gives a look at daily life away from the resorts. Dress modestly by covering shoulders and knees, and walk with a guide arranged by your hotel. Wikivoyage warns about lonely stretches, so keep to busy lanes. Search guided walks near Kendwa

South of Kendwa

South of the resort strip, quieter and undeveloped beaches can be reached on foot. Go in daylight and not alone, and tell someone at your hotel where you are going.

Stone Town on foot

Stone Town is a walking destination of its own, but it is a day trip of about 60 km, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes each way by car, and not a Kendwa walk. Read about it in the Kendwa day trips guide .

Getting to the start

  • If you arrive on the daladala route 116 from Darajani in Stone Town, get off at the Kendwa junction and walk about 1.5 km downhill. One guide puts that at around 15 minutes.
  • A boat from Nungwi to Kendwa costs from about TSh 20,000 at older prices, which gives you a way back when the tide is wrong.
  • The back road between the two villages is the high-tide alternative.

Safety on foot

  • Never leave drinks unattended on the beach.
  • Avoid the beach after dark.
  • Beach vendors will approach walkers to sell trips and curios. A polite no is enough, and you should book boat trips through registered operators.
  • Zanzibar’s compulsory visitor insurance costs US$44 per adult for up to 92 days and is bought before you travel at visitzanzibar.go.tz .

Read more: Sightseeing around Kendwa .