A view past a whitewashed wall to white sand, turquoise water, a dhow under sail and a kitesurfing kite

Free download

The Tide And The Coast

The one paragraph that prevents most Zanzibar disappointment, plus a coast-by-coast description with nothing left out.

Zanzibar’s beaches described the way a local would describe themReal numbers, no fluffNo cost, no obligation

Send me the guide

Opens immediately. We will also send it to your email so you still have it next week.

Tell us their ages in the message — several camps set a minimum.
Only know the month? Put the 1st and tick the box below.
Accommodation, meals, park fees, guiding and transport — the way safaris are usually costed. It sets the level of camp we plan around, and we will tell you honestly what your budget does and does not reach.
What are you most interested in?
We never call unannounced.

Your details go to Nomad Africa, our partner agency in Kenya, who prepare your itinerary and quote. We share them with nobody else. Privacy notice.

Reply within 24 hours. No deposit, no obligation, and we never sell your details.

What is inside

What the guide covers

The one paragraph that prevents most Zanzibar disappointment, plus a coast-by-coast description with nothing left out.

  • The photograph was taken at high water
  • Why the tidal range is so large
  • What a reef flat is, and what to do on one
  • Coast by coast
  • Seaweed, and what it actually is
  • The two monsoons
  • Which coast in which months
  • How to check before you book

No cost, no obligation. We ask for an email so we can send it and, if you want it, follow up once.

How it opens

The first page of The Tide And The Coast

Here is the paragraph that prevents most Zanzibar disappointment, and that almost no hotel page contains.

On much of the east coast of Zanzibar the sea retreats several hundred metres at low water, exposing a shallow reef flat you can walk out across. It returns some hours later. This is normal, it is interesting, and it is not swimming — and every photograph you have seen of that beach was taken at high water.

Knowing it changes nothing about whether you should go. It changes which coast you book and what you expect of an afternoon.

The rest is behind the form above

It opens straight away in your browser — no wait, no attachment, and it prints cleanly if you would rather have a file.

How it works

Three steps, about four minutes

Fill in the form

Dates and budget are optional here — if you only want the guide, name and email are enough.

Read it

It opens in your browser immediately and prints cleanly to PDF if you would rather have a file.

Ask us anything

If you told us your dates, our Zanzibar specialist follows up within 24 hours with a tailored outline. If you did not, we send the guide and leave you alone.

About the download

Is it really free?

Yes. No payment, no card, no trial. We publish it because people who plan well are better to work with, and because some of them come back to us when they are ready.

Will you spam me?

No. If you give us dates, our specialist sends one tailored follow-up. If you do not, you get the guide and nothing else unless you ask. Every email has an unsubscribe link and we do not sell or share your details.

Do I have to book with you to use it?

No. It is written to be useful even if you plan the whole trip yourself or book elsewhere. It would be a poor advertisement if it were not.

Ask us WhatsApp