Zanzibar East Coast
Tanzania
Zanzibar East Coast
White sand beaches and turquoise water on the Indian Ocean side of the island, our most booked closing stop.
Visit TanzaniaBeach & Coastal Relaxation
A few days of decompression after early starts and dusty roads, before you fly home.
Overview
We almost always recommend a few beach days at the end of a wildlife heavy trip. The change of pace, and the chance to actually process what you have seen, changes how travelers remember the whole itinerary.
Zanzibar's east coast is our most booked option after a Tanzania safari, but Lake Tanganyika's shoreline in Burundi and Somalia's Lido Beach offer the same reset in destinations most travelers never expect a beach from.
Zanzibar East CoastWhy Do This
01
The change of pace after a wildlife heavy itinerary, done deliberately
02
Zanzibar's east coast, booked most often after Tanzania
03
Lake Tanganyika's quiet, uncrowded freshwater beaches
04
A genuinely different side to destinations like Somalia
Beach & Coastal Relaxation By Country
Tanzania's Zanzibar is our most booked beach extension, with Burundi's Lake Tanganyika offering the same reset somewhere far less visited.
Tanzania
Visit Tanzania- Logistics
- Zanzibar is a short flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam, an easy add on to any Tanzania safari.
- Cost
- Beach lodges run $150 to $600 per person per night depending on the property, generally the largest range in our destinations.
- Where To Stay
- Everything from simple beach bandas to The Residence Zanzibar's private villas on the east coast.
- Our Take
- Our most booked beach extension, with the widest range of accommodation styles and budgets.
Burundi
Visit Burundi- Logistics
- Lake Tanganyika's shoreline is a short drive from Bujumbura, Burundi's capital and main airport.
- Cost
- Lakeside hotels run $80 to $180 per person per night, noticeably lower than Zanzibar.
- Where To Stay
- A small number of lakeside hotels in and around Bujumbura, quieter and less developed than the coast.
- Our Take
- A genuinely uncrowded freshwater alternative to a coastal beach, in a destination few travelers expect it from.
Best Parks & Regions For Beach & Coastal Relaxation
These coastlines offer the closing chapter most itineraries end on, after the early starts of a safari.
Zanzibar East Coast
Lake Tanganyika
Burundi
Lake Tanganyika
One of the world's deepest freshwater lakes, with quiet, uncrowded beaches along its Burundi shoreline.
Visit Burundi
Lido Beach
Somalia
Lido Beach
Mogadishu's beachfront, included only on itineraries where current conditions genuinely support it.
Visit SomaliaWildlife You Might See
These stays are lower key on wildlife, though the water itself holds its own draws.
Sample Beach & Coastal Relaxation Itineraries
A few of our ready made itineraries built around Beach & Coastal Relaxation, or ask us to design your own.
Zanzibar, TanzaniaTanzania Wildlife & Zanzibar Beach Safari
Six days of safari, four days of beach, split so the dust settles before you fly home.
FROM $2,950 ppView Itinerary
What To Expect
Beach stays are built as a closing few days on any itinerary, with transfer timing planned so you are not rushing straight from a game drive to a flight. Most stays run three to five nights.
Lake Tanganyika, BurundiWhen To Go
June to October and December to February are driest on Zanzibar. Lake Tanganyika is workable year round.
GREAT
JanGREAT
FebGOOD
MarFAIR
AprFAIR
MayGREAT
JunBEST
JulBEST
AugGREAT
SepGREAT
OctGOOD
NovGREAT
Dec
Best — ideal conditions
Great — very good conditions
Good — solid, fewer crowds
Fair — wetter or hotter, still workable
Pair It With
Other experiences you might like
Beach & Coastal Relaxation pairs easily with any of these.
Gorilla Trekking
A forest hike that ends with an hour in the presence of a habituated mountain gorilla family, on foot, in Uganda…
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Chimpanzee Trekking
Track chimpanzees on foot through rainforest, listening for the calls that give away a group's location long before…
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Game Drives
4x4 safaris across open savannah and floodlit waterholes, the classic African wildlife encounter.
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Boat & Canoe Safaris
A slower, water level view of Africa's wildlife, from a boat cruise to a hand poled mokoro canoe.
Explore
Cultural & Community Visits
Direct time with the communities who call these landscapes home, led by community members themselves.
ExploreBeach & Coastal Relaxation Frequently Asked Questions
How many days should I add for beach time?
Most travelers add three to five nights. Enough to properly decompress without it feeling like a separate trip bolted onto the end.
Is Zanzibar or Lake Tanganyika better after a Tanzania safari?
Zanzibar is the more established option with more resort choice, but Lake Tanganyika in Burundi is quieter and less visited if that is what you are after. We can talk through both against your itinerary.
Is Somalia's Lido Beach genuinely safe to visit?
We only include it on itineraries where current conditions support it, and we brief travelers plainly on the specifics beforehand rather than gloss over it.
Let's plan your journey
Ready to add Beach & Coastal Relaxation to your trip?
Tell us your dates and we will build it into a full itinerary.
Talk to a Safari ExpertOur Kampala team replies within 24 hours · +256 705 087 906