Islands in Tanzania

Chumbe lies 8 kilometres west of Unguja and has been a managed coral park for over twenty years, with one of the least damaged reefs in East Africa and a forest reserve behind the beach that holds coconut crabs. Visitor numbers are capped and day trips have to be booked ahead, so unlike the Dar es Salaam day islands you cannot simply turn up at the jetty.

Pemba lies about 50 kilometres northeast of Unguja, the main Zanzibar island, with Chake Chake as its chief town. It is hilly and thickly forested, with mangrove creeks, tidal sandbanks and the clove plantations that earned it the name Green Island. Reaching it takes a flight or a ferry rather than a short hop from the mainland, which is why it sees a fraction of Unguja's visitors.

Changuu, usually called Prison Island, is a short boat ride off Stone Town. The prison built here in the 1860s never held prisoners and served as a quarantine station instead, and its ruins stand behind the beach. The draw now is the colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, some well over a century old, which makes this the one island here visited for animals on land rather than in the water.

Mnemba is a small private island three kilometres off Unguja's north-east corner, run as a single lodge, so the island itself is closed to anyone not staying there. The water is not: the atoll around it is a marine reserve, and dive and snorkel boats run out to it from Nungwi and Matemwe. Of the country's private islands, this is the one you can dive without booking a room.

Nakupenda is not an island but a sandbank in the Zanzibar archipelago, fifteen minutes by boat from Stone Town harbour, and it appears and disappears with the tide. Trips are timed around low water and usually include lunch laid out on the sand. It is the shortest outing on this list, and the only one that is gone again by evening.

Uzi lies off southern Unguja and is reached by a causeway that floods at high tide, so the crossing has to be timed against the water. Around 6,000 people live there by farming and fishing, and there are no resorts, which makes it the entry on this list that shows ordinary rural Zanzibar rather than a holiday version of it.

Tumbatu runs about eight kilometres long off the north-west of Unguja, separated from it by a reef channel. Its people, the Watumbatu, keep their own dialect and a reputation for keeping to themselves, so visitors are expected to ask before wandering, and there are ruins of an early Shirazi settlement at the southern end. It is the least set up for tourism of the Zanzibar islands here.

Mafia lies about 130 kilometres south of Dar es Salaam and is reached by a short flight rather than the Zanzibar ferry, which keeps its visitor numbers low. The Mafia Island Marine Park covers the southern coast, and whale sharks gather in the channel off Kilindoni from around October to March. For divers it is the serious alternative to Zanzibar on this list.

Misali sits off the west coast of Pemba inside a protected area, with some 350 fish species on its reefs and a dive site known as the Wall of Turtles. Nobody is allowed to live on it, so there are no buildings and boats come out from Pemba for the day. Reaching it means getting to Pemba first, which is why it stays the quietest diving on this list.

Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria is Africa's largest island national park, featuring dense rainforest and diverse wildlife like chimpanzees and giraffes. The surrounding lake breeds fish, and with over 300 bird species, it's a great spot for bird watchers. Visitors can now enjoy a semi-safari experience to explore the remarkable wildlife.

Thanda is a private island in the Shungi Mbili Island Marine Reserve off Mafia, not in the Zanzibar group as the name is often taken to imply, and it is let as a single villa of five suites to one party at a time. Reefs and turtle nesting beaches ring it. Of everything on this list it is the one place you book whole rather than visit.

Mbudya Island, part of the Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve in Tanzania, is a popular day trip for a peaceful beach getaway. A short boat ride from the capital, it offers relaxation in beachside huts, fresh seafood, sunbathing, and snorkeling. Explore nature trails to discover snakes and rare coconut crabs.

Bongoyo Island in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam Marine Reserves System is a popular spot, known for a sunken ship on its east side and teeming clear waters with diverse marine life like angelfish and clownfish. As the most visited island in the area, it's worth visiting for nature and marine enthusiasts. It also has a public beach and a restaurant.

Fanjove Island in Tanzania, the smallest in its archipelago, is a private tropical retreat with one lodge. Boasting 11 kilometres of preserved coral reef, the island is a sanctuary for green turtles and dolphins. With white sandy beaches, azure seas, and coconut palm trees, it offers a serene escape amidst nature.

Of the islands within easy reach of Stone Town, Bawe is the quiet one. It is privately run, about six kilometres offshore, with coral rock formations along its edges, coconut palms behind the sand and water shallow enough to snorkel straight off the beach. It suits a half-day boat trip rather than a stay, and takes noticeably fewer people than Prison Island.