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Pongwe is the ideal upmarket beach destination for those who want to escape the crowds. One of the most tranquil beaches on Zanzibar, it has a near-deserted feel, very few touts, and nothing that vaguely resembles
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a party scene. Resorts at Pongwe tend to be small in terms of room numbers but cover a large area, which gives the wide, palm-lined beach an appealingly rural and undeveloped look. As might be expected, most of these resorts fall into the barefoot luxury category, but there are a few budget options too.-
Size
- ± 3km / 1.9mi long
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Best Time To Go
- January, February and June to October
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Crowds
- Uncrowded
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Sleeping
- Dominated by small boutique resorts and private holiday houses
Pros & Cons
- Excellent swimming at high tide
- Peaceful and relatively undeveloped
- Feels more like a private beach than a public beach
- Lovely for beach walks at low tide
- Very few touts and vendors
- You can’t swim at low tide
- Restaurants and other facilities are limited to the resort hotels
- Not a beach for party animals
The Beach
Pongwe Beach curves prettily along a shallow bay on the northeast coast of Zanzibar. Protected by a coral barrier reef that lies some 2.5km/1.6mi offshore, this very tidal beach has an attractive strip of fine white
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sand fringed by coconut palms and . Pongwe is particularly attractive at high tide, when waves break gently against the coastal walls and you can swim right from the shore. At low tide, multicolored patterns of exposed coral make it ideal for walking but unsuited to swimming.Pongwe is far less developed than most beaches on Zanzibar. Most of the resorts here stand on large properties with semiprivate coastal frontage. So although the beach is public, it is very peaceful (few touts or hawkers) and often feels deserted. Restaurants, bars and dive schools at Pongwe are mostly part of one of the resorts. There are few stand-alone amenities.Sleeping
Pongwe Beach is lined with some of the most appealing boutique resorts you’ll find anywhere on Zanzibar. These places are often owner-managed and generally quite exclusive (typically between five and 20 rooms). Room rates usually include
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all meals, as well as a range of water sports and other activities. Most resorts have a private dive school or work closely with an outside one. Properties are large and usually fringe a semiprivate beach. There are also a few attractive budget and mid-range resorts.Eating & Drinking
Resorts at Pongwe generally offer full-board or half-board packages, so you’ll probably eat most meals at the hotel restaurant. There are no noteworthy stand-alone restaurants at Pongwe, but if you feel like a change of scene,
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you could always try one of the other resorts (assuming they allow walk-in diners). For seafood-lovers, it is worth making the effort to have lunch or dinner at The Island, a tiny resort set on a rocky islet at the north end of Pongwe Beach. Wherever you eat at Pongwe, the bar will serve a variety of local beers, imported wines (mostly from South Africa) and delicious cocktails and mocktails.Things To Do at Pongwe
Pongwe isn’t so much a place where you do things as a place where you don’t. For many visitors, activity here is limited to lazing around the hotel swimming pool with their drink of choice in
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hand, and taking occasional dips in the ocean. Having said that, many resorts offer a variety of in-house activities, ranging from kayaking and biking to yoga and spa treatments. The beach here is not as long as some on Zanzibar, but it’s a pretty and peaceful spot for walks, and you could also head into one of the nearby fishing villages to take a look around.Nearby Things To Do
One of the most popular activities on Zanzibar is diving or snorkeling trips to Mnemba Island. Although the island itself is closed to day visitors, it forms part of a much larger whose reefs and
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coral gardens support a dazzling variety of marine life and are open to all visitors.It would be a great shame to go to Zanzibar and not visit Stone Town, which was one of the most important ports on the Swahili Coast of East Africa. This characterful old town can be explored on a guided tour that will show you the main historical buildings and other points of interest.There are plenty of other possibilities for day trips. On a guided walk in Jozani Forest, you’ll look out for wildlife including , a striking long-fringed monkey that is to the island. You can join a spice tour to an old plantation for an experience that is both enjoyable and educational. Or you could head out to Changuu (Prison) Island and Nakupenda Beach on a traditional .How To Get to Pongwe
On the northeastern coast of Zanzibar, Pongwe lies about 45km/28mi from both Stone Town and Abeid Amani Karume International Airport. Road transfers or taxis can be booked through any hotel or tour operator, and generally take