Mauritius or Zanzibar? An honest comparison for South Africans

Who each island suits

Our own bookings show the split clearly. Of our Mauritius holidays, nearly 4 in 10 included children. Of our Zanzibar holidays, about 1 in 10 did; nearly 7 in 10 were couples, and about 1 in 6 were honeymoons.

That matches what we advise:

• Families with young children: Mauritius. The lagoons are calm at any tide, there's no malaria, and at Beachcomber children aged 11 and under get the all-inclusive free.
• Couples and honeymooners: Zanzibar, if you want a livelier, more exotic feel and a lower price; Mauritius, if you want polished resorts and calm water.
• Friends travelling together: Zanzibar. About 1 in 7 of our Zanzibar bookings were groups of three or more adults, nearly twice the Mauritius share.
• Culture with your beach: Zanzibar, for Stone Town.
• Golf, and a wide choice of big family resorts: Mauritius.

Mauritius and Zanzibar at a glance

Cost: which is cheaper?

For couples, Zanzibar usually is. On our live packages, five nights all-inclusive in Zanzibar, with flights from Johannesburg and transfers, started at R14,490 per person sharing, and five-star all-inclusive at R19,600. Beachcomber's four-star all-inclusive in Mauritius started at about R25,000 for five nights, and its five-star at about R46,000.

Three things narrow the gap:

• Children. At Beachcomber, children aged 11 and under get the all-inclusive free, all year. Zanzibar's hotels set their own children's rates, and Zanzibar charges children for its insurance (USD 22 from age 3) and its infrastructure tax. For a family, Mauritius can work out cheaper.
• Zanzibar's compulsory extras. For a couple staying seven nights at a five-star hotel, the insurance and the infrastructure tax add about USD 158 (about R2,580). Mauritius's tourist fee for the same couple is €42.
• Dates. Our Zanzibar prices above are mostly for November and December 2026; the Mauritius ones for February and June 2027. Compare your own dates side by side: we quote both.

The full breakdowns: what a Zanzibar holiday costs and what a Mauritius holiday costs.

Getting there

Both are about four hours from Johannesburg. Mauritius has more flights:

• From Johannesburg: Mauritius has Air Mauritius and SAA daily and FlySafair four times a week; Zanzibar has FlySafair three times a week and Airlink twice, five non-stop flights in all.
• From Cape Town: Mauritius has eight direct flights a week on three airlines; Zanzibar has one, Airlink on Saturdays.
• From Durban: neither has a non-stop flight; you connect in Johannesburg.

More flights means more choice of dates and a better chance of a seat in the school holidays. Mauritius wins here, especially from Cape Town.

Beaches, lagoons and tides

This is the biggest practical difference. In Mauritius a coral reef rings most of the island, so the lagoons in front of the resorts are calm and swimmable at most states of the tide. In Zanzibar the tide rises and falls by more than 4 m at spring tides. On the east and south-east coasts, where most of the big resorts are, the sea retreats a long way at low tide, and you swim at high tide or in the pool.

Zanzibar's answer is the north: at Nungwi and Kendwa you can swim at any time, and the hotels there say so. If calm water whenever you want it matters most, choose Mauritius, or Zanzibar's north coast.

Families

Mauritius is the easier family holiday, and our clients agree: nearly 4 in 10 of our Mauritius bookings include children, against about 1 in 10 in Zanzibar.

Why:

• Calm water at any tide, right in front of the resort.
• No malaria, and no compulsory insurance to buy for each child.
• Children's offers: at Beachcomber, the all-inclusive is free for children aged 11 and under, and the Kids Club for ages 3 to 11 is free.
• More flights, which matters in the school holidays.

Zanzibar works for families who choose carefully: a resort in the north for swimming at any tide, or one with a kids club and big pools, such as Riu Jambo in Nungwi (RIU Land, ages 4 to 12) or The Mora at Matemwe (kids club 3 to 12, six pools).

More: Mauritius family holidays and our Zanzibar destination guide.

Honeymoons and couples

Both are excellent, and they suit different couples. Honeymoons are a bigger share of our Zanzibar bookings (about 1 in 6) than of our Mauritius ones (about 1 in 8).

• Zanzibar feels more exotic: Stone Town's alleys and food, and villas with their own pools, often for less. Adults-only choices include Riu Palace Swahili in Nungwi, JAZ Amaluna at Uroa and Zawadi on the south-east coast. See Zanzibar all-inclusive holidays.
• Mauritius is more polished: big resorts with service to match, adults-only wings and resorts such as Dinarobin's Zen crescent, Ambre (16 and over) and Riu Palace Mauritius (18 and over), and Beachcomber's honeymoon gifts. See Mauritius honeymoons.

Culture

Zanzibar has more of it within reach of the beach. Stone Town, its old city, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000: a Swahili trading town whose buildings mix African, Arab, Indian and European influences. Our clients who stay there usually give it two nights. Dress modestly away from the beach, and take care during Ramadan, which in 2027 is expected to run from about 8 February to 8 March.

Mauritius's appeal is more the resort and the scenery: the Le Morne peninsula, below Le Morne Brabant, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and day trips across the island.

Health and entry rules

Neither island needs a visa on a South African passport. The differences:

• Mauritius: complete the free All-in-One Travel Form online before you fly. No malaria.
• Zanzibar: buy the compulsory Zanzibar insurance online (USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child aged 3 to 17, infants free), complete the online health form within 24 hours before you land, and see a travel clinic about malaria tablets. The risk is very low, but the WHO still advises them.
• Yellow fever: not needed for either island on a direct flight from South Africa.

Details: Zanzibar travel requirements for South Africans and the entry section of our Mauritius guide.

Weather and when to go

The two islands' best seasons overlap from June to October:

• Mauritius: May to early December is the drier half of the year, and October the driest month. February and March are the wettest, and the cyclone season runs from 1 November to 15 May.
• Zanzibar: June to September is the dry season; January and February are hot and fairly dry. The long rains run from March to May (April is the wettest month) and the short rains from October to December. Cyclones very rarely reach it.

For the June/July school holiday, both work: choose Mauritius's west coast, or anywhere in Zanzibar. For Easter, Mauritius's west coast is drier than Zanzibar in the long rains. In December, both are hot and wetter. Month by month: Zanzibar and Mauritius.

Can you combine Mauritius and Zanzibar?

Yes, but plan the order. Mauritius's own list of yellow fever areas includes Tanzania, so if you fly from Zanzibar to Mauritius, carry a yellow fever certificate. Going the other way, from Mauritius to Zanzibar, you don't need one. We'll work out the routing and flights for you.

Our verdict

• Young family: Mauritius.
• Family with teenagers: either. Mauritius for the clubs and calm water, Zanzibar's north for a change of scene.
• Honeymoon or couple on a budget: Zanzibar.
• Honeymoon with top-end service: Mauritius, or a villa in Zanzibar.
• Friends' trip: Zanzibar.
• First island holiday, flying from Cape Town: Mauritius, for the flights.

We sell both, so we have no reason to steer you to one. Tell us who's travelling and when, and we'll quote both side by side.

Related

• Zanzibar holidays
• Mauritius holidays
• How much does a Zanzibar holiday cost from South Africa (2026/27)
• How much does a Mauritius holiday cost from South Africa (2027)
• The best time to visit Zanzibar from South Africa
• The best time to visit Mauritius from South Africa
• Zanzibar travel requirements for South Africans (2026/27)
• Zanzibar All-Inclusive Holidays
• Mauritius Family Holidays
• Mauritius Honeymoons