Zanzibar All-Inclusive Holidays

How all-inclusive works in Zanzibar

In Zanzibar, all-inclusive is the norm rather than a top-up. On 10 November 2026, 17 of the 22 Zanzibar packages on our site that name a hotel were all-inclusive. The rest were half board, at hotels such as The Residence, which has no all-inclusive plan.

What to know before you compare:

• "All-inclusive" means different things. Riu's three Nungwi hotels serve it 24 hours a day. Meliá and Neptune Pwani sell a standard and a premium package. Zawadi's covers house drinks. Each resort publishes its own list, and we send it with your quote.
• Some resorts sell several plans. Meliá offers bed and breakfast, half board, all-inclusive and AI Premium; TUI Blue Bahari half board or all-inclusive; Matemwe Attitude half board with all-inclusive as an extra.
• Spa treatments, diving and excursions are extra at every resort, as are premium drinks and some restaurants.

Two charges no package includes

• Zanzibar's inbound travel insurance: compulsory for every visitor, even if you have your own policy. It costs USD 44 (about R720) per adult and USD 22 (about R360) per child aged 3 to 17, and infants up to 2 are free. You buy it online from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation before you fly.
• The infrastructure tax: USD 5 (about R80) per person per day at 4- and 5-star hotels, and less at smaller ones. The law has no exemption for children. The hotel collects it.

Pay in Tanzanian shillings or by card for anything else on the island: the Bank of Tanzania requires prices and payments to be in shillings. All-inclusive keeps those payments to a minimum. Full details are in our Zanzibar travel requirements guide.

Low tide: the question to ask first

On much of Zanzibar's coast the sea goes out a long way at low tide, and on the east coast you plan your swims around it. TUI Blue Bahari, on the north-east coast, says so plainly: at low tide the sea retreats noticeably, and swimming is best at high tide. In the north it's different. Gold Zanzibar calls Kendwa's beach tideless, and the Sandies hotels in Nungwi say you can swim at any hour.

That's why the pools matter at east-coast resorts:

• The Mora and Iberostar Selection, at Matemwe, have six pools each.
• Reef & Beach, at Jambiani, has a 1,200 m² pool and 35 swim-up rooms.
• Paradise Beach and Zanzibar Bay, at Uroa, share a jetty that lets you reach the sea at low tide.

The all-inclusive resorts we sell, compared

These are the all-inclusive resorts with live packages on our site, grouped by coast. Facts are from each hotel's own website.

Is all-inclusive worth it in Zanzibar? Our verdict

Usually, yes. Most of the big resorts stand on their own along the east coast, with little within walking distance, so you eat and drink at the hotel anyway. All-inclusive also spares you paying in shillings for every drink.

Choose half board instead when:

• You're staying in a villa resort without an all-inclusive plan, such as The Residence at Kizimkazi.
• You want to eat out in Nungwi or Kendwa, or spend nights in Stone Town, where the restaurants are part of the trip.
• You drink little. On a short stay the top-up may not pay for itself; we quote both side by side when a resort sells both.

Our all-inclusive picks

• Families, swimming at any time: Riu Jambo in Nungwi, with RIU Land for ages 4 to 12 and 24-hour all-inclusive.
• Families, the most to do at the resort: The Mora or Iberostar Selection at Matemwe, with six pools each and a kids club, facing Mnemba.
• Families on a budget: Paradise Beach at Uroa, which calls itself the perfect family resort, with a jetty to the sea at low tide.
• Couples, adults only: Riu Palace Swahili in Nungwi, JAZ Amaluna at Uroa, or Zawadi, 12 villas with plunge pools on the south-east coast, for 16 and over.
• Honeymoons: Diamonds Mapenzi at Kiwengwa. We have sold it for more than 140 holidays since 2007, and about 1 in 4 of them were honeymoons.
• Friends travelling together: Reef & Beach at Jambiani, where about 1 in 3 of our bookings were groups of three or more adults.
• Five-star with a swim-up bar: Neptune Pwani, which we have sold since 2009.

Not sure which coast suits you? Our Zanzibar destination guide compares them, and Mauritius or Zanzibar helps if you're still choosing the island.

Holiday packages

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R14,481 pps

  From R14,481 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• Paradise Beach Resort 3*, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R14,490 pps

  From R14,490 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• Zanzibar Bay Resort: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R14,490 pps

  From R14,490 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R15,995 pps

  From R15,995 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R16,803 pps

  From R16,803 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• Dream of Zanzibar Resort 4*: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R16,880 pps

  From R16,880 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R17,606 pps

  From R17,606 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R17,904 pps

  From R17,904 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R17,904 pps

  From R17,904 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• Jaz Elite Adonia, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R17,915 pps

  From R17,915 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• Reef & Beach Resort, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R18,140 pps

  From R18,140 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R18,883 pps

  From R18,883 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R19,095 pps

  From R19,095 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R19,227 pps

  From R19,227 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• Jaz Amaluna, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R19,600 pps

  From R19,600 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R20,137 pps

  From R20,137 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• Jaz Elite Aurora, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R20,605 pps

  From R20,605 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• Kwanza Resort Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R21,065 pps

  From R21,065 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• Sea Cliff Resort And Spa, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R21,115 pps

  From R21,115 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R21,236 pps

  From R21,236 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• 5 night ZNZ ex JNB, Zanzibar: 5 nights, from R22,589 pps

  From R22,589 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar.

• Tui Blue Bahari Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R23,760 pps

  From R23,760 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• Iberostar Selection Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R24,210 pps

  From R24,210 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

• Diamonds Mapenzi Beach Resort, Zanzibar: 5 nights with flights from Johannesburg, from R24,330 pps

  From R24,330 per person - 5 nights, in Zanzibar, flights included.

Related

• Zanzibar holidays
• How much does a Zanzibar holiday cost from South Africa (2026/27)
• Zanzibar travel requirements for South Africans (2026/27)
• The best time to visit Zanzibar from South Africa
• Mauritius or Zanzibar? An honest comparison for South Africans
• Mauritius All-Inclusive Holidays