Nungwi, the Ibiza of East Africa

If you’re after more than rustic beach bars and pretty scenery, a stroll up the beach towards the lighthouse on the northern shore will reveal that Nungwi has managed to retain the charm of a traditional fishing village life.

Tranquil village life

Beyond the guesthouses, the Internet cafes, the Italian-speaking beachboys and beach shacks blaring Bongo-flava music, local people still carry on as they have for millennia.

Under swaying coconut palms and shady neem trees, fishermen mend their nets or haul in their day’s catch to the small fish market nearby.

Women wade in the shallow waters, harvesting seaweed or hunting crustaceans to sell to the restaurants that you can eat at later.

Just before the lighthouse is the Mnarani Aquarium, a sheltered inland lagoon that also functions as a conservation site.

Here you can feed green sea turtles, and often catch sight of the endangered hawksbill turtle.

If it’s beaches you’re after, then take a walk in the opposite direction to the neighbouring village of Kendwa, some three kilometres south of Nungwi.

With shimmering white sands, deep turquoise waters, gentle rolling waves and swimming possible at all tides, Kendwa’s coastline is tough to beat.

If you have a whole day free, try a trip to Mnemba Island – home to a famous marine-protected reef where you can snorkel or dive and see some of the best underwater life that Zanzibar, and in fact Tanzania, has to offer.

Aside from the underwater scene, the trip offers a fabulous day at sea.

Motor-powered dhows leave Nungwi every morning for the reef, most offering a fresh seafood barbecue lunch as part of the package.

If you don’t have the time for a full day Mnemba trip, you can hire snorkelling gear from the number of watersports stalls that dot the beachfront and paddle around close to shore.

If this all sounds a little too strenuous, a sunset dhow cruise is perhaps a more sedate option.

With a glass of chilled white wine or bottle of Tanzania’s finest lager, a cold one on the water can only signal a good start to the evening.