Zanzibar · Tanzania
Dolphins, sandbanks, spice farms, the Jozani forest, Stone Town and mainland safari, all planned and guided by Adam, a local guide who knows every corner of the island.
PRIVATE & GROUP TOURS · HOTEL PICK-UP INCLUDED · ENGLISH & SWAHILI
What Adam runs
Everything below is guided personally, planned around the tides and the season, and can be run privately or in a small group. Hotel pick-up is included anywhere on the island. Pick a category, or just message Adam and describe the kind of day you want.
Prices are per person and vary by group size. Message us for a private-group quote.
Ocean Trips
Head out at sunrise from the fishing village of Kizimkazi, when the resident pods are most active in the calm southern bay. You'll go out in a small local boat with a guide who reads the water, and slip in alongside them when the moment is right. Early start, but this is the one people talk about afterwards.
The island's classic full-day boat excursion, run from Menai Bay's marine conservation area on a traditional dhow. Snorkelling over the reef, a swim off an exposed sandbank, a grilled seafood and fruit lunch on the beach, and a stop at the 600-year-old fallen baobab that's still alive and growing sideways.
The quieter alternative to Safari Blue, and worth the difference. Departing from Kizimkazi on a private boat only, so you're never grouped with strangers, out to reefs that are noticeably better preserved. Seafood is grilled fresh on a sandbank that only appears at low tide.
Nakupenda means "I love you" in Swahili, and the sandbank lives up to it: a strip of white sand that rises out of clear water off Stone Town and disappears again with the tide. Swimming, sunbathing, and a fresh seafood barbecue prepared on the sand.
Prison Island's prison was built by the Sultan and never actually used as one. Today it's home to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises brought from the Seychelles, some well over a century old, plus a resident population of unbothered peacocks. Combined with a stop at the Nakupenda sandbank.
A small private atoll off Matemwe, ringed by coral reef and known internationally for its dolphins and clear water that shades from emerald into deep blue over white sand. You snorkel the reef around the atoll; the island itself is private and can't be landed on.
In our opinion the single best snorkelling on the island: the coral is more varied and more colourful than the busier sites, with large schools of fish moving through it. Best done at low tide, so the timing is planned around the tide chart rather than the clock.
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Nature & Caves
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park protects 5,000 hectares linking mahogany forest to mangrove wetland. Its famous residents are around 300 red colobus monkeys, found nowhere else on earth and completely relaxed around people. The walk splits in two: about 30 minutes tracking colobus and black monkeys with a guide, then 30 minutes through the mangroves on raised walkways.
Zanzibar built its wealth on the spice trade in the 19th century and was the world's leading clove exporter. On the farm you'll taste, smell and crush your way through cinnamon, vanilla, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, lemongrass, ylang-ylang and more, with a guide explaining how each is grown and used. Better than it sounds: it's a genuinely hands-on couple of hours.
Both in one day, with transport between them. The easiest way to see the interior of the island if you're short on time.
A natural swimming pool inside a rock cave just outside Paje, filled with startlingly clear fresh water. Visitor numbers are limited to keep it calm, so booking ahead is essential, because this one sells out.
A natural tidal aquarium that rises and falls with the sea, home to 30-40 green turtles rescued each year after boat injuries, net entanglement, or being too young to survive alone. You can swim with them and feed them seaweed. Rescued turtles are released back to the open sea once a year, and you can attend if your visit lines up.
Sunrise dolphin trip followed by the turtle sanctuary nearby, both in the south of the island.
Dolphins at sunrise, then the red colobus monkeys and mangroves inland. A full morning and early afternoon.
A small, dramatic cove on the southeastern tip of the island, framed by cliffs and mostly empty. Half a day of doing very little, deliberately.
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Stone Town
A UNESCO World Heritage site, and the architecture tells you exactly why: Arab and Indian influence layered over centuries, with coral-stone houses that have stood since the 13th century. The Sultan of Oman moved his capital here in 1840, which is how much this island mattered. You'll visit the Old Fort, the House of Wonders, Forodhani Gardens, the Freddie Mercury Museum, the old slave market and memorial, and the Darajani market.
4 hrsstarts 09:00from €70 per person
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Mainland Safari
Multi-day safaris on the Tanzanian mainland, arranged end to end, including flights, park fees, 4x4, guide and lodging. Priced on request, since it depends on dates, group size and lodge choice.
The only realistic way to do a genuine mainland safari and sleep in Zanzibar the same night. Hotel pick-up at 05:30, flight at 07:30, landing at Mikumi airstrip at 08:30. A full day of game driving in a 4x4 with a picnic lunch chosen for shade and a clear view of a waterhole. Expect elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalo, zebra and leopards. Back on the airstrip mid-afternoon for the 15:40 flight home.
Best known for its exceptional elephant density, and beneath that a huge cast of lions, leopards, cheetah (harder to spot in the tall grass), warthog, wild dog, impala, oryx and lesser kudu. The birdlife is remarkable too: African hoopoe, kingfishers, ostrich, Kori bustard, secretary birds.
The best introduction to Tanzania's parks, because a small area delivers a lot quickly. Flamingos in vast pink drifts across the lake, pelicans, storks, cormorants and around 350 other bird species, plus zebra, buffalo, hippo and elephant. Manyara's lions are famous for climbing into the acacias to spot prey, though you need luck to catch it. June to October is the best window.
The gateway from Arusha to the Serengeti, and a destination in its own right. The crater floor is enclosed by 600m walls, holding a permanent concentration of wildlife: 55 recorded mammal species including black rhino, lion, elephant, hippo, buffalo, hyena and both flamingo species. The 4x4 climb up to the rim is memorable in itself.
Thousands of lions across an ecosystem that stretches west from Ngorongoro, drawn to the migration plains, the acacia shade and the kopjes, the granite outcrops left behind when ancient mountains eroded and lava filled the plains around them. Leopards along the watercourses, cheetah out in the open, hyena, elephant, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, every kind of antelope, and over 500 bird species.
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Watersports
Booked by the hour on the east-coast beaches, and easy to bolt onto any tour day.
1 hrfrom €140
3 hrsfrom €140
1 hrfrom €18
1 hrfrom €58
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Reviews
“We booked the Pungume Island Tour via Adam. It was amazing and included mangroves where you see free living monkeys, snorkeling, sandbank with lunch and drinks. It was a private tour so you get a small boat with a captain only for yourself or with your partner. It was fantastic and I would do it again and also the prices were very fair. I also booked some kitesurf lessons and can recommend them too. Thank you Adam!”
Bombonella Jon
Pungume Island
“I discovered Adamtour by chance on the beach during my trip to Zanzibar a few days ago. How to say: Adam is so caring and gives good advice. I was able to go on an excursion with his agency and it was just top top top. Trust him with your eyes closed.”
Hadama
Swimming with Dolphins, Kizimkazi
“We had a great snorkeling tour with dolphins. After that a fish platter for lunch and then we got to a turtle aquarium. Our driver was called Adem as well, he was very kind and was waiting with the car at every stop. A very organized tour! Definitely booking by Adem again if I come back to Zanzibar.”
Carmen Porskamp
Swimming with Dolphins, Kizimkazi
“Great experience. Adam is very easy to talk to, he explained the tour, and his staff delivered above and beyond. Highly recommend.”
Mustafa Salman
Safari Blue
“We booked a Blue Safari with Adam and had a great time. Organization was easy and Adam always responded very quickly on WhatsApp. The tour was well managed and food + soft drinks were included. We would totally book again.”
L. C.
Safari Blue
“Best tour ever. Best personnel and management. Thanks for your good service. I highly recommend them here at Zanzibar. The best of the best. / Kevin Sweden”
Kevin Eghtedari, Sweden
Mnemba Island Snorkelling
Your guide
Adam is a Zanzibari guide who has spent years showing visitors the island he grew up on, from the reefs off Kizimkazi to the red colobus in Jozani and the alleys of Stone Town. He plans each trip around the tides, the seasons and the size of your group, and he's usually the one who picks you up in the morning. Nothing here is a package sold on from someone else.
"Tell me what you want to see. I'll tell you the best day to do it."
Contact
Message Adam directly and he'll come back with dates, prices for your group size, and what's realistic to fit in a day.
+255 777 469 808 is also available for calls