Zanzibar

A Tanzanian tourist visa, a passport valid six months beyond your return, and Zanzibar's own inbound travel insurance, bought from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. That last one is an entry requirement and it does not replace your own policy: you need both, which is why insurance sits under what is not included. We send you the current list and the official links once your dates are set.

June to October is the dry, cooler stretch, and the one we build around. The long rains fall roughly from March to May and the short ones in November. December to February is hot and clear, and pleasant if the heat does not bother you.

Not on the east coast. At Jambiani the tidal range is wide, and at low tide the lagoon empties and the sea walks away for a few hours, which is its own kind of spectacle. Kendwa, on the north coast, keeps deep water all day. The itinerary puts you on both coasts for exactly that reason.

Zanzibar is largely Muslim and dresses modestly. Swimwear belongs on the beach and at the hotel; in Stone Town, in villages and at markets, covered shoulders and knees are the norm for everyone, and a scarf is useful. Nobody will be unkind about it, which is precisely why it is worth getting right. If your dates fall during Ramadan we tell you beforehand what changes.

Zanzibar is a malaria area and prevention is usually advised, but what suits you is a conversation with a travel health professional, ideally six weeks before departure. A yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive from or transit through a country where yellow fever occurs, which includes some East African routes.