Nungwi, Zanzibar or Mahé and Beau Vallon: which trip fits you?
A hotel-focused north Zanzibar beach vs a Mahé base with buses and island exploration.
Scope, dates and party
These are dated ground-cost examples for two adults sharing one room over the same modelled stay dates, six nights over seven days, 10–16 November 2026. Zanzibar's mandatory inbound insurance is included in the Nungwi figures, once per adult. Optional personal travel insurance, international flights, visas and shopping are excluded. They are planning examples, not live booking offers or year-round price ranges.
What is specific to this budget
Airfare is excluded and will differ by origin; it can outweigh the ground-cost gap. The two scopes are not the same size, so compare what each trip includes, not just the totals.
Children and inclusions
Nungwi's Z Hotel examples do not admit children under 16, and its budget tier is a lower-confidence cross-date projection. Mahé's budget example, Thalassa, is a 15-room self-catering property about 500 m from Beau Vallon beach; it is exempt from the sustainability levy under the 2026 small-property rule, while the larger sampled hotels pay a per-adult-night levy on top of VAT. Mahé's examples add a visitor bus card and botanical garden entry. Choose Nungwi for an adults-only hotel stay with breakfast and a dhow outing; choose Mahé to explore by bus, cook some meals and travel with children.
Dated ground cost side by side
Basket A of each hotel tier, same party and dates, flights excluded. Scopes differ in size and in what each trip includes, so read the full itemised examples on each cost guide before deciding.
Hotel tier
Nungwi, Zanzibar
Mahé and Beau Vallon
Budget
1,281.23 USD91.52 USD per person per ground dayCross-date projection — lower confidence; not a November offer.
2,201.81 USD157.27 USD per person per ground day
Mid-range
2,143.24 USD153.09 USD per person per ground day
4,008.05 USD286.29 USD per person per ground day
Luxury
3,163.24 USD225.95 USD per person per ground day
5,990.14 USD427.87 USD per person per ground day
Compiled and totalled by My Travel Choices (MTC) from the dated sources credited with each example. Research estimates, not bookable offers. How we build these examples · Cite this guide
