Fun and entertainment Zanzibar Archipelago

On the corniche, on the upper floor of a historic building, the island's best-known taarab club, DCMA, offers regular concerts almost every day to visitors who want to discover the traditional music of Zanzibar. Wednesday is Ngoma music, Thursday is Asilia taarab extravaganza and Sunday is afro-kabisa, an afrofusion-afrojazz style. The line-up changes from night to night, so each concert is unique. A must-see!

This small open-air café, located right by the sea (opposite The Africa House hotel) under a large tree that provides good shade, is interesting for the view from the small terrace tables, over a coffee or a cold drink, all at a low price. You can sip cocktails made of fresh fruit juices. The place doesn't look expensive, it's simple but correct. The seafood and fish dishes are satisfactory, but avoid the meat which is not exceptional. Good welcome from the owner.

Pajé sees new trendy places opening up every year. Mahali is one of these beach cafe-bars belonging to the eponymous hotel, with its feet in the sand and large, shaded chill-out sofas for relaxing. The menu features burgers, sandwiches, wraps, bowls and unpretentious but fresh salads. There's a great young atmosphere here, with festive music playing in the background as the sun goes down. Excellent cocktails are served with fresh tropical fruit juices. Every Saturday, the bar hosts a live concert from 7pm.

The terrace has its feet in the sand, under tall trees on Stone Town's main beach, lit by candlelight in the evening. An excellent spot for a drink, especially during afro-jazz concerts followed by jam sessions. Large canvases by Tanzanian artists decorate a room under high ceilings and around a central bar. We love this slightly dilapidated, totally arty colonial building (the late Livingstone's), with plenty of space and thick walls. On the menu, well-balanced cocktails, Swahili dishes and grilled meats.

It's secluded on the harbour jetty, and its unique position offers a marvellous panorama. Run by an admirer of Freddie Mercury, this pleasant Zanzibar-style bar-restaurant looks out over the sea as the sun sets, and offers live concerts on Fridays (traditional music) and Saturdays (rock band). Apart from the posters on the walls and a music selection that often includes Queen, there's not much to do with Freddie. Beware, the food is more than mediocre and prices are high. Recommended only for drinks.

Pajé by Night is a lively spot on weekend evenings in season, with large, cosy sofas and poufs, where excellent barmaids serve cocktails facing the sea. Underneath its calm exterior, the place quickly becomes festive after dark, especially around the bar. Well-chosen music and swimming pool. The burger restaurant is also a good choice for lunch or dinner. The place also offers double rooms, all close to the beach (800 m away), but the prices are too high for the services on offer. Yoga classes open to non-guests.

It's the only real club in Pajé, and indeed on the south-east coast of Zanzibar! Why Not Club is located on the premises of Jambo Jambo, where the big Friday night party takes place, but is aimed at those who like electro clubs to extend the evening beyond midnight, with open-air parties turning off the sound early so as not to disturb the neighbors. Here, you're in the acoustically isolated club until late at night! The international DJs who play here are listed on the Resident Advisor website, proof of the quality of the programming.

The Red Monkeys is a lodge located at the southern end of Jambiani, towards Makudunchi. Every Sunday, a famous Jam Session is held here, where all the island's musicians and often a guest band take turns singing and playing to an audience of regulars, locals and tourists. The atmosphere is often funk, soul and jazz, and the bar is charming, set in the trees overlooking the beach. Swahili barbecue is on the menu.

This club is a rather special complex: upstairs, an empty abandoned swimming pool with a bar and occasional taarab concerts, a laid-back atmosphere. In the basement, a club takes over when the bars close. If the music is commercial, when the hours turn, the sound is more electro afro flashy, funk and hip-hop. This is the only real club in Stone Town, frequented by a local and underworld population (prostitutes in particular), with a thunderous sound, disco balls and giant screens. Remember to take a taxi as the area is not safe at night.

It's an address that's been around forever, and it's one that's gone relatively unnoticed: this small local kiosk and café is located in the Forodhani garden, close to the seafront. All it has is an outdoor terrace sheltered by parasols, not a dining room. A green and calm setting. It serves good coffees (espresso, cappuccino...), fresh fruit juices (the avocado juice is incredible!), excellent breakfasts and light dishes (salads, burgers, wraps, bowls, etc.), at very reasonable prices. We love mixing with the local atmosphere at this address.

This new coffee shop chain has two stores in Stone Town, the first behind the fort (with a pleasant outdoor space) and the second not far away, in the touristy pedestrian alleyway of Gizenga Street. Here, it's no surprise that you can order an excellent espresso coffee, and all its possible variations: latte, cappuccino, café frappé, etc. There are also a few cakes to choose from under cloches and packets of coffee beans for sale in the stores. Here, we appreciate the wifi, the well-designed lighting and the modern furnishings.

A trendy address for fans of a good Brazilian or Tanzanian ground coffee (Kilimanjaro's famous coffee), with ground coffees from all over the world, in a variety of preparation methods from Italy and elsewhere. For those who tire of instant coffee on safari, a freshly roasted espresso awaits you. You'll also find home-made pastries for a gourmet break, and breakfast formulas that are more affordable than in hotels. It's also ideal for a connected break (wifi).

As well as being a boutique hotel in the heart of old Stone Town, this place serves all sorts of coffees, including the spice coffee and the delicious local vanilla caffe latte It sources its coffee directly from the Utengule farm where the Bourbon variety is harvested near the Zambian border. The house also makes fresh juices, lemonades, lassis and smoothies, homemade cakes with exotic fruits... You can enjoy these marvels perched on a rooftop nicely furnished with fabrics and sofas and open on small perched balconies.

Finally an electro club in Zanzibar! It was born in Pajé, where the "fun & cool" atmosphere is blossoming in new places. B4, the latest addition, is a bar-club that pushes sound between the palm trees, with its feet in the sand. What a setting! Even better: it's a kitesurfing club during the day and a boumboum and good cocktails with fresh fruit in the evening. Especially on Saturdays, an international DJ (from Berlin, London, Paris...) plays behind the decks attracting Europeans on a hike, Masai, Tanzanian mainlanders and locals who come to pound the sand together in front of the bass.

This roadside bar in Jambiani is the best place to go out on a Saturday night. Run by David, a very friendly Frenchman who's been here a long time, Zanzibarbar is unique for its festive atmosphere and for the quality of the bands playing on the Saturday night stage. There are plenty of French and Belgian residents, as well as Maasais in the darts area and Swahili on the dancefloor. We love this vast place with its feet in the sand, its beautiful garden and its large swimming pool for an evening splash.

This new luxury boutique hotel, opening in 2022, overlooks the Indian Ocean from the rocky coral foothills at the southern end of Jambiani, at the very end of the village. A position that guarantees true exclusivity and a sumptuous view from the heights. Its designer pool is particularly beautiful and sophisticated. If you don't want to stay here, you can always come for lunch or dinner to enjoy the setting. The drinks menu, especially the refined cocktails, invites you to stop for a drink, especially at aperitif time.

The luxurious Z Hotel has dedicated the top and second floor of its restaurant to a cocktail and champagne bar, overlooking the entire Nungwi beach and the hypnotic turquoise blue water. One of the best spots also at sunset, depending on the time. The bartender offers a champagne menu (after all, this place is worth it) and excellent cocktails (not to be missed during happy hour), house compositions and well-balanced classics. A DJ comes to play some chill tunes to let people chat on big sofas.

This is THE club to go to on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in Nungwi. At Cocobello, under a makuti roof and on a multicolored sandstone dale, local and continental DJs take to the decks to play the best naija, amapiano and international sounds of the moment. As in all Zanzibar party venues, performers, dancers and acrobats (here from Six Unit) take to the stage, dressed in costume. Shows that set the stage on fire! The Nungwi Swahili are also ready for their choreography. A great place to dance.

Jambo New Bungalow, north of Pajé, is a cheap (and recommendable) hotel that has built a huge makuti hut for its toes-in-the-sand bar, right on the beach. This is where a big party is held every Friday, mixing African hip-hop, the latest Latino and mainstream international hits until the morning. Nothing trendy here, but a nice party where Swahilis and Maasais mingle with tourists. Good atmosphere, festive, conducive to discussions. Good fresh fruit cocktails served along a friendly bar.