Zanzibar · National park
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
Home of the Zanzibar red colobus
Size
About 50 km²
Location
Central-south Unguja
Best time
Year-round (avoid Apr–May rains)
Known for
Red colobus · Mangroves
About the park
Zanzibar's only national park
Jozani Chwaka Bay is Zanzibar's only national park, protecting the island's last large area of indigenous forest along with mangroves and salt marsh that run down to Chwaka Bay. It is a short, easy visit that fits into a beach holiday.
The forest is the main home of the Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found nowhere else on earth. Troops are relaxed around people and easy to watch at close range, while a boardwalk through the mangroves shows how the trees protect the coast and nurture fish and crabs.
Highlights
Why visit Jozani
Red colobus
Watch this rare, endemic monkey from just a few metres away.
Mangrove boardwalk
Walk above the roots of a tidal mangrove forest.
Forest trails
Short nature walks with a ranger through mahogany and fig trees.
Community projects
Entrance fees support conservation and nearby villages.
When to visit
Good all year and only takes 2–3 hours. Morning and late afternoon are best for the monkeys. The long rains in April and May can make trails muddy.
Wildlife you may see
Zanzibar red colobus, Sykes's monkey, bushbabies, Aders's duiker (rarely), many forest birds and butterflies, and crabs and mudskippers in the mangroves.
Getting there
About 45 minutes by road from Stone Town and around 20 minutes from Paje, so it is easily combined with a spice tour or the east-coast beaches.
Visit with Asili
Trips that include Jozani
5 days
Zanzibar Beach Escape
14 days
The Complete Tanzania & Zanzibar
10 days
Serengeti & Zanzibar Honeymoon
Plan your Jozani visit
Add Jozani to your beach stay as a half-day trip, or combine it with a spice farm tour.
Enquire now