Pingwe holidays

Palm trees, thatched huts, and a sugar-fine sandy beach are the three main ingredients of a holiday to Pingwe.

Village on an island

The village of Pingwe is pinned to the Michamvi Peninsula, which juts out of the eastern edge of Zanzibar. This place is perfect if you like your holidays fully loaded with book-reading beach time and Skittles-coloured sunsets. The village is library-quiet, making it a great pick for fly-and-flop holidays that require very little energy.

Daytrips from Pingwe

The island of Zanzibar is small enough to drive from top to bottom in under two hours, and across the middle in an hour and a half. So staying in Pingwe – which is in the centre on the east coast – gives you easy access to the rest of the island’s best bits. The people of Zanzibar drive on the left, the same as in the UK, and the best place to hire your vehicle is at the airport.

Snorkel for sea life

Pingwe’s action takes place at the beach, so if you’re happy flaking out on the sand, you’re onto a winner here. Swimming’s best done in your hotel pool – the shallow water off the beach is carpeted with coral. This makes it a top pick for snorkelling. Strap a mask on and keep your eyes peeled for technicolour starfish, octopus and seahorses.

Monkeys and mangroves

If you fancy a taste of Zanzibar’s wildlife, take a trip to Jozani Forest – it’s the island’s one national park. It’s a great place to spot endangered red colobus monkeys, bushbabies, butterflies and birds. Also, lots of the plants and trees here act as natural remedies, able to cure different ailments.