Uroa holidays

Holidays to Uroa are slow and steady, with sprawling white-sand beaches and a big helping of natural beauty.

Siestas on the sand

Uroa’s a coastal village on the eastern side of Zanzibar. The beaches on this African island are calm and picturesque, with vanilla-coloured sands and a sprinkling of coconut trees. Uroa’s sandy bay is no exception to the rule – you could spend hours soaking up the sun here, with the gently lapping waters as your soundtrack. There are a few hotels perched along the shoreline, and when you fancy a bite, you’ve got a couple of restaurants overlooking the sea, too. As you’d expect, there’s plenty of seafood on the menu.

Monkeying around

If you fancy seeing another side to the island, you should head for Jozani Chwaka Bay National Forest. It takes about 45 minutes to drive there, and when you arrive, you'll likely catch a glimpse of a few rare Zanzibar red colobus monkeys roaming freely and swinging from the trees. Wooden walkways weave between the foliage, making you feel completely immersed in the jungle as you wander through. Birdwatchers will be pleased to know there are more than 80 species to look out for in the forest, too – like brown-headed parrots, mangrove kingfishers and black-bellied starlings.

Under the sea

If you drive north along the coastline from Uroa, you’ll spy the tiny, postcard-perfect island of Mnemba. Just off the shores of the island, under the waves, sit some of Zanzibar’s best snorkelling and diving spots – think rainbow-coloured coral reefs, schools of striped fish and even the odd turtle or dolphin. If you’re into watersports, you’ll want to add a scuba or a snorkelling trip to the top of your to-do list. It takes less than an hour to get there by car, and there are plenty of boat trips to get you out on the water.