There are two types of Indian Ocean island trips: the one everyone knows about and the one almost nobody does. Zanzibar is the first — Stone Town, spice tours, Instagram-famous white sand. Bazaruto is the second — dugongs, dhow sails, and an archipelago so quiet you can hear the reef.
I've been to both. Here's the honest comparison.
Zanzibar: Direct flights from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and several European hubs. Ferry from Dar (2 hours, $35). Easy and well-established.
Bazaruto: Fly to Vilankulo (VNX) from Johannesburg (2.5h) or Maputo (1.5h). Then charter a helicopter (15 min, ~$300) or speedboat (45 min, ~$80-120) to the islands. There are no public ferries. All access through lodges.
Winner: Zanzibar. Getting to Bazaruto requires effort and money.
Zanzibar: Long white-sand beaches on the north and east coasts. Nungwi and Kendwa are the most popular — warm water, palm trees, lively beach bars. Beautiful but increasingly developed.
Bazaruto: Empty white-sand beaches stretching for kilometers with nobody on them. The eastern shores of Bazaruto and Benguerra islands are pristine in the literal sense — no development, no vendors, no footprints most days.
Winner: Bazaruto for solitude. Zanzibar for atmosphere and convenience.
Bazaruto: Dugongs. One of the last viable populations in the Indian Ocean grazes in the seagrass beds. Two Mile Reef has 100+ coral species, reef sharks, manta rays, and sea turtles. Legendary marlin fishing — black, blue, and striped marlin all run through these waters.
Zanzibar: Dolphins at Kizimkazi. Good snorkeling at Mnemba Atoll. But the reefs have suffered from overfishing and bleaching. Still beautiful, but not in Bazaruto's league for serious marine encounters.
Winner: Bazaruto, decisively. The marine biodiversity is in a different class.
Zanzibar: Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with centuries of Swahili, Arab, Indian, and European influences. Spice tours, the slave market memorial, the Old Fort, and Freddie Mercury's birthplace. Deep, layered history.
Bazaruto: Tsonga and Sena fishing communities who've lived on the islands for centuries. Village tours arranged through lodges ($20-30) include cooking demonstrations and music. Authentic but simpler — there's no equivalent to Stone Town.
Winner: Zanzibar. The cultural depth isn't close.
| Category | Bazaruto | Zanzibar |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge/night | $400-1,500+ (all-inclusive) | $50-500+ |
| Transfer | $80-300 one-way | $35-50 |
| Diving/snorkeling | Included at most lodges | $50-100 per trip |
| Minimum budget/day | ~$400 | ~$60 |
Winner: Zanzibar. Bazaruto is a luxury-only destination with no budget option.
Zanzibar: You can DIY it. Rent a scooter, eat at local restaurants ($3-5 per meal), stay in beach bungalows, and explore independently. It's approachable and flexible.
Bazaruto: You can't DIY it. Everything runs through lodges. But what the lodges deliver — private beaches, guided dugong snorkeling, dhow sailing at sunset, fresh seafood, and the feeling of being on an island at the edge of the world — is extraordinary.
Winner: Depends on your travel style. Independent travelers: Zanzibar. Splurge-worthy special occasion: Bazaruto.
Both offer dhow experiences, but Bazaruto's are on another level. Hand-built wooden boats with lateen sails, unchanged for centuries. Sunset cruises ($40-80) include snorkeling stops and fresh seafood. Full-day island-hopping trips visit sandbanks where you can walk on exposed reef at low tide.
Choose Bazaruto if: You want untouched marine life, genuine remoteness, and a luxury experience that feels like the end of the earth. Budget: $2,000-8,000+ for a 4-5 night stay.
Choose Zanzibar if: You want cultural depth, independent travel, and beautiful beaches at a fraction of the cost. Budget: $300-2,000 for a week.
My take: They're not competing for the same traveler. Zanzibar is a vacation. Bazaruto is an expedition disguised as a resort. If you can afford it and you care about marine life, Bazaruto is the once-in-a-lifetime trip. But Zanzibar is the trip you'll take more than once.
If Seychelles is on your radar as a middle ground — it's more accessible than Bazaruto and more upscale than Zanzibar, but lacks the cultural richness of either.
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