Marafiki Bungalows in Kiwengwa

We stayed here for 5 nights and had a lovely time! Good food, plenty of options for meals. Lovely pool, nice small beach area which is suitable for swimming at certain times of the days. Very friendly staff. Rooms very nice, spacious, lots of comfortable outdoor seating (both private with the rooms and around the pool, beach). Particularly loved the bush babies who you could see and hear when it was dark!

Stayed in Marafiki Bungalows for 3 nights.
Amazing place, very hood service from all staff +reception, clean and comfy Bungalow, great pool ,bar and tasty breakfast.
The beach on this side(east) is affected more by the tide, 5 minutes ride and you are at Kinengwa beach, one of the best in the world.
The obvious advantage of the relative distance is the peace and quiet and the amazing feel of remoteness.

5/5 , highly recommend this place.

Perfect Bungalows
Marafiki Bungalows was a delight. But what made it a perfect location to rest & relax were all the employees. Lots of flora & fauna & quite. Management were women and everything done perfectly & no detail forgot. We had a Gluten Free person traveling with us & the chefs were super accommodating. Food was all delicious . Pool & beach were beautiful. A special thank you to Jackson who took care of all our food needs & the ladies working reception. Easy 1 hour ride from Zanzibar airport & would definitely return to Marafiki.

This is our all time favourite stay, beautiful gardens, lovely sea view, staff are exceptional. Everyone went out of their way to make our stay great. Food was excellent Felt like we were staying with a family. Perfect place to relax and enjoy. If u are looking for action and tons of activities then look elsewhere, this is a place to chill, so safe and they look after everything. U can get to places like Stonetown as rides are easily arranged by the hotel.

A beautiful boutique styled hotel with comfortable bungalows most with ocean views and lovely front balcony's. The owners are Polish (most resorts in Zanzibar are owned by foreigners), who were kind and helpful. We visited at shoulder season, so there was plenty of pool chairs to choose from. This is a hotel that you would choose if you want to enjoy a quite, smaller resort with a pool and good food. To reach an enjoyable ocean to swim in a shuttle bus is offered for free from 10am-2pm or you can walk 30mins on the beach at low tide (you need to plan this), because this side of the island has low and high tide. If you walk the beach you will have a constant flow of locals looking to sell you various jewelry, etc. Which personally we didn't enjoy. The staff that work at the restaurant were very friendly, we enjoyed speaking a lot with Jackson (Junior and Senior), who both made us feel very comfortable and improved our stay. One of the best parts of the stay was the seafood and local dishes. Everything was very fresh, and flavourful. Breakfast was included and each day we had fresh fruit and great breakfast options.

We tried the Spice tour offered by Marafiki, only to later learn that Zanzibar apparently doesn't have real farms (they are all on the mainland). The tour consisted of a walk around a garden with a sample of plants. It was informative, and we did enjoy but it felt dishonest. In addition to the tour fee ($5 per person) each person you meet there either expects a tip or will offer you something to buy. The items they have for sale you will then later see in the market in Stone Town at a more reasonable price.

Outside of the resort, and all the resorts we saw on Zanzibar, you are surrounded by underdevelopment and poverty.

Marafiki is about a 45 min drive from the airport in the middle of the island.

One of the best places to stay in zanzibar.
Beautiful resort and amazing hospitality.

Its a gorgeous lush green place, full of nature, great hospitality and delicious food. We stayed there for 3 nights and 4 days and loved our stay.

We arrived to the hotel as a walking enjoyed a wander full stuff friendly finely arrenged and prepared tropical dishes All extremely tasty Great local ion elevated right on the sea supper friendly service very nice welcoming place helpful staff nice

After 8 days on safari on bone rattling roads, and an epic day hike up Kilimanjaro, the Marifiki bungalows was a perfect way to recover! Beautiful bungalows set amongst lush greenery, soft sand, a stunning pool, and the sound of the sea against the shore. The rooms were comfortable and luxurious, whilst maintaining a cosy atmosphere, with balconies for a morning coffee, or to mingle with the bush-babies at night! The restaurant was rustic, yet clean, the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and the local dancers one evening were brilliant! The food was the best we’ve ever eaten on holiday (and we’ve travelled to many parts of the world), particularly the healthy breakfast options. Yes, the beach nearby isn’t postcard perfect and is sludgy when the tide goes out, but the resort itself has an elevated sand area for sunbathing, and you don’t get hassled by beach sellers! Moreover, we had no other tourists walking past, so we truly felt like we were in paradise, secluded from the world. The resorts greatest asset? The staff. All so friendly and welcoming, but a special shout out to Jackson Jr. On top of looking after us so well, he had brilliant humour, and made us laugh continuously. Asante sana to Jackson Jr, and the whole team at the Marifiki bungalows. Highly recommended!