Cheapest
Zanzibar, at every level of hotel
Calmest water
Mauritius, under 1 m of tide in the lagoon
Biggest tide
Zanzibar east coast, 3 to 4 m at springs
Most exclusive
Seychelles, granite coves and island resorts
Easiest from London
Mauritius, non-stop on Air Mauritius
Safari next door
Zanzibar only, 1 h 20 from Arusha
Zanzibar vs Seychelles vs Mauritius: the 2026 comparison table
The short version: Zanzibar is the cheapest and the most varied, the Seychelles the most beautiful and the most expensive, Mauritius the easiest. The table below holds the thirteen things that actually decide it, with prices and rules checked in October 2026.
| Criterion | Zanzibar | Seychelles | Mauritius |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-range hotel, per night | $80 to $200 | About €150 to €250 | $145 to $280 in high season |
| Luxury resort, per night | $250 to $600 and up | From about €450 | $320 to $900 and up |
| Flight from New York | 1 or 2 stops, 18 to 24 h | 1 stop via the Gulf, Istanbul or Addis | 1 stop, about 19 to 20 h |
| Flight from London | 1 stop, about 14 h door to door | Usually 1 stop via the Gulf | Non-stop on Air Mauritius, about 12 h |
| Entry costs per person | Visa $50 ($100 for US) plus $44 insurance | Travel Authorization €10.90, plus a nightly levy | Free, online arrival form |
| Beaches | White coral sand, palm-backed, long and flat | Granite boulders, small coves, the postcard ones | Long lagoon beaches behind a reef |
| Tide range | 3 to 4 m on the east coast at springs | About 1 to 1.5 m | Under 1 m |
| Swimming at any hour | North-west only (Nungwi, Kendwa) | Most beaches, wind permitting | Almost everywhere in the lagoon |
| Diving and snorkelling | Mnemba atoll, whale sharks off Mafia | The best of the three, Aldabra for the few | Good, Blue Bay and the west coast |
| Wildlife on land | Red colobus at Jozani, a safari one flight away | Giant tortoises, rare endemic birds | Little beyond parks and gardens |
| Culture and food | Stone Town, Swahili, Arab and Indian roots | Creole, quiet, nature first | Indian, Creole, French and Chinese, the widest food |
| Best months | June to October, then December to February | April to May, October to November | April to June, September to December |
| Service and roads | Uneven, power cuts, slow village roads | Polished, expensive | The most developed, good roads |
Hotel prices are indicative 2026 ranges from travel guides and booking sites, for a double room. Seychelles prices are quoted in euros, as hotels there sell them.
Zanzibar, Seychelles or Mauritius: which to pick for your trip
Honeymoon: Seychelles for the setting, Zanzibar for the trip
If the budget is open and the plan is to do nothing beautifully, the Seychelles win the Zanzibar vs Seychelles honeymoon question: granite coves, private island resorts, water calm enough to swim at any hour. Zanzibar wins when you want a honeymoon with a story in it: an evening in Stone Town, a dhow at sunset, a few days on safari, at roughly half the price per night. Mauritius sits in between, with the best all-inclusive resorts on a calm lagoon. On Zanzibar, pick the coast with care, and our Zanzibar honeymoon guide explains why the north-west suits couples who want to swim.
Families: Mauritius, or the north-west of Zanzibar
Mauritius is the family pick: a shallow lagoon behind the reef, a tide under one metre, kids clubs in most resorts and good roads. The Seychelles work too, but hotels cost more and the cove beaches are small. On Zanzibar, avoid the east coast with young children: at low tide the sea goes out several hundred metres and the flats are full of urchins and sharp coral. Nungwi and Kendwa, in the north-west, keep swimmable water all day. See where to stay in Zanzibar with kids.
Budget: Zanzibar, by a wide margin
A comfortable boutique hotel costs $80 to $200 a night in Zanzibar, against about €150 to €250 in the Seychelles. Meals, boat trips and taxis follow the same gap. Mauritius is closer on mid-range hotels but not on the rest. Zanzibar is the only one of the three where a guesthouse at $30 a night is on a good beach.
Divers: Seychelles first, then Zanzibar for Mnemba and Mafia
The Seychelles have the richest reefs of the three and the granite dive sites nobody else has. Aldabra is the grail, but it is a strict reserve with around 1,000 visitors a year, reached by liveaboard with a permit, not a day trip. Zanzibar has Mnemba atoll for turtles and reef life, and whale sharks off Mafia from October to March. Mauritius is pleasant diving, not a reason to fly.
Safari and beach: Zanzibar is the only real option
The Serengeti is one hour twenty from Zanzibar by plane. From the Seychelles or Mauritius, a safari means a separate long-haul trip to the mainland. More on this below.
Swimming at any hour: Mauritius, then Seychelles
If you hate checking a tide table on holiday, Mauritius is the answer, with the Seychelles close behind. Zanzibar only works for you on the north-west coast.
Tides: what Zanzibar vs Seychelles comparisons leave out
Every comparison we read rates beaches, prices and hotels. None measures the tide, and it is the criterion that most changes a Zanzibar holiday. On the east coast of Zanzibar, the spring tide range reaches 3 to 4 metres. The reef flat is wide and level, so the sea withdraws 200 to 500 metres twice a day and leaves sand, seagrass and seaweed farms for several hours.
In the Seychelles, tide predictions at Victoria on Mahé give a range of about 1 to 1.5 metres. In Mauritius, at Mahébourg, it is under one metre, and the barrier reef keeps the lagoon full. The difference is a factor of three to four. One comparison site claims the Seychelles have "extreme tides": the data says otherwise. What makes some Seychelles beaches rough from June to September is the south-east trade wind, not the tide.
On Zanzibar, pick the coast before the hotel. The north-west (Nungwi, Kendwa) keeps swimmable water at every tide. The east coast (Paje, Jambiani, Bwejuu) gives you a lagoon at high tide and a walk across the flats at low tide, and the times shift by about 50 minutes a day. Our Zanzibar tides guide shows how to read the table, and north vs east coast helps you choose.
Is Zanzibar cheaper than Seychelles and Mauritius?
Yes, at every level of hotel. The Seychelles are the most expensive of the three, especially in the mid-range where there is little choice. Mauritius is close to Zanzibar for a simple room but climbs fast at the top end.
| Per night, 2026 | Zanzibar | Seychelles | Mauritius (high season) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guesthouse or self-catering | $20 to $70 | €70 to €100 | $75 to $145 |
| Mid-range or boutique | $80 to $200 | €150 to €250 | $145 to $280 |
| Luxury resort | $250 to $600+ | €450+ | $320 to $900+ |
Mauritius drops by roughly a third in July and August, its low season. Our page on what a week in Zanzibar costs breaks down food, trips and transport on the island.
Entry costs: where Zanzibar is the most expensive
Zanzibar loses one line of the budget: what you pay before you reach the beach.
| Island | What you pay | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Zanzibar | Tanzanian e-visa $50, or $100 on a US passport, plus the compulsory ZIC insurance at $44 per adult. Hotels add an infrastructure tax of $1 to $5 per night. | $94 for a UK traveller, $144 for an American, before the nightly tax |
| Seychelles | No visa, but a Travel Authorization at €10.90 on the official portal. Since 1 January 2026, an environmental levy of SCR 75 or 100 per person per night at medium and large hotels, paid at the hotel. | About €11, then a few dollars a night |
| Mauritius | No visa for US or UK tourists. An online arrival form, a return ticket and proof of funds. The US State Department gives 60 days. | Nothing |
Buy each one on the official site only: resellers charge $35 or more for the Seychelles authorization. The details of the Tanzanian visa and the US fee are on our Zanzibar visa page.
Hotels in Zanzibar
See what $150 a night buys in Zanzibar, then run the same search for Mahé or Grand Baie.
Search Zanzibar hotelsPartner link. The price is the same for you.
Safari and beach: what Zanzibar offers that Seychelles and Mauritius cannot
For a lot of Americans and Britons, who fly this far once in their lives, this settles it. Zanzibar sits off the coast of Tanzania, and the northern parks are one short flight away: 1 h 15 to 1 h 35 from Arusha, and a single ticket from the Serengeti airstrips straight to the island. The Nyerere reserve in the south is closer still.
The Seychelles have no safari to pair with. Mauritius is sold with South Africa, but that means another long flight to Johannesburg or Cape Town. With Zanzibar, a four night safari and six nights on the beach fit in under two weeks, with the safari first so the trip ends on the sand. Our safari and Zanzibar guide gives the parks, the costs and the order.
Mainland Tanzania now has its own compulsory travel insurance (NIC), at the same price as Zanzibar's ZIC. You buy the policy of your first point of entry, so a trip that flies into Zanzibar first and then out to the safari needs only the ZIC.
What Zanzibar does worse than Seychelles and Mauritius
We write about Zanzibar every day, and this is what we would tell a friend before they book.
- The tide. On the east coast, where most hotels are, you cannot swim for several hours a day. Nobody tells you at booking.
- Service.Warm but uneven. Outside the best resorts and Stone Town's good tables, expect slow kitchens and approximate bookings. Mauritius and the Seychelles are more polished.
- Power and cash. Power cuts are short and frequent. They take card machines and ATMs down together, so carry dollars.
- Roads. The island is small but every road crosses villages with speed bumps, and there is no bypass around Zanzibar City. The airport to Nungwi takes about ninety minutes.
- Getting there. No direct flight from the US or the UK, and $94 to $144 of visa and insurance per person.
- Beach boys.On the popular beaches, sellers of trips follow you along the sand. A firm "hapana asante" works, but it never happens in the Seychelles.
If any of this is a deal breaker
If you want a resort that runs like clockwork and a sea that is always there, pick Mauritius. Our Zanzibar safety page covers the rest.
Flights to Zanzibar, Seychelles and Mauritius from the US and UK
From the United States
None of the three has a direct flight from North America. Zanzibar takes one stop on a good routing (Qatar through Doha, Turkish through Istanbul, Ethiopian through Addis Ababa), often two, and 18 to 24 hours door to door from New York. Return fares run from about $1,000 in low season to $2,000 in peak. The Seychelles and Mauritius are reached with one stop through the Gulf or Istanbul, and Mauritius also through Paris, in 19 to 20 hours, with fares from about $1,000 for Mahé and an average around $1,150 for Mauritius.
From the United Kingdom
Mauritius is the easiest: Air Mauritius flies non-stop from Heathrow in about twelve hours, though the frequency changes with the season. British Airways has flown Heathrow to Mahé non-stop in past years, but we could not confirm a 2026 schedule, so most Seychelles trips take one stop in the Gulf. Zanzibar is one stop through Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Addis or Nairobi, about fourteen hours door to door, for $650 to $1,400 return. Hubs and timings are in our flights to Zanzibar guide.
Beaches, diving and wildlife: Zanzibar vs Seychelles vs Mauritius
Seychelles beaches: granite and small coves
The famous Seychelles photo is granite: smooth boulders, fine sand and clear water at Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue or Anse Lazio on Praslin. These are small coves rather than long beaches, and the most beautiful are often busy at midday.
Mauritius beaches: long lagoons behind the reef
Mauritius has long lagoon beaches with a reef close offshore, Le Morne and Belle Mare among the best, and the island behind them is green and mountainous. Many beaches are lined with resorts, so they feel less wild than Zanzibar's.
Zanzibar beaches: white coral sand and the dhows
Zanzibar has the long, flat, palm-backed beaches of white coral sand, with fishermen's dhows on the water and villages behind. The north-west is for swimming and sunsets, the east coast for the lagoon, the kite and the low tide walks. The choice of beach matters more here than on the other two islands.
Diving and snorkelling compared
The Seychelles rank first, with whale sharks passing between August and November. Zanzibar's best is Mnemba atoll, a marine conservation area with turtles and reef sharks, with a $10 conservation fee since September 2025. Off Mafia island, south of Zanzibar, whale shark snorkelling runs from October to March. Mauritius offers good reef dives around Blue Bay and the west coast.
Wildlife on land
The Seychelles have giant Aldabra tortoises roaming freely on several islands, and endemic birds on the nature reserves. Zanzibar has the red colobus monkey, found nowhere else, in Jozani forest, and the whole Tanzanian safari a flight away. Mauritius has the least wildlife of the three.
Culture: Stone Town against Creole islands
This is where Zanzibar has no rival. Stone Town is a World Heritage site, a maze of coral stone houses, carved doors and Swahili, Omani Arab and Indian history. Mauritius has the richest food scene of the three, a mix of Indian, Creole, French and Chinese. The Seychelles are Creole and quiet, a place you come to for nature.
Best time to visit Zanzibar, Seychelles or Mauritius
The three islands do not share a calendar, which is useful: when one is in its bad season, another is often at its best.
| Island | Best months | Avoid | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zanzibar | June to October, and December to February | April and May, the long rains | Dry and breezy in the austral winter, hot and calm in the short dry season. |
| Seychelles | April to May, October to November | No bad month, but June to September is rough on south coasts | The south-east trade winds stir up the sea from June to September. December to February is hotter and wetter. |
| Mauritius | April to June, September to December | January to March for cyclone risk | Austral winter is cool and dry. Summer is hot and humid, and cyclones are possible, though direct hits are rare. |
In April and May, when Zanzibar is wet, the Seychelles and Mauritius are at their best. In January, the peak search month for this comparison, Zanzibar is dry and hot while Mauritius is in cyclone season. Month by month details are in the best time to visit Zanzibar.
Zanzibar vs Maldives: the short answer
The Maldives are a different product: one resort per island, an overwater villa, the lagoon at your door at any hour and very little to do besides diving and resting. They cost two to three times what Zanzibar does. Zanzibar gives you towns, people, food, a safari next door and a tide to plan around. If you want to unpack once and not move, the Maldives. If you want to explore, Zanzibar.
Questions people ask about Zanzibar vs Seychelles
Which is nicer, Seychelles or Zanzibar?
For beaches alone, the Seychelles: granite coves, calmer tides and water you can swim in at any hour. For a trip with more in it, Zanzibar: Stone Town, a safari one short flight away and prices about half as high. Couples who only want a beautiful resort pick the Seychelles. Couples who want to do things pick Zanzibar.
Is Zanzibar cheap or expensive?
Cheap by Indian Ocean standards. A good boutique hotel costs $80 to $200 a night, against roughly €150 to €250 in the Seychelles and $145 to $280 in Mauritius in high season. Entry costs are the exception: the visa and the compulsory insurance add $94 per person, or $144 on a US passport.
Is Zanzibar better than Maldives?
Different, not better. The Maldives give you an overwater villa and a lagoon at your door at any hour, at two to three times the price. Zanzibar gives you a town, a culture, a safari next door and a tide that empties the east coast lagoon twice a day. If you want to stay put on one island, pick the Maldives. If you want to move around, pick Zanzibar.
How far is Seychelles from Tanzania?
About 1,800 km in a straight line from Zanzibar to Mahé, the main Seychelles island. There is no regular direct flight we could confirm in October 2026, so combining the two means a connection through Nairobi, Addis Ababa or the Gulf. That is why most people pick one rather than both.
Which island is the best in Zanzibar?
Unguja, the main island everyone calls Zanzibar, has the beaches, Stone Town and the airport. Pemba to the north is quieter and better for diving, and Mafia further south is the place for whale sharks. On Unguja, the north-west coast (Nungwi, Kendwa) is the one to pick if you want to swim at any hour.
When to avoid Zanzibar?
April and May, the long rains, when many beach hotels close or cut prices and the sea turns grey. November has short rains that rarely ruin a trip. June to October is the safe window, and February the underrated one.
What to be careful of in Zanzibar?
The tide, first: check the tide table before booking an east coast hotel. Then the beach boys selling trips, cash shortages when power cuts take the ATMs down, slow roads through villages and covering up in Stone Town and the villages. None of it is dangerous, but it is less polished than Mauritius.
Can a woman wear shorts in Zanzibar?
On the beach and at the resort, yes. In Stone Town and in the villages, cover shoulders and knees: Zanzibar is about 99 per cent Muslim and locals notice. A light skirt or loose trousers over swimwear solves it.
How many days in Zanzibar is enough?
Seven nights is the right length for the beach and Stone Town. Ten to twelve days if you add a safari on the mainland, which is the combination neither the Seychelles nor Mauritius can offer. Fewer than five nights is too short given the 14 to 24 hours of travel from the UK or the US.