Jozani Forest Zanzibar Butterfly Centre Zala Park Day Tour

A combined 1-day tour of Jozani Forest, the Zanzibar Butterfly Centre, and Zala Park offers an immersive eco-experience.

You will explore the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park for rare Red Colobus monkeys and mangroves, visit the nearby community-run Butterfly Centre, and see local reptiles at Zala Park.

The three sites are located within 5 km of each other, approximately 38 km southeast of Stone Town.  Duration: Approximately 3–5 hours for the full circuit.

Jozani Forest Zanzibar Butterfly Centre Zala Park Tour Highlights

✓Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park: As Zanzibar’s only national park, this forest is home to the rare, endemic Red Colobus monkeys, which are easily spotted in the trees. A guided walk includes a boardwalk through mangrove swamps to observe marine life, such as crabs

✓ Zanzibar Butterfly Centre: Located near the forest, this is one of Africa’s largest butterfly exhibits. It features a netted tropical garden filled with hundreds of butterflies native to Zanzibar. Visitors learn about the full butterfly life cycle and can witness butterflies feeding

✓ Zala Park (Reptile Park): A small park focused on environmental education, where visitors can see local snakes, chameleons, and Aldabra giant tortoises

Jozani Forest Zanzibar Butterfly Centre Zala Park  Tour Itinerary

0900 Hours: Pickup & Travel – Pick up from your hotel in Stone Town, Paje, or Nungwi and drive to the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park
0930 Hours: Jozani Forest Walking Tour – Guided walk through the lush forest trails to spot the rare, endemic Red Colobus monkeys and Syke’s monkeys
1100 Hours: Mangrove Boardwalk – Walk along the scenic boardwalk through the mangrove swamps and learn about the coastal ecosystem
1200 Hours: Zala Park (Zanzibar Land Animals Park) – A short drive to Zala Park for a hands-on experience with local reptiles, including snakes, chameleons, and tortoises, learning about conservation
1330 Hours: Lunch- Enjoy a local Swahili buffet lunch at a nearby restaurant
1430 Hours: Zanzibar Butterfly Centre – Visit the community project to witness hundreds of native butterflies in a netted garden, with a guide explaining their life cycle
1500 Hours: Return – Depart for return transfer to your hotel

Jozani Forest Zanzibar Butterfly Centre Zala Park  Tour Detailed Itinerary

0800 Hours – 0830 Hours: Morning: Wildlife and Forest Exploration. Hotel Pickup and Transfer. Depart from your residence or hotel. Most tours begin with a 30- to 45-minute drive from Stone Town to the south-central region.

0900 Hours – 1130 Hours: Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. Start early to catch the Red Colobus Monkeys while they are most active. Guided Nature Walk: Follow forest trails to spot the rare Red Colobus monkeys (endemic to Zanzibar) and Sykes’ monkeys.  Mangrove Boardwalk: Walk along elevated wooden pathways through the mangrove swamps to observe unique coastal ecosystems, crabs, and tropical fish.

1145 Hours – 1315 Hours: Conservation and Butterflies

Zanzibar Butterfly Centre.  Located just 1km to 4km from the Jozani forest entrance, this is East Africa’s largest butterfly zoo.
Interactive Aviary: Walk through a netted tropical garden with hundreds of native butterflies.

You may participate in a feeding demonstration where butterflies land on your hand. Education: Learn about the life cycle from caterpillar to chrysalis and how the project supports local village livelihoods.

1330 Hours – 1500 Hours: Zala Park (Zanzibar Land Animals). A short 5km drive from Jozani, this park focuses on native reptiles and local flora. Reptile Encounter: See pythons, chameleons, geckos, tortoises, and striped lizards up close.

Native Flora: Explore the park’s collection of fruit-bearing and spice trees, including nutmeg, ginger, and black pepper. Community Impact: Fees at Zala Park directly support the local Mungooni community and its school. 

Recommendations

✓ Timing: The best time to see monkeys is early morning
✓ What to Bring: Comfortable walking shoes, a camera, and insect repellent for the forest sections
✓ Best to combine: These three sites are located close to each other in the central-south region, making for an efficient, combined half-day or full-day trip

Jozani Forest, Zanzibar Butterfly Center, and Zala Park day tour combine three of Zanzibar’s Stone Town attractions.

Your tour begins at 0800 Hours with a pickup from your hotel/residence and a transfer to Jozani Forest, located in the centre of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, 38 km southeast of Stone Town.

The forest is a great place to encounter a wide variety of indigenous flora and fauna, including the Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey, Blue Sykes’ monkeys, Bush pigs, Aders duiker antelopes, Elephant shrews, Chameleons, and numerous birds and butterflies.

From Jozani forest, we visit the Zanzibar Butterfly Centre located 4.3 km from the centre of Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. We take a tour of East Africa’s biggest butterfly zoo, where you witness varying species in every stage of their amazing life-cycle within a fascinating tropical garden environment.

About 400-600 butterflies live in a richly vegetated aviary. Inspect the tiny butterfly eggs, touch and hold the hungry caterpillars, and watch them nibble away at the leaves.

Admire the beauty of the butterfly pupae before they open and hatch. We later visit Zala Park – Zala stands for Zanzibar Land Animals, and it is a park where “Zanzibar’s native species live in beautiful natural surroundings.”

The park is located 5 km from Jozani Park and is another interesting nature reserve, this time for reptiles.

One of the park’s main attractions is its reptile inhabitants, which include pythons, chameleons, geckos, tortoises, crabs, dikdik (miniature gazelle-like animals), striped lizards, monitor lizards, and hyraxes (the closest living relatives of the elephant).

You will also see various fruit-bearing trees, such as orange, lime, grapefruit, nutmeg, banana, ginger, chilies, black pepper, and cinnamon.

Later, return to your hotel/residence.

Jozani Forest Zanzibar Butterfly Centre Zala Park Day Tour Rates Includes:

✓ Professional English-speaking guides
✓ All entry fees, service charges, and taxes
✓ Guided Tour of Jozani Forest National Park, Zala Park, and Zanzibar Butterfly Centre
✓ Pickup from your hotel/ residence in Zanzibar Stone Town and drop-off at your hotel

Notes

* The Jozani National Park opens from 0730 Hours to 1700 Hours daily | Zala Park opens from 0830 Hours to 1730 Hours | Zanzibar Butterfly Centre opens daily from 0900 Hours to 1700 Hours

Jozani Forest Zanzibar Butterfly Centre Zala Park Day Tour Rates Do Not Include:

* Drinks
* Tips or gratuity
* Travelers Insurance
* Communication charges
* Minimum of 1 person required
* Visas, international airfares, and airport taxes; meals
* Sightseeing not included in the package; optional activities
* Personal expenses such as transfers to/ from the airport (supplement airport transfer cost applies for tours starting from the airport)

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