Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park is the largest remnant of the original forest that once covered most of the island of Zanzibar.

The forest is home to a number of endemic animals that were once common throughout the island: the diademed cat, the suni antelope and nowadays the park's biggest attraction, the red guereza.

In addition to the forest, the park has several interconnected habitats: swamps, evergreen scrub, mangroves and grassy plains.

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• A visit to Jozani National Park takes about 60-75 minutes
• Not accessible by public transport
• I recommend paying the official entrance fee 12 usd, which also includes a guidebook

Red-backed monkeys

Most tourists head to Jozani to see monkeys with unusual coloring - black face and red backs. They are called red guerrillas and are often seen high in the treetops.

The monkeys don't live in such large numbers in Jozani Forest that you're guaranteed to see them.

A guidebook, which is a must if you want to visit the rainforest part of the national park, will help greatly in this regard. From personal experience, I recommend the guidebook - without it, I would have no idea where to look for monkeys and wouldn't have seen any.

Discover the mangroves

The southern part of the national park lies in a narrow sea cove, which creates ideal conditions for mangroves. There is a hiking trail about 400 meters long that runs right over the water and roots of peculiar shapes.

You can enter this part of the national park on your own without a fee, especially if you arrive by rental car.

Taxi drivers or organised tours will always take you to the National Park reception first, where you have to pay for a guide and a walk through the forest area.

A walk through the forest

The main part of the national park is covered by a forest - partly endemic with huge old trees and partly artificially planted during the 19th and 20th centuries.

To walk through the rainforest you have to pay for a guide at the National Park reception, who will also provide you with an interpretation.

Entrance fees and opening hours

Jozani Forest is open every day from 7:30am-5pm.

The official fee also includes a guide who will give you an interpretation and take you to the rainforest area, mangroves and most likely find monkeys.

The cost is 12 usd / 30 000 tzs.

The walk through the rainforest takes about 20 minutes and so does the walk along the path above the mangroves.

How to get there

You can only get to Jozani National Park on your own by rental car.

The dala-dala buses do not stop here.

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Most tourists make their way here as part of organised tours, which are organised to Jozani National Park from all locations on Zanzibar and often include a stop at Stone Town Spice Farm or elsewhere on the island.

Prices range from 50 usd to 100 usd depending on how long the trip is.

All Zanzibar tours are booked through getyourguide.com, where most local agencies operate.

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