Karamba Eco Boutique Hotel

This hotel is set at one end of a white-sand beach in a cove near the Southern tip of Unguja, enclosed in a bay and by a tidal reef and is part of the small fishing village of Dimbani, which is much quieter and less touristy than the neighbouring Kizimkazi Mkunguni. It is a staggeringly beautiful place with crystal clear waters which can be reached either by the beach of steps leading down from the hotel grounds, at least at high water. There is also a pool which has fantastic views out to sea but which offers little shade during the hottest times of the day. It is the perfect place to recover after a long flight or to escape the hassles and hustles of Stonetown. It is self-contained and the food is amazing, especially the seafood. It is easy and reasonably cheap to get a taxi to Mkunguni, which has many more hotels, bars and restaurants and has expanded rapidly through tourists staying there to go swimming with dolphins. At least one operator also runs from Dimbani itself. The resort ticks pretty much every box in terms of the beauty of its location and its peacefulness and even has a semi- resident colobus monkey who appears from time to time in the trees which shade the terrace. My only reservations are that it felt a bit too self-contained after a couple of days and there is very little within easy walking distance apart from two other lodges or hotels and a very small bar and shop in the village. The only real issue I had was with bees which are very keen on joining the guests at breakfast, especially if they were eating the delicious local honey with the equally delicious pancakes.

A tropical garden by the coast. Very very nice rooms and a friendly and helpful staff. Food is fresh and delicious. Sunrises and sunsets from the continous clifts are musts. Tides are large and allow infinite walks on spot. I heavily recomend this site.

We booked as a honeymoon destination after staying a week in Nungwi (amazing) and had a quiet relaxing pampered 9 days in mind. Unfortunately the lodge really needs some attention to the maintenance to warrant the prices charged. Our room’s roof (thatch) was covered in a tarpaulin after being damaged from either rains, wind or monkeys and was nowhere near the level of readiness to accept paying guests. Overall the accommodation and general infrastructure needs a jack up. Food was amazing. Location is great. Service was good but it just didn’t tick all the boxes we needed so we checked out early and found another place that did. Yes, it’s an island of the coast of East Africa and that comes with its challenges. Some places get it right.