Chapwani Island

Chapwani Island is an idyllic, tiny coral island with only one lodge that is suitable for honeymooners and nature-lovers. It's situated about a kilometre off the coast of Stone Town, a 15-minute boat trip away. The five thatched bungalows nestle into coconut palms and baobabs on a beautiful golden strip of beach. The island is less than a kilometre long and not more than a hundred metres wide. At low tide you can walk around the entire island, exploring the wave-lashed coves and peepholes in the fossilised coral. Sound romantic? Believe us, it is!

The open-plan thatched lodge blends in perfectly with the landscape. It consists of a bar, dining room and lounge decorated in Swahili antiques. The friendly management couple, Gilly and Patrick Dudgeon, are British/Kenyan, the chef is Swahili and the owners are part Italian, part Zanzibarian.

Sandy paths lead through the lush tropical greenery to various secluded spots for sunbathing. You will encounter a variety of interesting creatures in the shrubbery. There is a herd of small antelope, a colony of fruit bats, hermit and coconut crabs and a wide range of birdlife. All these creatures are shy and timid, so do approach carefully.

One of the beauties of Chapwani is that visitor numbers are limited to 20 and there are no other residents, so you have the island almost to yourself. There are no beach hawkers, passers-by or anyone to disturb you. Of course, you won't have waiters taking your cocktail orders or cleaning your sunglasses on the beach. But hey, how often do you get to have space away from the crowds?

Another great plus is that you can swim out from the beach as far as you like at any time of the day. Chapwani is actually one of the few places in Zanzibar that is not affected by the tides. Soon after arrival we put on fins and masks and swam almost right around the island, which gave us a fantastic sense of freedom.

You'll notice that there is also a small cemetery on the island, which explains the island's English name, Grave Island. The British used it in the late 1800s and early 1900s to bury Royal Navy sailors who lost their lives at sea. It also contains gravestones for the crewmen of the HMS Pegasus, which was bombed in Zanzibar harbour in 1914 by the German cruiser SMS Konigsberg. The cemetery hasn't been well-maintained, but it has a certain atmosphere and is interesting historically. It's worthwhile taking a walk around to read the inscriptions on the stones.

From the main stretch of beach and the bungalows you can still see Stone Town over the ocean in the distance. We don't feel this detracts from the romance and charm of the place, although some visitors may disagree with us. Maybe it's just that we find all those beachfront buildings so beautiful.

This is not a resort, so there's not much in the way of watersports activities. However, they do have a boat to take you snorkelling and exploring at Prison and Bawe island. The lodge can also arrange a variety of excursions on mainland Zanzibar. However, we don't recommend that you use Chapwani purely as an island base for visiting the rest of Zanzibar as the boat transfer (US$15 one way) can increase your total expenditure dramatically and, since there is no reliable means of getting back to the island after dark, you'll miss out on some of the night markets and the vibe of Stone Town at night. Chapwani does, however, offer a perfect place to chill out for a few days in the sun before or after a busy touring itinerary on Zanzibar. 

Chapwani Island provides excellent value for money and a wonderful private island experience.

The bungalows are nestled in-between the baobab, coconut palm and mangrove trees growing along the beachfront. There are five semi-detached, thatched bungalows set right on the beach, offering a total of 10 rooms.

The rooms are very simply furnished with Zanzibari décor. Each one has a four-poster bed with mozzie net, ceiling fan and a small Zanzibari writing desk. Shelves were added recently.

The en-suite bathrooms are attractive but unusual and consist of an oval-shaped sunken bath (no bath plugs though) with a hand shower. The addition of solar heating has thankfully made hot water available. However, please be sparing with water when showering. There is no fresh water available on the island so all the water you use has to be shipped in from the mainland.

The lodge runs on a generator which is switched off in the evenings, which means the ceiling fans aren't always able to operate at full potential. At night you can regulate the temperature in your room by opening or shutting the banana leaf shutter to allow the sea breeze to flow through the room as you please. We didn't find it too hot at night, certainly a lot cooler than Stone Town,

Each room has a veranda, which you share with your neighbour. You can take your sun loungers onto the beach and find a secluded spot to sunbathe.

There are no televisions, telephones or air-conditioners, which we find adds to the romance of this small island.