Jozani Forest Zanzibar: red colobus, timing and driving yourself
Jozani is the only place on earth where you can see the Zanzibar red colobus, and unlike most wildlife promises, this one delivers. The troops near the visitor centre are habituated, they sit low, and you will see them.
It is around 45 to 60 minutes east of Stone Town on surfaced road, the visit takes about 90 minutes, and you can drive yourself and park on site.
That combination of certainty, proximity and simplicity makes it the easiest good thing to do on this island.
What Jozani actually is
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is Zanzibar's only national park, covering a stretch of groundwater forest, mangroves and salt marsh across roughly the middle of the island.
Groundwater forest is the unusual part. The water table here sits close to the surface, which is why you get tall dense forest on an island that is otherwise coral, sand and farmland.
The park protects the last significant remnant of the forest that once covered much more of Unguja.
The red colobus
[EXTERNAL SOURCE NEEDED] Link the park authority or a conservation organisation for the population figures and protected status before publishing.
The Zanzibar red colobus lives on this island and nowhere else. It is endangered, and the population declined severely before protection, though numbers have recovered somewhat.
Three things about them are worth knowing before you go, because your guide may not get to all of them.
They have almost no thumb. The name colobus comes from a Greek word meaning cut short, referring to the reduced thumb. They swing rather than grip, and watching them move once you know this changes what you are looking at.
They eat leaves and ferment them. Their stomachs work more like a cow's than a monkey's, which is why they spend so much of the day sitting still and digesting rather than moving around. It is also why they are easy to watch.
They eat charcoal. This is the detail nobody expects. The colobus here raid charcoal pits and eat the charcoal, which is thought to neutralise toxic compounds in the leaves of introduced trees like mango and Indian almond. It is a learned behaviour, passed between troops, and it is not documented in colobus populations elsewhere.
What else is in there
Sykes' monkeys, blue-grey and larger, sharing the forest with the colobus.
The mangrove boardwalk, which takes about twenty minutes and is considerably more interesting than that sounds. Mangrove root systems are strange architecture, and the boardwalk gets you into the middle of them dry-footed.
Ader's duiker, a very small and critically endangered antelope. It is present. You almost certainly will not see it, and anyone promising you will is overselling.
Bush babies, butterflies and birds, plus the forest itself, which is worth the walk independently of what lives in it.
Near the park entrance at Pete village there is also a community-run butterfly centre, which works well as a short add-on, especially with children.
Keep your distance, and do not feed them
The troops are habituated, which means they will come close to you rather than the other way round. Some will walk past your feet.
Do not touch them, do not offer food, and follow your guide on spacing. The reason is not squeamishness: colobus can catch human respiratory infections, and close contact with a steady stream of visitors is a genuine risk to a species that only exists here.
If you are unwell, that is a reason to come another day.
Practical details
A guide is included and is not optional. This is the correct arrangement. They know where the troops have settled that morning, which changes daily, and without one you would walk past most of what you came for.
Allow 90 minutes for the forest walk and the boardwalk together. Two hours if you are unhurried or have children.
Go in the morning. The monkeys are more active, the light is better under the canopy, and the tour groups from the coastal resorts tend to arrive later.
Bring cash in Tanzanian shillings for the entry fee and a tip for your guide. Card payment is unreliable here.
Entry fees change. Check the current rate locally rather than trusting a figure in a guide, including this one.
Wear closed shoes and long trousers if you can. It is forest, it is humid, and mosquitoes are present in the shade even in the middle of the day. Repellent helps.
Driving there
East from Stone Town on the main road towards Paje, surfaced the whole way. The park entrance is signposted and there is parking on site.
One thing genuinely matters on this drive. The road runs through the park boundary, and monkeys cross it at ground level. They are struck regularly. Slow down well before you reach the entrance and stay slow for the stretch beyond it, regardless of what the vehicle behind you is doing.
If you are staying on the southeast coast, Jozani sits directly on your route to and from Stone Town, which makes it the obvious thing to fold into a transfer day rather than a dedicated trip.
Route detail: Zanzibar road conditions
Combining it with something else
Jozani works well as the first stop on a southern day.
Forest in the morning, then continue east to Paje or Jambiani for lunch, a cave swim through the hottest part of the afternoon, and Michamvi Kae for sunset over water. That is a full and comfortable day with your own vehicle and impossible to assemble from packaged half day tours.
The full version of that day: Zanzibar by car
Frequently asked questions
Can you drive to Jozani Forest yourself? Yes. It is 45 to 60 minutes east of Stone Town on surfaced road, signposted, with parking on site. You still take the included guide once you are there.
How long does Jozani Forest take? Around 90 minutes for the forest walk and mangrove boardwalk together, or two hours at a relaxed pace.
Will I definitely see the red colobus? Effectively yes. The troops near the visitor centre are habituated to people and sit low in the trees. This is one of the few wildlife experiences that comes with something close to a guarantee.
Is Jozani Forest worth it? Yes, and particularly so because the red colobus exists nowhere else on earth. It is also the easiest wildlife on the island to reach, requiring no boat and no early start.
What is the best time of day to visit Jozani? Morning. The monkeys are more active and the resort tour groups arrive later in the day.
Jozani is the clearest example of why a car changes a Zanzibar holiday: an hour's drive, no schedule, no minibus, and you arrive before everyone else. Our guide to Zanzibar by car covers which other sights work the same way.
Entry fees, opening hours and park arrangements change. Check locally before you travel, and tell us if something here is out of date.