Zanzibar: Jozani Forest Red Colobus Monkeys & Mangrove Walk

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.62 (34 reviews) 85% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/8

Duration2h–3h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · DE +3

PickupAt your hotel

Where 6,000 Red Colobus Monkeys Live in One Forest

You walk through Jozani Forest spotting red colobus and sykes monkeys in their natural habitat, then cross a wooden boardwalk through mangrove forest and over a creek. Private transport picks you up, includes bottled water and all fees, and returns you in the afternoon. No arrangements needed beyond booking.

2h–3h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Jozani Forest and Mangroves

Visit red colobus monkeys habitat
Explore swamp forest and thickets
Observe sykes monkeys and birdlife
Walk Pete-Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk
View coral thicket and mangrove forest
Cross creek on boardwalk

The Experience

Most of Zanzibar's tours keep you on the beach or in Stone Town. Jozani Forest is the opposite — thick, wet, alive with sound, and the moment you step past the entrance you're in a different island altogether. The red colobus monkeys are why people come, and they're there: you'll see them moving through the canopy, their rust-colored fur catching light through the leaves. There are about 6,000 of them in the forest, along with sykes monkeys, and the noise they make — calls, rustling, the crack of branches — fills the whole space.

The walk itself moves through several habitats. You start in swamp forest and evergreen thickets where the monkeys spend most of their time, and your guide points out the difference between the species, how they move, what they eat. After that section, you cross over to the Pete-Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk, which is a wooden path that winds through mangrove forest and across a creek. The boardwalk keeps you dry and lets you see the mangrove ecosystem without disturbing it — the trees are tangled, the water is dark, and it's quieter than the monkey section but stranger somehow. You're walking through a landscape that looks almost prehistoric.

The whole experience is half a day, and private transportation is included, so you don't have to arrange a driver or negotiate a shared minibus. Bottled water comes with you, which matters in the heat and humidity. It's not a long hike or a strenuous one — the forest floor is soft and the boardwalk is flat — so it works for most people. What you get is time in an actual working forest, not a curated wildlife park, and the monkeys are wild, not fed or trained. They ignore you most of the time, which is exactly what makes it feel real.

What’s included

Your half-day includes private transportation from your hotel, entry to Jozani Forest, a guided walk through swamp forest and evergreen thickets to see the red colobus and sykes monkeys, access to the Pete-Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk, bottled water throughout, and all fees and taxes. Return transport is included.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcome

Operated by Pazuri Zanzibar

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Zanzibar's wildlife in its actual habitat without arranging your own transport or guide — the private pickup and all-inclusive pricing mean you show up and walk, nothing else to organize.