Private transfer from Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport to Paje

Paje sits on Zanzibar's southeast coast, on a long stretch of white sand shared with the neighbouring villages of Jambiani to the south and Bwejuu to the north. It is the island's main kitesurfing base: the shallow lagoon and reliable wind draw riders during the two windy seasons, roughly December to February and June to September. Several kite schools line the beach, and the tide here retreats far, exposing seaweed farms tended by local women. Away from the sport, Paje is a low-key mix of beachfront guesthouses, mid-range resorts and a handful of beach bars. Day-trippers combine it with the Jozani Forest red colobus monkeys and the nearby Rock Restaurant, which sits on a coral outcrop just up the coast at Michamvi Pingwe.

The route runs from the airport south of Zanzibar Town straight across the island to the east coast, so almost the whole trip is inland rather than coastal. You take the paved Paje road (the main southeast route), passing through farmland, spice-growing country and the Jozani forest belt, where speed bumps and monkey-crossing zones slow traffic. The road is tarmac the whole way but narrow in places, with villages, bicycles and pedestrians close to the edge. Expect around 50 kilometres and roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter, depending on how many villages you pass through and the state of the surface after rain. The sea only appears at the very end, when the road reaches the beach strip at Paje itself and turns onto the sandy access tracks to the hotels.

Many Paje guesthouses sit on unpaved sandy lanes off the main road, so give your exact hotel name and, if you have it, a pin location — drivers often need it to find the right turning. If you land in the evening, note the drive is unlit for long stretches, which is normal for the route. Bring cash in small denominations for tips and beach bars, as card acceptance is patchy in the village. The tide dictates a lot here: at low tide the beach directly in front of the hotels can be shallow seaweed flats, so if swimming matters to you, ask your driver or host about tide times before booking activities. A daytime arrival makes the crossing through Jozani far more interesting than after dark.