Zanzibar vs Mombasa

hi..Mombasa is 500km by road from nairobi..the road is pretty good..you can take a bus or fly there...The best beaches in mombasa are in Diani (South Coast) or Watamu sides. Water Sports is excellent in Mombasa and you can do everything from Scuba Diving, to jet Skiing to Banana boating (at Aquadrome/Yul's place on Bamburi beach) to glass bottom boat for snorkling at the reef to Dolphin Safaris and also Kite Surfing, Wind surfing etc. Cost wise I would assume Mombasa is cheaper than Zanzibar. At least flights from Nairobi to mombasa will be cheaper than to Zanzibar.

I have been to both Zanzibar and Mombasa several times but I do like Mombasa more. The beaches are more or less the same, though sometimes it can be a bit dirty in Mombasa but thats depends with the tides( not sure of the correct word). You can stay at the best beach resorts in Mombasa for a reasonable price. Moving around the coast of Mombasa is reasonable as well. I was there last month and I paid USD 18 from Airport to Whitesands hotel ( thats because the gasoline prices have gone higher but before i used to pay USD 12. In Zanzibar I paid USD 60, well the more persons you are the cheaper. Also another thing I noticed in many Zanzibar resorts, the staff does not speak english well. I remember one night I decided to go out for dinner in another Hotel and the staff didn't speak English at all. Imagine if a guest needs something, they had to call the owner who is an Italian to come and listen to the guests!.

Water sports are available in most Mombasa beach resorts from diving, snorkeling to big game fishing.

Well, there is no spice tour in Mombasa but you will get to see lots of interesting site/stuff while there.

I find it to be tiring traveling from Nairobi/Arusha to Zanzibar if you are looking into the cheapest option rather than flying compared to Mombasa .

From Nairobi, you can either take a bus but you will spend the entire day on the road...an overnight train that departs from Nairobi at 1900 hours but these days its terribly slow! I cannot stand it anymore. There is also flight after every one hour from Nairobi to Mombasa and its only 45 minutes.

Cheers.

I disagree (politely) with 2.

Mombasa:
- dont go to Mombasa proper. Go to Diani or Tiwi.
- much more mass tourism. All hotels are basically Pollmans/Thomas Cook/Neckermann pre-booked block affairs. E.g. you go to Leisure Lodge: 99% Germans. You go to Turtle Bay (Watamu): 99% British, you go to Ocean Sports: 99% Italians, etc. The clientele is really mass-tourism-ish. These folks dont go out of their hotels.
- much more party, hookers, annoyances, dangers...
- close to some good restaurants, sightseeing, wildlife, crocodile farms,..
- cheaper as the hotels are often booked in block (and also with the recent Kenya disturbances)

Zanzibar:
- totally different clientele: honeymooners and upscale, educated backer-type
- Stonetown truly unique
- no real hassles, dangers,...
- much much less touristy.

Price-wise:
Zanzibar will bemore expensive.

Getting there:
Same if you fly. Same time, same price (a tad more expensive for Zanzibar then for Mombasa)

Beaches:
Both are comparable; in terms of diving, snorkeling, fishing, whatnot. Zanzibar a bit wilder.
In Mombasa: every year massive seaweed invasion Sep-Dec. NOT fun.

I go to both a lot, but prefer Zanzibar by far.

I agree with Smallmasterr, on the face of it they are similar but dig below the surface and you are comparing two very different beach experiences. I too would avoid Mombassa town and head either north or south. In my opinion, ZZB is much more chilled, relaxing and special. If you wanted somewhere similar in Kenya I would recommend Lamu rather than Mombassa - another world heritage island on the old Arab spice route, similar to ZZB but less frequented and quiet. An easy flight from Nairobi and slightly less costly than ZZB.

If you have to make a choice, do not hesitate one second and head to Zanzibar. You simply cannot compare both. Zanzibar is an old island with a fabulous cultural heritage, while Mombasa is mainly a vacation resort.

If you want to be on a Kenyan beach, rather than Mombasa, go to Lamu island, which is the cousin of Zanzibar in much smaller.

From Nairobi, you can reach these three places easily by plane, using Air Kenya, Kenya Airways, Precision Air or Safari Link depending on where you go. The bus can be used but it's very long and do not travel at night as safety is not good on Kenyan roads once it's dark.

Lamu Island is mentioned by several people here. So how would you compare Lamu with Zanzibar?

Hmmm... good question. Having been to both, I'd say that Lamu is way smaller. It looks a lot like Zanzibar as it also has an old swahili town, and it also has a peculiar atmosphere, however it'smuch smaller and there is not much to do, plus the beaches are less beautiful and there are not many possibilities of diving, though a guy is trying to launch a business. If I had to choose, I'd recommend Zanzibar as the beaches are more impressive and the old town is much bigger. I love both but I find Zanzibar has more "soul" than Lamu. That said, some of my friends think the contrary !

Having been to both, i would be slightly unpatriotic and tell you to choose Zanzibar! I was in Lamu for Christmas and also spent a month there filming a movie, and as catw said, there is not much to do. My b/f and I did go fishing and caught my own lunch... Zanzibar on the other hand, has the spice tours, the (fish) market tours, old palaces and building to see (House of Wonders is a must), snorkeling, diving, and if you go during the low season, you get strips and strips of deserted beach.. incredible! My preference is the North (Nungwi), of course after sending some time in Stone Town. I have done both backpacking and high end traveling in Zanzibar, and i have to say i much enjoyed the backpacking. We stayed at Flaming guest house, a family run guest house, very cozy, small (about 5 rooms in a familyhouse-like setting) so no crowds. It is on Vuga road.

Transport
Have gone both on road and by air, i much preferred the road as i got to sight see most of Kenya and Tanzania on the way. I used Scandinavia bus from Nairobi, departs at 6.30 am. We spent one night in Dar es Salam then caught the morning ferry to Zanzibar. The bus is KES 3000 per person and the ferry ride is $35 per person. (all one way).

Have fun!