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Nungwi is one of the busiest places in Zanzibar, if you are looking for something less developed and quieter, the south-east coast would be better, especially Jambiani and Bwejuu, with Paje being a little busier (but nowhere near as busy as Nungwi and Kendwa). The advantage of the north is that you have deep water even at low tide, and at least in Kendwa you still have beach at hight tide - in Nungwi only in a few spots.
If you are catching a morning flight out of town on your last day, spending the night in town may actually be a better idea, even though with the decent roads now it won't be a problem to make it from the beach.
I personally disagree with kateduc's original recommendation - with such a short time, I would base myself in town and maybe rent a car for a day to see some of the beaches. Imo, the beaches, while beautiful and all, are, well, beaches. Stonetown on the other hand is quite unique and it would be a shame to miss out on it completely.
Having said all that - given your itinerary and the fact that you will have just finished Kili that very day it doesn't really matter where you go, as you will be way to exhausted to do anything much.
A few miscellaneous thoughts:
Don't expect there to be any international car hire companies at the airport, where you just drop in a pick up and drop off a car. If you really want to hire a car and go straight to the beach you have to arrange all that in advance, including an international driving license or a visitor's driving permit. If you want to return from the beach the same day as your flight out, you must arrange for someone to meet you at the airport to pick up that car.
The only place to get money out is in town (airport as well) - no ATMs at the beaches.
Driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar place to an unfamiliar destination after dark is not the most clever idea. Are you experienced in driving a place with no street lights that is full of people, ox-carts, minibuses and suicidal cyclist?

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11

Thanks for the replies guys!

Stefo, I've driven in all sorts of crazy places, so i'm not too worried about that. I do have an international driver's license, so we're good there. Do places at the beach take credit cards, or is it all cash only?

Thank you!
Brandon

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12
In response to #11

We also climbed Kili and did a safari first before heading to Zanzibar. Several things to note from our experience in Oct 2015:

  • Since we only had 2 nights in Zanzibar and we've also driven in lots of crazy places, we did end up booking a car and driving ourselves. We based ourselves in Jambiani Beach at the Red Monkey Lodge, in a bungalow that was as close to the beach as possible (without being flooded during high tide). I really enjoyed the lodge, loved the breakfast and the really different low/high tide scenery.
  • We booked our car (along with the Zanzibar driving permit) through Kibabu Cars. They were recommended by lots of others on Tripadvisor and were also recommended by our lodge. It was either 30 or 35 USD per day for a Suzuki Escudo (depending on if you get a 3 door or 5 door) paid in cash upon arrival which includes comprehensive insurance. We met them in the Zanzibar airport, got our car in the parking lot, and then also dropped it off with them at the airport parking lot in the end. It was a smooth transaction and the car worked well (although it's not a bright shiny car like you would rent in the US). Be very careful with bicycles and motorcycles (and walking people) that ride in the dark without any lights or reflectors.
  • Dala dala might be ok, but we ended up giving rides to a few British ladies who had waited near Jambiani Beach for a dala dala for almost an hour in the heat, but weren't able to catch one that went where they wanted to go. For us, the rental car was perfect since it offered A/C and flexibility.
  • Credit cards are not commonly accepted anywhere. So, get enough cash in town before you head to the beach. There are a few gas stations along the way to the beaches, but there can be long stretches without (or ones which have run out of gas), so get gas when you can.
  • We booked our flight from Kilimanjaro direct to Zanzibar on Precision Air, since they had a flight at the time that we needed, and had the most reasonably priced tickets. Our flight was at 10am. What ended up happening was a mess... we got to the airport before 8am, checked in our bag, got our boarding passes. When we heard the announcement to head into the boarding gate area, we promptly entered, but the staff would NOT let us board and did not explain to us what happened. I believe what happened was that the early flight to Zanzibar did not have enough people for a full flight, so they cancelled it without any notice. They had another flight going to another city in Tanzania, so they fit in the first people who got to the boarding gate into this flight, and made it go to Zanzibar first, and then to the final destination. However, this plane was short 3 seats, meaning that the last 3 people to show up were now out of luck. Finally, they put us on the next flight out to Zanzibar which was 5-6 hours later, with only a lunch at the airport as compensation. Long story short, do NOT book on Precision Air if you can help it at all.
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13
In response to #0

You greatly diminish you chance for success on Kili by doing it with no acclimatization time. Be aware that though many trek operators advertise that 95% of their clients reach the summit the real stats are much lower, especially if you are taking a 5 day route. It is an expensive proposition, so consider giving improving your odds by stretching out the trip.

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