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The red colobus often does not run from you. That is the first surprise. A group of fifteen or twenty sits low in the trees along the forest edge — russet backs, black faces framed in white, a tuft of hair that looks permanently windblown — and often carries on eating leaves while you stand a few metres below. They live nowhere on earth but Zanzibar. There are roughly 5,900 red colobus on the island, in about 340 groups, and the park and its surroundings hold a large share of them. Jozani is a short walk, not an expedition, and on a beach holiday — or a trip that begins with a safari — it is the one stop on the Stone Town to Paje road worth stepping out of the car for.
The detail
The park. Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park was gazetted in 2004 and covers around 50 square kilometres of groundwater forest, coral-rag thicket, salt marsh and mangrove between Chwaka Bay on the east coast and Uzi Bay on the west. Sources differ on the area: about 50 square kilometres in one, about 67 in the Key Biodiversity Areas factsheet. The forest itself is the old core; the park around it is the buffer that gives the colobus somewhere to go. It is about 35 kilometres south-east of Stone Town and roughly 20 minutes' drive from Paje.
The monkeys. Colobus are leaf-eaters with a specialised stomach, which is why they spend their days sitting rather than moving, and why feeding them anything at all is harmful. The species, its endangered status and its conservation story have their own page: the Zanzibar red colobus. Sykes monkeys share the forest too, though they are shy and keep to the shade; bush babies are nocturnal and more often heard than seen.
The walk. Entry is with a park guide — it is not optional, and it is the best part. Guides are often from the surrounding villages, know where each group was that morning, and will explain the forest in a way no signboard does. The route is flat and shaded: forest trail first, then across the road to the mangrove boardwalk, a raised walkway of around a kilometre through the roots at the edge of Chwaka Bay. At high tide the water comes up under the boards; at low tide you may see crabs and mudskippers working the silt. The boardwalk itself takes only 20–30 minutes; the whole visit runs from about an hour to two hours and is mostly the forest walk and time with the colobus.
Etiquette that matters. Keep a few metres back, let the monkeys decide how close they come, and never feed them — the park is clear on this and a good guide will enforce it. Keep your voice down and your flash off; the groups are habituated, not tame. There is a road through the park and colobus are killed on it, so if you are driving, slow right down through the forest section.
Fees and hours. A park guide is compulsory. The fee is set by the park and changes; confirm it at the gate. Hours are usually 07:30 to 17:00.
When to go. Morning is coolest; late afternoon is the second-best window. The forest is open year-round, but the boardwalk and trails are wettest during the long rains of March to May. June to October is the easiest season.
Deciding.
- Morning or late afternoon? Morning if you can: it is cooler, and it slots in before you reach the coast. Late afternoon works on a day trip from Paje or Jambiani.
- Without a tour? Public dala dala minibuses run towards the park from Stone Town. They leave only when full, so you cannot book ahead and may wait; a taxi or private driver is the easier choice.
- Short stay, one excursion? Choose Jozani for close, quiet wildlife on land; Chumbe Island for a protected reef; Safari Blue for a full day on the water; the spice tour if you are based near Stone Town and want culture over wildlife.
- Skip it if you are staying in the far north and will not pass this way, or if you want a wild, untouched forest — the colobus you meet near the entrance are habituated groups.
Key facts
What: a guided forest walk and mangrove boardwalk to see the endemic Zanzibar red colobus. Where: Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, ~35 km south-east of Stone Town, ~20 min from Paje. Duration: about 1 to 2 hours (allow 1.5), of which the boardwalk is 20–30 minutes. Guide: compulsory. Fee: fees apply, guide included at some gates — confirm on arrival. Hours: usually 07:30–17:00. Best time: early morning, dry months June–October. Suits: most ages (no minimum age in our sources); flat and shaded; usually manageable with a pushchair on the boardwalk; ask the guide. Rules: no feeding, no touching, keep a few metres back. Special: the best-known place to see the endemic red colobus; smaller groups live elsewhere on Unguja.
Planning it with Nobu
Jozani works best as a chapter in the island story, not a box to tick on a tour bus. A travel designer can build it into the transfer day from Stone Town to the south-east coast, ideally in the morning, so you arrive at the beach having already stood beneath a colobus group. If the colobus are the reason you came, a travel designer will tell you honestly which coast puts you closest.
Is it right for you?
You like your wildlife close and quiet rather than dramatic; you are travelling with children who will remember a monkey at eye level long after the beach; you are moving between Stone Town and Paje or Jambiani anyway. Less ideal if you want a half-day of hard walking — this is gentle — or if you expect a safari: Jozani is a forest, and the colobus are the point.
Journeys to consider
- Shores of Zanzibar — the island as a story, with Jozani on the road from Stone Town to the coast.
- Southern Safari & Spice — Tanzania's southern parks, then Zanzibar; the colobus after the elephants.