Zanzibar vs Mauritius | Which African Indian Ocean Island Is Better?

If you are looking at visiting one of the Indian Ocean African Islands, here’s a comparison of Zanzibar vs Mauritius! I will be breaking it down into several different categories and sharing my opinion, based on my experience, of the two!

Mauritius vs Zanzibar

Cost

🏆Winner = Zanzibar

When comparing Mauritius and Zanzibar for cost, both trips were for similar durations and I was travelling in shoulder seasons. At first look, Zanzibar was more expensive, costing me £1550 (you can see a full breakdown here: Is Zanzibar Expensive? | 10 Day Trip Budget Breakdown). Mauritius was £1420.

However, I was travelling to Zanzibar solo and had no one to split costs with. Honestly, I think if I was to have done my Mauritius trip solo, it would have cost me a little more. While in Mauritius I could split the accommodation and taxis for my 2 main day tours.

I think accommodation plays a big factor in Mauritius actually costing more. Because tours and food were similar prices in both places.

Accommodation

🏆Winner = Zanzibar

Zanzibar also had a lot more choice for budget-friendly accommodation options. You could easily find hostels and budget hotels amongst the more higher-rate hotels. In Mauritius, there wasn’t as much choice.

My hotels in both places were actually fairly similar. Both had more bungalow-style rooms, rather than big block accommodation (complete with free lizards…). The restaurants were both open-sided with thatched style roofs. The pools were more garden-like and both had detached beach facilities.

Mauritius did have more activities on offer, as well as half-board and all-inclusive options. My Zanzibar hotel only had breakfast included. Personally, I paid about the same nightly rate for the hotels, but didn’t have dinner included in Zanzibar. And, as mentioned, I was dividing the Mauritius price with other people, which kept that rate down, despite having more included in my package.

Beaches

🏆Winner = Zanzibar

For me, the beaches in Zanzibar win hands down in comparison to Mauritius. Don’t get me wrong, the Mauritian beaches are lovely, but the Zanzibar beaches have bright white sand and turquoise water. As someone who loves beaches, they made me say ‘wow’.

I spent the majority of my time at Paje Beach in Zanzibar. There were lots of beachfront accommodation, restaurants and bars. My hotel had a beach bar where I could use beanbags and the toilets for free, but most required you to be a customer to use their facilities.

However, the public beaches in Mauritius were set up well for tourists. They had free public toilets with showers, car parks, some had food trucks etc. My hotel had an area on Bain Boeuf Beach with free sun loungers and umbrellas, as well as free water sports rentals.

Nature

🏆Winner = Mauritius

For those that like nature, personally I think Mauritius is better.

Zanzibar is quite flat and empty in the centre of the island. There is Jozani Forest which is popular for seeing the native Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey and mangrove tours. But other than those, the majority of the other things to do are more coastal-based.

In Mauritius, the centre of the island has a mountain range and the Black River Gorges National Park. There are hiking trails, waterfalls, caves and more. Some of the viewpoints and waterfalls can be reached easily, but others have more strenuous trails.

Something I liked about Mauritius were the nature parks! In the south, there are several different ones that offer similar types of attractions, such as ATV riding, zip lining and toboggans/luges.

A couple of the parks are centred around ‘coloured earth‘. These were created from volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. Over time the minerals have turned the ground/larva spill into different shades of reds and browns.

Things To Do

🏆Winner = Mauritius

Carrying on from above, in my eyes, Mauritius wins purely for the nature parks. I love adventure travel and I thought they were great. I visited La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park, the ATV trail was one of my favourites!

Along with these, boat trips are also popular in Mauritius. You can also visit: tea plantations, rum factories, temples, gardens, go on food tours in the city and more.

In Zanzibar, I LOVED the Spice Farm tour. I also took a tour of a seaweed centre (which was very interesting), a Stone Town city tour and a trip to Prison Island to see the giant tortoises (Mauritius has giant tortoises too). Most other activities I did in Zanzibar were beach/relaxation-based. Kite surfing is also popular in Paje.

Transport

🏆Winner = Mauritius

When it came to taxis and tours, Zanzibar and Mauritius were both very similar. Rather than group tours being available, in both countries it was mostly that you hired a private guide. They take you where you want, and stay with you for the day.

Most of the time they were a flat fee, so if you are travelling solo, you pay the same as what you would if there were 2 or 3 other people. They are quite expensive, in both places, a day rate was close to £100.

Mauritius ‘wins’ because they do have a public bus network that covers quite a lot of the island. It’s cheap and even though there isn’t so much of a timetable, they were fairly regular. The buses are quite old but they are similar to normal buses you’d expect in other places around the world.

Zanzibar does have a transport network called ‘Dala Dalas’. These are tiny little buses or trucks where people are absolutely crammed in with various cargo (anything from mattresses to chickens).

When speaking to one of my guides, he was telling me that the locals don’t really like it when tourists in Zanzibar use this network.

Many people in Zanzibar can’t drive, especially women. When tourists fill up the ‘cheap’ transport, it can sometimes mean that the locals have to wait hours for another bus, when they have no other choice. Tourists can often afford private transport (but choose to take budget options), but the locals can not.

Weather

🏆Winner = Zanzibar

Due to the geography of the island, Mauritius is quite a rainy island. Even in the ‘dry season’ they still have quite a high monthly rainfall, especially in the mountains. In May also found Mauritius to be cold in the morning and evenings. In the daytime, I didn’t feel it was always warm enough to swim (average high/low = 25c/20c). The ocean wasn’t the warmest and the pool in my hotel was ICE cold.

September and October are the driest months, but the coldest time of the year. The rainy season is warmer but then do you want to lay on the beach when it’s raining?

In Zanzibar the climate is a bit more ‘black and white’, they have rainy seasons and dry seasons. Dry season is dry, although it can be windy, but it’s still warm. There are two rainy seasons though, one from March until May and another from late October until January. August and September are the driest months, with October being the start of the low season.

Like Mauritius, the warmer temperatures are during the rainy season. But in comparison, during the dry season, Zanzibar has the highest average temperatures (28c/23c). So it’s more likely to be warmer and drier in Zanzibar.

Food & Drink

🏆Winner = Zanzibar

Honestly, I often dream about the food I ate in Zanzibar. There were so many fruit, vegetable, smoothie-type options. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I was surprised by how healthy I was eating there.

In Mauritius, a lot of the cuisine is very Indian-based. So lots of curry and spice. Don’t get me wrong, it was still tasty (my dad says it was the best fish he’s ever had), but the fruits and vegetables in Zanzibar were a standout!

A special mention goes to the local vanilla tea in Mauritius though! I bought a box to bring home and wish I had bought 10 boxes more.

People & Safety

🏆Winner = Mauritius

Both countries were quite conservative when it comes to dressing. Beaches are more relaxed but especially in Zanzibar you were often expected to cover your knees and shoulders in the villages and cities. In Mauritius, this was necessary mostly at religious sites.

When it comes to people and safety, I wrote a full guide to how I felt as a solo traveller in Zanzibar. Quick answer is that I felt pretty safe in general but I did receive a LOT of unwanted attention on the beaches. It was never-ending, to the point where I was walking in the sea with earphones in, to try and avoid it!

In Mauritius, there was only one guy on the beach that would try and sell coconuts but unless you made eye contact, he’d just walk by. I found the locals to be a lot more friendly and helpful, HOWEVER, we did end up getting scammed twice. One guide didn’t provide the tour we had booked, an 8-hour tour ended after 5.5hrs with almost all the itinerary changed to lesser options.

Then we were charged £6 for an ice cream. I understand that locals pay a LOT LESS, the same happens in Zanzibar too, and that’s totally fine. However, in Mauritius, they do seem to take the overcharging to an EXTREME to the point that’s way higher than Western countries. Apparently, it’s really bad for this in Port Louis (Mauritius) too.

Final Results

• 🇹🇿Zanzibar: 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
• 🇲🇺Mauritius: 🥇🥇🥇🥇

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Last Updated on May 23, 2025