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Garden path at Kilimani Lodge in golden afternoon light, Jambiani, ZanzibarThe Makuti Banda with palm-thatched roof and blue verandaOpen-plan kitchen and lounge inside the Garden HouseCanopy bed inside the Makuti Banda dressed with hibiscus flowersVeranda of the Garden House with carved Zanzibari doorOutdoor lounge on the Makuti Banda veranda with rattan chairs
4.9 · 24 reviews

Airbnb Superhost

Experienced, highly rated host on Airbnb

Guest

favourite

4.9

★★★★★

24

Reviews

Jambiani Village · Zanzibar · Tanzania

Your own place in Jambiani.2 minutes from the Indian Ocean.

Two private units in one garden compound, run by Haji, who was born in the village, and Morten, who handles the booking side from Norway. Your own entrance, your own kitchen, your own veranda. The best value for money in Jambiani, and we will happily be challenged on that.

Book now, from $35 / night →Ask us on WhatsApp

30% deposit online · 70% cash on arrival · Prefer Airbnb?

300 m to the beachFull kitchen in both unitsWiFi 20 to 50 Mbps, UPS backup

4.9 from 24 guests

Verified on Airbnb →

This is not a resort, it is something better. Haji treated us like family, and the WiFi never dropped even during the big storm.

Sarah W.

United Kingdom · Digital nomad, 3 weeks

The banda is full of character and the Garden House feels beautifully calm. You can tell this place was made by real people, not a hospitality formula.

Lukas & Emma

Germany · Couple, 10 nights

Best value we found anywhere on the east coast. Two minutes to the sand, own kitchen, own veranda, and half the price of the places up the road.

Marte H.

Norway · Solo traveller, 9 nights

Booked direct after seeing the listing on Airbnb. Morten answered every question the same day and Haji met us at the airport. Zero friction.

Tom & Aisha

Netherlands · Couple, 6 nights

Ratings mirrored from our Airbnb profile · Last updated September 2026

White coral sand meeting turquoise lagoon water at Kilimani Beach, Jambiani
300 m to the shore · Kilimani Beach
Two private units·Live authentic·Garden-to-table breakfast·Airport pickup·Booking direct since 2024
The units

Two ways to stay.

Same garden, same family, two very different buildings. Both are entirely yours: private entrance, private bathroom, your own kitchen and your own veranda.

The Makuti Banda

Entire banda in Jambiani, Zanzibar

  • 2 guests
  • 1 bedroom
  • 1 bathroom
  • Outdoor kitchen
  • UPS-backed WiFi

Guest

favourite

4.9

★★★★★

24

Reviews

Hosted by Haji · Superhost

Airbnb rating and badges for this unit, checked September 2026.

An honest, private banda with a traditional makuti roof, hot-water bathroom, ceiling fan, mosquito net and a covered outdoor kitchen. Two minutes barefoot to the beach. Built for couples and remote workers who care more about character than resort polish.

What is inside

  • Private entrance and veranda
  • Covered outdoor kitchen
  • Hot-water bathroom
  • Ceiling fan and mosquito net
  • WiFi 20 to 50 Mbps with UPS backup
  • Garden-to-table breakfast
  • Fresh linen and towels
  • Airport pickup on request

$35 / night

Best value when booking direct. 30% deposit by card now, the rest in cash on arrival.

Book direct →Prefer Airbnb? Book The Makuti Banda on Airbnb★ 4.9 · 24 reviews · Guest favourite

Your own unit

Private entrance, private bathroom, your own kitchen and veranda. Nothing is shared. The compound holds three small buildings in a garden, so you have neighbours if you want them and your own corner of the island if you do not.

The Garden House

Entire house in Jambiani, Zanzibar

  • Up to 4 guests
  • 1 bedroom
  • 1 bathroom
  • Full indoor kitchen
  • Long-stay friendly

Guest

favourite

4.88

★★★★★

8

Reviews

Hosted by Haji · Superhost

Airbnb rating and badges for this unit, checked October 2026.

Your own private Garden House, with space to cook, work, relax and enjoy the slower rhythm of Zanzibar. A standalone house with an indoor kitchen, a lounge and a large veranda facing the garden.

What is inside

  • Private entrance and large veranda
  • Full indoor kitchen, gas stove and fridge
  • Separate lounge area
  • Hot-water bathroom
  • Desk space and stable WiFi
  • Garden-to-table breakfast
  • Weekly cleaning on longer stays
  • Airport pickup on request

$55 / night

Best value when booking direct. 30% deposit by card now, the rest in cash on arrival.

Book direct →Prefer Airbnb? Book The Garden House on Airbnb★ 4.88 · 8 reviews · Guest favourite

Your own unit

Private entrance, private bathroom, your own kitchen and veranda. Nothing is shared. The compound holds three small buildings in a garden, so you have neighbours if you want them and your own corner of the island if you do not.

The compound

A small garden, three buildings,and your own corner of it.

Kilimani is one walled garden in the village. The family house sits at the back, the Makuti Banda on one side, the Garden House on the other, with palms and a shared kitchen bar in between.

You can join the Friday table if you want company, or close your gate and not see anyone all day. Nobody walks through your unit, nobody shares your bathroom, nobody knocks unless you ask.

Check dates →

Site plan, seen from above

Illustrated map of the Kilimani Lodge garden compound seen from above: the Makuti Banda, the Garden House, the family house, and the sand path toward the beach

Back of the plot

Family house & shamba

Breakfast comes from here.

Unit A

Makuti Banda

Bedroom, bathroom, outdoor kitchen, own veranda.

Unit B

Garden House

Bedroom, lounge, indoor kitchen, bathroom, own veranda.

Front gate

Sand road, then 300 m of barefoot path to Kilimani Beach.

Illustrated map. Each unit is a separate building with its own door.

Pick your dates

Reserve direct.With the family who runs it.

Pick your dates, pay a 30% deposit to lock them in, and hand the rest to Haji in cash when you arrive.

Pick a date range to see pricing

Your details

Book direct with us.30% online, 70% cash on arrival.

Add guided trips (optional)

Fixed local prices. Booked ahead means no haggling on the beach.

Ask us first

30% deposit by card · 70% cash (USD or TZS) on arrival

A note from us

Karibu.
Welcome home.

Haji, host and owner of Kilimani Lodge

Haji & Morten

Host in Jambiani · Booking from Norway

I grew up here, fishing these waters long before the first hotels arrived. Kilimani is my way of sharing the real Jambiani, not the polished version, the one we actually live in.

My family lives on the property. Moudih tends the shamba. And Morten, a Norwegian friend who first came as a guest, runs the website and the bookings with me, so paying from Europe feels simple and safe. You are booking from both of us: he answers before you arrive, I am here the moment you do.

We answer messages quickly, we help with airport pickup, and we will gladly steer you toward the right restaurant, the honest spice tour, the boat captain who treats his crew well.

You are not a booking number here. If you want glossy and anonymous, there are bigger places down the coast. If you want warmth, character and people who care whether your stay goes well, you will feel it the moment you arrive.

From Haji and Morten

Want to come stay?The calendar is just above.

Tell us your dates and we reply within the hour. No Airbnb fees, no scripts.

Check dates with us →Why we are the best value in Jambiani →
The practical bit
01

Stay connected

20 to 50 Mbps WiFi with UPS backup, so the internet keeps running through Zanzibar's power cuts. We test it every week.

02

Garden to table

Breakfast is built around fruit, eggs and greens from our shamba. Coconut, papaya, mango, whatever is in season that morning.

03

300 metres to the sea

A barefoot path past neighbours' houses, then white sand and the tide. 3 minutes if you walk slowly. We recommend slowly.

04

Always a human

Haji is on the property, Morten is on WhatsApp. We reply in under an hour and help you avoid tourist pricing in the village.

Guided by Haji

Book the days too.Fixed prices, no haggling.

Guiding is Haji's full-time work, and the trips run in small numbers. Lock them in with your room and you skip the beach negotiation with someone who sees you coming.

Guest holding a freshly caught fish on the Jambiani beach

Half day, from 6:30

$45 pp

Dhow fishing morning

Out with a captain who treats his crew well. Hand lines, real reefs,, and a few hours on the water with people who fish here.

  • Boat and crew
  • Fishing gear
  • Fruit and water

Runs when the sea allows. Fixed price.

Explore this experience →
Annatto face paint on a family spice farm near Jambiani

Half day

$35 pp

Spice farm walk

A small family farm inland, not the coach-park circuit. Cardamom crushed between your fingers, clove straight off the tree, a coconut at the end of the path.

  • Transport both ways
  • Guided walk
  • Fresh coconut
  • Fruit tasting

Ask us which days work during your stay. Fixed price.

Explore this experience →
Fruit on a dhow at the sandbank off Jambiani

Half day, tide dependent

$60 pp

Reef and sandbank snorkelling

Sail out at the right tide, swim the coral, then a watermelon picnic on a sandbank that disappears again a few hours later.

  • Dhow and captain
  • Mask and fins
  • Sandbank picnic
  • Fruit and water

Only runs on the right tides. Fixed price.

Explore this experience →
Walking through the palms on the way to the forest

Half day

$50 pp

Jozani forest

Red colobus monkeys in the island's only forest reserve, with a local guide.

  • Transport both ways
  • Park entry
  • Local guide
  • Mangrove boardwalk

Mornings are usually quieter. Fixed price.

Explore this experience →
Sharing food at the family compound in Jambiani

Full day

$70 pp

Stone Town day

The lanes, the spice market, the freedom monument, sunset from a rooftop. A local guide helps it all make sense.

  • Transport both ways
  • Walking guide
  • Market visit
  • Rooftop sunset stop

Book ahead in high season. Fixed price.

Explore this experience →
Getting around Jambiani on two wheels

About 75 minutes

$40 flat

Airport pickup

A driver we know waiting with your name at Zanzibar airport. Flat price, no negotiation at the kerb at midnight.

  • Meet and greet at ZNZ
  • Private car
  • Flat rate, per car

Send us your flight number and it is done. Fixed price.

Explore this experience →
Trips only

Book a trip without staying.Fixed price. Locked in.

Running these trips is Haji's full-time work, so book ahead and your day is locked in at a fixed local price. No haggling on the beach with someone who is guessing what you will pay.

Dhow fishing morning × 2$90
Deposit now (30%)$27
Cash on the day (70%)$63

Runs when the sea allows.

Your details

Lock in your day with Haji.

30% by card now · 70% cash (USD or TZS) on the day · Free cancellation up to 48 hours before

Room plus trips

Build the whole week now.One deposit covers it all.

Add any trip to your booking and pay the same 30% deposit. The rest is cash on arrival, at local prices.

Check dates with us →
Stories from Jambiani

From the village.Notes, photos, and the people behind it.

View all stories →
Walking through the palms near Jambiani village

Value

The best value stay in Jambiani.

Why 90% of the experience costs 10% of the price, and why we will happily be challenged on it.

Read story →

Shared meal at the Kilimani family compound

Community

A table everyone sits at.

Friday rice, family, neighbours, guests. The kind of meal you remember years later.

Read story →

Guest holding a freshly caught fish on the Jambiani beach

On the water

Out on the dhow to catch fish

The captain knows where the fish are, and which reefs to leave alone. A good day on the Indian Ocean.

Read story →

Questions

The honest answers.Before you book.

Anything else? Message us directly - booking@kilimanilodge.com.

4.9 from 24 guests

Ready when you are.Book direct and arrive to people who know your name.

30% online to hold your dates, the rest in cash on arrival. Best value when booking direct.

Book direct →Book Makuti Banda on Airbnb →

Book direct

From $35 / night

Check dates →
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