ZALA Park

Zanzibar Island


ZALA (Zanzibar Land Animals) Park was founded as a project to help local people appreciate the value of wildlife, with funds raised by tourist visits. The park itself appears forlorn today, as more energy and emphasis goes into tours exploring local woodland, mangrove shoreline and nearby villages, by foot, bike or kayak.

Also available are van-assisted walking or cycling tours of nearby Makunduchi, taking in rarely visited caves, animist shrines and historical sites.

Zala Park is about 40km from Zanzibar Town, south of Jozani, in the village of Muungoni, on the road to Makunduchi. (Do not confuse it with Zanzibar Park, which is a zoo near Zanzibar Town.) Tours need to be arranged in advance. Some knowledgeable tour companies and Mangrove Lodge can also assist.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Zanzibar Island attractions

1. Zanzibar Butterfly Centre

2.12 MILES

Protecting numerous butterfly species indigenous to Zanzibar, this centre is a huge tropical garden with net walls and roof. You can see the various life…

2. Jozani Sea Turtle Sanctuary

2.37 MILES

The aim of this community initiative is to help local people benefit from tourism and conservation. In three large pools you can observe sea turtles and…

3. Jozani-Chwaka National Park

2.64 MILES

Jozani Forest is the largest area of indigenous forest on Zanzibar Island. Situated south of Chwaka Bay on low-lying land, the area is prone to flooding,…

4. Kizimkazi Old Mosque

8.82 MILES

Although this mosque is thought to be one of the oldest Islamic buildings on the East African coast, it has been extensively restored and appears…

5. Mbweni Ruins

17.16 MILES

The upmarket suburb of Mbweni, 5km south of Zanzibar Town, was a Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) base and settlement for former slaves in…

6. Maruhubi Palace

18.83 MILES

Maruhubi Palace was built outside Zanzibar Town in 1882 for Sultan Barghash to house his impressively large harem. A few years later it was destroyed by…

7. Beit el-Amani

19.08 MILES

This domed building, formerly the Peace Memorial Museum and now an archive, dates to 1925, when it was inaugurated as a memorial to the accords ending WWI…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "tanzania/zanzibar-island/attractions/zala-park/a/poi-sig/1576402/1001289",
      "destination": "Zanzibar-Island",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "Tanzania",
      "region": "Zanzibar-Island",
      "position": "superzone"
    }