Makunduchi · South Coast · Zanzibar
A villa on the cliff. The Indian Ocean in front of you. And no one but you.
A private home at the edge of the Indian Ocean — not a resort, not a hotel.
Enquire about your stayYour entire private villa. Nothing shared.
2 equal king suites · 3 bathrooms · 12 m infinity pool · 220 m² cliff deck · breakfast and daily housekeeping included · adults only · up to 4 guests
Zuri Cliff is owned by a Swiss family. Our host welcomes you in person, at any hour.
A private home at the edge of the Indian Ocean — not a resort, not a hotel.
Zuri Cliff · Zanzibar
Morning
Coffee on the terrace while the tide is still low. Sunlight moves across white stone floors and warm teak. Nothing is scheduled before you decide it should be.
Midday
The infinity pool holds the horizon. Indoors, the open living and dining space stays cool under cross-breeze and ceiling fans — a hush that only cliffside privacy can give you.
Evening
The clifftop timber deck catches the last light. The ocean turns copper, then indigo, and Zanzibar's dhows drift past in silhouette.
Two bedrooms, one ocean, no one else.
Check availabilityThe Villa
A 238 m² villa on a single plot: two en-suite bedrooms opening onto the pool terrace, and ocean views from both bedrooms, the living room and the kitchen. Adults only.
Warm teak, soft linen, handcrafted lighting and ocean-facing spaces create a residence feeling — refined, private and personal.
Two equal bedrooms, both opening onto the pool terrace, each with its own bathroom. No second-best room — the villa carries two couples as easily as one.
Our Story
What struck us first wasn't the ocean below the cliff, but the pace of things. A laugh counted for more than a calendar, and time moved noticeably slower than in any office back in Europe — and that stayed with us. The observation became an attitude: real craft over mass production, what lasts over what gets used up. The attitude became Zuri Cliff — a home built so you arrive from the first moment, not just check in.
Which light by the pool actually works, which craftsman treats teak the right way, which clinic nearby is actually worth trusting — these things get settled in person, on the island. Your host is on the island and reachable. If you write to us, you get us.
The same closeness shaped how the villa was built. Every beam on the timber deck, every light on the ceiling, was built by craftsmen who have known this coast for generations, using teak and materials native to the island — and we were there in person from the first foundation to the last lamp.
Zanzibar gave us a great deal, and giving something back became part of how we build and run this place: our own solar array (15.47 kWp) with battery storage covers most of our own power needs, rather than drawing extra from the local grid that our neighbours in Makunduchi rely on too. In the end, no one should feel less at home here than we did from the very start.
Zuri Cliff is owned by a Swiss family. Our host welcomes you in person, at any hour.
Zuri Cliff is built as if it were your own home, and our host is here so that you feel completely looked after. Before you book, she will gladly send you her personal tips. She welcomes you whatever hour your flight lands, and sees you off, even if you fly at night. Whether you are looking for a restaurant, planning an excursion or need anything at all: tell her, and she takes care of it.
We speak German, French, Italian and English, and you write directly to us.
Prices are not something we negotiate. But if your flight is badly timed or you are planning something special, we find a solution.
There are no reviews yet, because we open on 1 November 2026. Until our first guests tell you about us, we tell you ourselves who we are.
Pictures only go so far. The silence you have to hear yourself.
Check availabilityOcean views from both bedrooms, the living room and the kitchen. Infinity pool, 220 square metres of cliff deck, a few steps to the beach. Adults only.
Adults only. Eighteen and over, no exceptions.
Zuri Cliff doesn't sit on the beach. It sits above it — a few steps. From both bedrooms, from the living room, from the kitchen: nothing but ocean. The twelve-metre infinity pool ends where the cliff ends. 220 square metres of timber deck above, the beach below. And your music through Sonos, wherever you are.
238 square metres, two equal bedrooms, one pool, one deck — and no one else. Zuri Cliff is never let room by room. No neighbours at the pool, no strangers' conversation at breakfast. Yours from the first moment.
A twelve-metre pool that ends at the horizon. A timber deck as large as the villa itself, above the water. And when you want the sand: a few steps down.
Your host
Your host runs the villa and is there when you need her — and in the background when you don't. She knows the villa and the island, and the difference between attentive and intrusive. A word is enough, in English, German, French or Italian.
Gallery
Ninety minutes from the airport. A world away from everything else.
Check availabilityLocation
Perched above the cliffs of Shungi Kajengwa on Zanzibar's quieter southern coast, away from the resort strip. Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ) is around 90 minutes by road; we can pass on the contact of a trusted driver — you arrange and pay directly with him.
Unguja South · Tanzania
Get directions on Google Maps →Rates & Booking
Whole villa · rates on request · price depends on dates · check availability
House rulesAdults only, 18 and over — the pool is unfenced and the cliff edge open. Smoking outdoors only. No pets, no parties. After ten at night, the quiet belongs to the ocean.
See our Cancellation Policy for refund terms.
Prefer to book through Airbnb? View our listing.
Prefer to book through Booking.com? View our listing.
Seasons·Getting here — flights, visa, the way from the airport
Zanzibar Travel Guide
The most direct route is via Milan or Rome, year-round with Neos, or via Frankfurt with Condor and Discover Airlines, year-round, or via Madrid with World2fly (seasonal). From Paris, Air France flies to Zanzibar first (about 9 hours, effectively nonstop for Zanzibar-bound travellers) before continuing on to Kilimanjaro. From Zurich, Edelweiss stops in Kilimanjaro first, making the total journey closer to 10.5 hours. Coming from Munich, Austria or the UK, the best connections run via Doha, Dubai or Istanbul.
Two things are worth arranging before you travel: the e-Visa online at visa.immigration.go.tz (USD 50 for most nationalities, USD 100 for US citizens), and the travel insurance that is mandatory for foreign visitors from 1 October 2026 (USD 44 per visitor; if Zanzibar is your first point of entry: inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz).
We can pass on the contact of a trusted driver; you arrange and pay directly with him. Around 90 minutes.
Driest and sunniest: July–September and December–February. Long rains: April–May; short rains: November. In between: March, June, October.
Since a March 2025 regulation, local spending is legally priced in Tanzanian Shillings. In practice this is no inconvenience: card payment is widely accepted in restaurants and settles in TZS automatically. A little TZS cash is mainly useful for markets, tuk-tuks and tips. International bookings like ours are unaffected and remain payable in USD. ATMs are reliable in Jambiani and Paje.
Makunduchi Hospital is right in the village, and we've personally tested and can recommend the Island Clinic in Jambiani, ten minutes away. On the east coast the tide pulls back considerably, so sea swimming is best timed around high tide — our infinity pool, meanwhile, is ready any time of day. Zanzibar sees notably less malaria than the mainland safari regions; a quick chat with your own doctor before travelling is still good practice, as it would be for most tropical trips. As in most well-loved destinations worldwide, the same easy-going common sense with your belongings serves you well here too.
Zanzibaris are warm, good-humoured and open — the island's character comes from a genuine mix of African, Arab, Indian and European influences. In Stone Town and villages away from the beaches, modest dress is appreciated; at the beach and pool it makes no difference.
Sockets are UK-style Type G — worth bringing an adapter. WiFi at the villa is reliable; a local SIM is useful further afield. Please let us know of any dietary preferences or allergies in advance.
The north around Nungwi and Kendwa is lively and swimmable all day. The east, with Paje and Jambiani, is where kitesurfing happens and the tide sets the rhythm. Stone Town sits in the west, worth the trip. The south, where Zuri Cliff is, stays quiet and away from it all.
Kizimkazi, 24 minutes away, is known for its dolphins, a seasonal fish auction right on the beach, and boat trips to the Menai Bay sandbanks. Mtende Beach, 23 minutes, sits between two rock formations with steps cut into the cliff. Kuza Cave near Jambiani, 12 minutes, and Maalum Cave in Paje, 19 minutes, are two different natural swimming caves worth telling apart. Paje itself is the centre of kitesurfing. Closer still, Makunduchi's own fish market and seaweed farms are worth a walk, no tour required.
Jozani Forest, 41 minutes, is home to the rare red colobus monkey. The Rock Restaurant, about the same distance, sits on a rock just off the coast near Pingwe — worth booking ahead.
Stone Town, an hour and a half away, is worth a full day, ideally combined with a spice farm visit. Safari Blue, departing from Fumba at a similar distance, is a full-day sail through Menai Bay with snorkelling and a seafood lunch. Mnemba Atoll, known for its dolphins and reef, lies on the northeast coast — a proper day trip, not a nearby stop. Prison Island and the Nakupenda sandbank sit near Stone Town, known for their giant tortoises.
Both Jambiani, 12 minutes away, and Paje, 19 minutes, have a good choice of restaurants — from fresh seafood to Italian and international options. For an evening out, it's a short drive.