Tours to the unspoilt north coast always end up at Ras Nungwi, a sleepy fishing village on the northern tip of Zanzibar Island. This is the dhow building capital of Zanzibar, where guests can see the traditional methods of dhow construction in action. This area also offers splendid beaches and coral reefs that are ideal for diving and snorkeling. The local villagers have also built a turtle sanctuary, to which a visit is very worthwhile, where injured turtles and other marine animals are nursed back to health before being released back into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

The setting is beautiful, but the number of people in Nungwi town, the noise and the constant stream of apparently uncontrolled development do take the exclusive air off its charm. Over the last decade the coastline here has turned it into one of Zanzibar's busiest beach areas. What was a fishing village has become an increasingly busy place as various guesthouses, bars, shops and restaurants appear.