Paje Zanzibar guide – best restaurants and coworking
Paje Zanzibar is a popular small town on the Southeastern coast of Zanzibar. In this article I’ll tell you how to get there, the best places to eat and the best places to work online from.
Zanzibar archipelago is located in the Indian ocean and belongs to Tanzania, Africa. It’s famous mostly for its beaches and spices.
How to get to Paje Zanzibar
You can fly into Dar Es Salaam city on the Tanzanian mainland and take another flight from there to Zanzibar; or you can take a ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar port. Then from the port or take an expensive taxi all the way to Paje, or take a motorbike taxi (bodaboda) to Kwerekwe and from there a local bus (daladala) to Paje.
If you take a flight to Zanzibar airport, you can get a taxi from there or rent a car to get to Paje.
Tip: you should not be charged to pay extra for your baggage when taking a bus/minivan/shared taxi. If they require that, it’s a scam.
Paje Zanzibar guide – Paje beach
What to do in Paje Zanzibar
Strong wind makes Paje Zanzibar popular for kitesurfing, windsurfing and other water sports. The Paje beach is rather long, great for peaceful walks at low tide.
Remember that the difference between the low tide and high tide is huge in Paje so at high tide you might not be able to walk much along the Paje beach due to deeper sea water. Some parts of the Paje beach are walkable even at high tide, others are not.
Please, be careful with big waves when it’s windy, and when swimming in the sea do watch out for the kitesurfers and other sport lovers.
At low tide it’s usually impossible to dip into the sea as the water disappears all the way up to the reef but it’s lovely to walk around or chill at one of many beach restaurants and bars.
Paje Zanzibar is probably the most windy area of the entire Zanzibar. Wind can be very strong and even unpleasant on some days, while on others you are grateful for the light breeze.
Paje Zanzibar guide – Paje beach at low tide
Paje Zanzibar guide kitesurfing
Other things to do in Paje:
- get a young coconut and fresh sugar cane juice at one of the street stalls
- get a massage from one of the local ladies on the beach or at a spa
- try exotic fruit (bananas, pineapple, papaya, mango, graviola, avocado are amazing there)
- buy souvenirs at one of many local stores
- take a local bus or bajaji tuk tuk to explore the surrounding areas, such as Jambiani, Bwejuu, Pingwe, or Michamvi Kae (this one is great to visit at sunset as it’s on the West coast and not on the East).
- visit one of the caves in the area
- go on a tour to Stone Town and Prison island where big tortoises live.
Paje Zanzibar guide bajaji tuktuk
Paje Zanzibar guide – sugar cane juice
Best restaurants in Paje Zanzibar
Hello Capitano is my favorite restaurant on the Paje beach. Everyone can choose something to eat there. I would always go there for tasty smoothie bowls and yummy hummus falafel plate. The wifi is usually great but not sure if you can get much online work done with the beach view and music haha. Each time I went to Hello Capitano, I ended up sending just a few urgent emails and then went for a sea swim.
Paje Zanzibar guide – Hello Capitano smoothie bowl
Ulu dos tres taco is a local vegan restaurant with amazing Mexican food. This pink-colored restaurant is situated at one of the side streets between the main road and the beach. They have just 2 tables there but you can also order takeaway. I ate there a couple of times and it was the best! Guacamole, beans, pico de gallo, vegan ”meat” etc. And the portions are huge. They don’t have wifi there but you can observe the locals around the restaurant which is pretty cool.
Paje Zanzibar guide – Ulu dos tres taco vegan
The Plants is a veggie restaurant on the Paje main road. Owned by a Slovak and Vietnamese couple, they offer Asian, Slovak, local and International meals, and many different soups, salads, breakfast options, burgers, wraps, fresh juices etc. The second floor location gives you a pleasant fresh breeze even on a hot day. It’s a really nice place for digital nomads. And if you are from Slovakia, you can get a discount there.
Paje Zanzibar guide – The Plants vegan burger
Paje Zanzibar guide – The Plants
Paje Zanzibar guide – The Plants summer rolls
Corina is a pastry restaurant owned by a Romanian girl. They also offer some meals but they focus on sweet cakes, muffins, pizza, bread etc. They even have gluten-free and vegan options, and make everything right there in the kitchen. I tried vegan muffins there and they were delicious! The outdoor sitting at Corina is very pleasant and romantic. And their wifi is usually good so it’s also a nice place for online work.
Paje Zanzibar guide – Corina
Paje Zanzibar guide – Corina vegan muffin
Paje Zanzibar guide – Corina pastry
Paje Zanzibar guide – Corina pastry vegan muffin
Paje Zanzibar guide – Corina pastry tables
Mapacha food court is a small food court right next to the Paje roundabout with different restaurants offering a variety of meals. There’s pizza, wraps, ice cream etc. I used to go there to get jackfruit falafel with hummus. They also have other vegetarian and vegan options. I liked the atmosphere there – eating at wooden tables surrounded by trees and a tiny pond was refreshing. However, I never managed to connect to their wifi even though they do have one.
Paje Zanzibar guide – hummus at Mapacha food court
When I visited Paje Zanzibar, I tried to get some work done at restaurants while waiting for my meals. It can take them quite a long time to prepare meals. You know, everything in Zanzibar is pole pole, meaning ”slow slow”. So I did work online a couple of times from Hello Capitano, The Plants and Corina (mentioned above), and the rest from my hotel in Bwejuu.
Coworking in Paje Zanzibar
However, if you are one of those people who need to work online for 8 hours straight, then you might also try one of the following places good for coworking.
BaraBara is located right across the main road from The Plants restaurant. I’ve never eaten there but I’ve heard that many people working online go there with their laptops and get some work done while enjoying a meal. I was told that the wifi is rather strong there so you might try your luck. It seems to be a popular spot. I always saw some people with laptops at BaraBara when I was sitting at the Plants.
Shanga is a new hotel, restaurant and coworking space opened on the Paje beach. I never had a chance to go there during my stay but if you like to work from coworking places and maybe even meet fellow digital nomads there, this might be a good choice. It’s more expensive though than other places I’ve mentioned in this article. But it’s modern and new and with fast wifi.
Paje Zanzibar is mostly visited by sport enthusiasts, digital nomads and backpackers who like to enjoy a beautiful beach during their stay.
Please remember that electricity shortage in Zanzibar happens quite often. There can be no electicity for hours, even for an entire day. Some hotels and restaurants do have solar panels or generators so you can still use wifi but not all of them.
Plan your online work with possible power outage on your mind.
Paje Zanzibar guide – a young coconut
Paje Zanzibar guide – papaya
Paje Zanzibar guide – Paje beach high tide
TIP 1: If you wonder if Zanzibar is cheap or expensive, read my post about Zanzibar expenses to find out how much I spent there in 7 weeks. And here you can check my review of the top beaches in Zanzibar.
TIP 2: Interested in knowing more about digital nomad lifestyle? Here’s my story about how I became a digital nomad.
TIP 3: Do you need a travel and health insurance? I recommend you SafetyWing, a company offering great Nomad Insurance 2.0. One of its advantages is being able to book it after leaving home when you are already traveling. SafetyWing also cover many different sports and adventures! For more information, please click on the SafetyWing Nomad Insurance.
