City
Zanzibar City
🇹🇿 Tanzania
Africa, Tanzania 150 spp. recorded
Zanzibar City is a city in Tanzania. The district seat is in Stonetown. The city is the largest on the island of Zanzibar. Wikipedia
6.139° S 39.233° E
🦜 Nature
150 Species sighted
7,297 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jan Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Blue Monkey
Cercopithecus mitis
LC
Southern Giant Pouched Rat
Cricetomys ansorgei
Suni
Neotragus moschatus
LC
Egyptian Rousette
Rousettus aegyptiacus
LC
Small-eared Greater Galago
Otolemur garnettii
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Sudan Plated Lizard
Broadleysaurus major
LC
Brown House Snake
Boaedon fuliginosus
LC
Flathead Leaf-toed Gecko
Hemidactylus platycephalus
LC
Sundevall's Writhing Skink
Mochlus sundevallii
LC
Spotted Green Snake
Philothamnus punctatus
LC
Leopard Tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis
LC
African Striped Skink
Trachylepis striata
Eastern Hinged-Back Tortoise
Kinixys zombensis
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Eastern puddle frog
Phrynobatrachus acridoides
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Flathead Leaf-toed Gecko
Hemidactylus platycephalus
LC
Sundevall's Writhing Skink
Mochlus sundevallii
LC
Southern Giant Pouched Rat
Cricetomys ansorgei
LC
Small-eared Greater Galago
Otolemur garnettii
Recent sightings in Zanzibar City
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Bwawani Wetland and Bay side
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Pied Kingfisher~90%+30%
Long-tailed Cormorant~90%+30%
Little Egret~90%≈
House Crow~90%≈
Blue Monkey~70%+50%
Tropical House Gecko~70%+30%
African Striped Skink~50%+40%
Flathead Leaf-toed Gecko~50%+20%
-
Mbweni Mangrove Forest Area
-
Stone Town · Beachfront
-
Stone town · Forodhani Gardens
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
30Jan
29Feb
29Mar
28Apr
26May
24Jun
24Jul
25Aug
25Sep
26Oct
28Nov
30Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
2%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
1
areasWildlife spots
6
spotsZoos & centres
0
placesClimate
Tropical monsoon
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 315
🐒 Mammals 115
🦎 Reptiles 78
🐸 Amphibians 20
528 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
29 Threatened 1 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
69% 📊
Coverage (97 species at ≥5% of 528 in the inventory)
18% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
4 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
30 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.3
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 2% land Medium
Protected areas 1 Medium
Wildlife spots 6 Medium
Zoos & centres 0 Low
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Zanzibar City?
150 species
Zanzibar City's urban area has 150 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are House Crow (about 90%), Little Egret (about 90%), Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 80%), House Sparrow (about 70%) and Common Sandpiper (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Painted Dwarf Gecko (about 50%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Zanzibar City?
July to May
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in June.
Can you see a Painted Dwarf Gecko in Zanzibar City?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Dwarf Gecko sighting in Zanzibar City on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and May–June (about 70%).
Can you see a Zanzibar Day Gecko in Zanzibar City?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Zanzibar Day Gecko sighting in Zanzibar City on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March and July (about 70%).
Can you see a Scarlet-chested Sunbird in Zanzibar City?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-chested Sunbird sighting in Zanzibar City on a given day, based on 227 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July, October and December (about 90%).
Where in Zanzibar City is wildlife easiest to see?
Bwawani Wetland and Bay side
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Bwawani Wetland and Bay side (86 bird species recorded), followed by Mbweni Mangrove Forest Area and Stone Town. See them on the map.
Is Zanzibar City good for wildlife watching?
4.1 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Zanzibar City gets 4.1/5: 186th of 380 cities worldwide and 23rd in Africa. 39 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
Nearest Zoos & Centres
Sources: urban area GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A, European Commission JRC (CC BY 4.0) · protected land WDPA, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN (via GHSL) · climate NASA POWER · wildlife GBIF.org citizen-science data