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Zanzibar Butterfly Center – Butterfly Tours & Farming in Tanzania

Sheltering beautiful butterfly species that are indigenous to the Zanzibar Archipelago is the incredibly verdant Zanzibar Butterfly Center, a large tropical garden marked by a huge enclosure with net walls as well as a large roof.

This beautiful butterfly center introduces lepidopterists and nature lovers to the different life cycle stages of butterflies, not leaving out some graceful cocoons.

Revenue from entrance fees directly and indirectly supports local community projects as well as conservation.

The immersive and optical environment at Zanzibar Butterfly Center rewards visitors – children and adults alike – with the unforgettable experience of encountering different beautiful and colorful butterfly species.

Visitors to the Center can be part of the feeding ritual by letting butterflies get close to your hands.

Location of the Butterfly Center in Zanzibar

Location of the Butterfly Center in Zanzibar

The Zanzibar Butterfly Center is situated at the heart of Zanzibar Island along the main road between the towns of Zanzibar and Paje, adjacent to Pete Village.

The Center is approximately 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) west of the clearly-indicated Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park entrance gate.

Common butterfly species in Zanzibar Butterfly Center

Zanzibar Butterfly Center is home to more than 100 species of butterflies that include the African Monarch butterfly (Danaus chrysippus), African giant swallowtail, and many others.

Top Tourist Activities/experiences

Top Tourist Activities/experiences

The Center of attention for the Zanzibar Butterfly Center is three amazing activities/areas that include butterfly conservation, butterfly farming, and guided butterfly tours (such as educational visits).

Butterfly farming

Butterfly farming at the Zanzibar Butterfly Center is conducted in collaboration with about 40 farmers from the neighboring Pete Village.

This project makes it possible for local farmers to diversify their income, and it is mainly conducted by women, since it is easier for them to coordinate butterfly farming activities with their childcare and other household activities.

In the past, most of the locals of Pete Village cleared the nearby forests for agriculture as well as charcoal burning, leading to the extinction of unique species in addition to destroying their natural habitats.

They now recognize the value and incentives of conservation especially natural habitats since butterflies are bred and reared only in undamaged forests.

Much as the Zanzibar Butterfly Center doesn’t acknowledge solving all the challenges of natural forests in the area, positive results have been noticed, especially reduced charcoal burning and reduced timber logging in addition to numerous butterfly species and wild populations being found around Pete Village.

As earlier mentioned, butterflies can only survive in intact forests, and this is a positive result for conservation.

Guided butterfly tours

The Zanzibar Butterfly Center is mainly explored by school children, local and foreign tourists.

Guided butterfly tours at the site last between 30 and 40 minutes, allowing visitors to learn the different life cycle stages of butterflies as well as admiring and taking photos of the butterflies flying around and about.

You can see small butterfly eggs (that you are advised not to touch), get a chance to touch and hold hungry caterpillars in addition to watching them nibble away at the leaves. Spectacular sight!

During visits at the Center, tourists can admire the outstanding appearance of the butterfly pupae before being led to some of their hatching spots and open out to become adult butterflies.

Visitors can walk around the beautiful lush garden, take pictures.

See some of Zanzibar’s indigenous and exotic butterfly species, and since the walks are conducted by trained guides, information on their names and interesting characteristics will be provided.

It is amazing how you will witness the entire lifecycle of butterflies in a single tour.

Entrance fees

Entrance fees

The entrance fees to Zanzibar Butterfly Center are only $6 (or TShs.10,000) for adults, $9 for farmer tours, and only $3 for children between two and twelve years.

Children below two years enjoy free entry.

These entrance fees from the center directly support local community projects like funding a number of water tanks and wells, training of farmers, and micro-business loans for establishing businesses.

From these benefits, locals will understand and appreciate the significance of conserving the tropical rain-forest.

Additionally, revenues from the Zanzibar Butterfly Center are re-invested in alternative wood logging areas like planting the fast-growing Casuarina tree and increasing collaboration efforts with not-for-profit organizations within the area.

Best time to visit

The Zanzibar Butterfly Center can be visited throughout the year, but the perfect time for daily visits is between 10:00 am and 02:00 pm because it is the time when the butterflies are more active.

Accommodation – Top Places to stay

Konokono Beach Resort
The Konokono Beach Resort

Konokono Beach Resort

Konokono Beach Resort is a luxurious hotel in Michamvi, on the south-east coast of Zanzibar and about an hour’s drive from the Airport.

It features 21 luxurious Villas, a beautiful and spacious restaurant with a cool breeze, bar, Spa, and also has a tranquil white-sand beach with jaw-dropping ocean views.

It is undeniably another excellent place to stay while exploring the lush Zanzibar Butterfly Center and sits on a 4800 square meters property.

The rooms here feature air conditioning, safety deposit boxes, private balconies, minibars, and many other amenities that you won’t find in other Zanzibar accommodation facilities.

Paje Beach Apartments and Hotel

Paje Beach Apartments and Hotel is set within the heart of Paje Beach with five spacious, clean, and exquisite apartments on the beachside.

In addition to beachfront rooms (in the form of double, twin, family, standard rooms) with comfortable beds and clean linen, mosquito nets, spacious seating area with chairs and tables, en-suite bathrooms with free toiletries, clean towels, dressing mirror, hot/cold showers, and many others.

Menai Bay Beach Bungalows

Menai Bay Beach Bungalows is a serene and beautiful hotel in the City of Zanzibar, approximately 6 kilometers from Zanzibar Butterfly Center.

One thing that makes the hotel stand out is the fact that it has a private beach area and verdant garden, sun terrace, and a state-of-the-art restaurant that serves several seafood cuisines.

Rooms here feature private bathrooms with free toiletries, wardrobes, desks, coffee/tea making facilities, and air conditioning.

There is a classic swimming pool for relaxation, an Ocean restaurant offering sand dining and delicious seafood, and the Sand bar with breathtaking ocean views.

B4 Beach Club

Staying at B4 Beach Club brings a feeling of being in Paradise on Earth.

This property has 12 Bungalows named after the electronic pirates that were captivated by B4 Beach Club with Queen-size beds, breathtaking lounge areas, kitchenettes, and phenomenal ocean views.

Be delighted in the B4 burgers that will blow your mind, heartwarming beats (music), beach bar, and water sports for adventure seekers.

Other exquisite places to stay while exploring Zanzibar Butterfly Center include the African Paradise Beach Hotel, the Zanzibar white Sand Luxury Villas & Spa, Boutique Hotel Matlai, Aurora Boutique Hotel Jambiani, Kupaga Villas Boutique Hotel, Mwezi Boutique Resort, Passion Boutique Hotel, Paje Beach Bandas, Villa Huruma, Villa Kiota, Hekaya Zanzibar, Deja Blue Hotel, Summer Beach Paje, Kupaga Villas Boutique Hotel, Casa Paradis, Mahali Zanzibar in Paje Beach and about 13 kilometers from Zanzibar Butterfly Center, The Star Hotel Zanzibar, Promised Land Lodge and Reef & Beach Resort Jambiani among others.

How to get there

How to get there

The Zanzibar Butterfly Center is about 34 kilometers (or approximately 49 minutes’ drive) from Zanzibar Airport (or Abeid Amani Karume International Airport).

The best and most popular means to reach the Center is by car.

Other outstanding attractions near the Zanzibar Butterfly Center

Ultimate Guide to the Best Experiences in Zanzibar
Primate Trekking in Jozani-Forest

Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park

Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is the only National Park in Zanzibar and closest to Zanzibar Butterfly Center, extending for only 50 square kilometers.

This Park protects the unique flora and fauna of Zanzibar Island that include Zanzibar red colobus, Kirk’s red colobus, Ader’s duikers, bush babies, Zanzibar leopards, Sykes monkeys, and Zanzibar tree hyraxes in addition to over 40 bird species and about 50 butterfly species.

Some of the bird species in this national park include the crab plovers, Brown-headed parrots, Zanzibar red bishops, black-bellied starlings, east coast akalats, and Fischer’s Turaco among others.

Jambiani Beach

Jambiani Beach

Jambiani is a small Beach set within the eastern side of Zanzibar Island and only about 55 kilometers from Zanzibar Airport.

Being only 7 kilometers long, it is marked by a small powdery white-sand Beach compared to the other Beaches in addition to having swaying palms, making it the most stunning beach in the Zanzibar Archipelago.

It also features turquoise waters and spectacular Beach Resorts for visitors yearning for relaxation in less crowded places.

Kite Center Zanzibar

Kite Center Zanzibar

Paje Island has the most perfect location for visitors interested in kite-surfing in Zanzibar.

It also has a Kite school established in 2011 and participants are treated to remarkable white beaches, shallow blue waters, endless views of the Indian Ocean, constant winds, and life in an African village Paradise.

Whether you are a beginner or experienced kite surfer, the Kite Center in Paje Island is your place to be.

The best time to undertake kite-surfing in Paje Island is between the months of June and October as well as December to February.



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