Lighthouses of Tanzania: Zanzibar

Located on the east coast of Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania was formed by a merger of two dissimilar British colonies, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Tanganyika included all the mainland of the present country and also Mafia Island. It was the major part of a German colony (German East Africa) until it was captured by British troops in World War I. Britain governed it under a League of Nations mandate until World War II and then under a United Nations trustreeship until it became independent in 1961. Zanzibar, which includes the islands of Unguja (Zanzibar) and Pemba, has a long history as an Arab outpost on the African coast. It was also the site of a Portuguese trading post throughout most of the 16th and 17th centuries, until the Sultan of Oman drove the Portuguese out in 1698. Zanzibar was placed under a British protectorate beginning in 1890 but it continued to be governed autonomously as a sultanate until the British ended their protectorate in 1963. After a revolution overthrew the sultanate Zanzibar joined Tanganyika to form Tanzania in 1964.

Zanzibar is an autonomous region of Tanzania; it has its own government and legislature. Tanzania is divided into 31 regions (mkoa), five of them in Zanzibar, three on Unjuga and two on Pemba.

In Swahili, the common language of the Tanzanian coast, the word for a lighthouse is mnara wa taa (related to the Arabic manara). The Arabic word ras is used for a cape.

Lighthouses in Zanzibar are operated by the Zanzibar Ports Corporation.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Light List numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Tanzania
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Lighthouses in Tanzania
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Tanzania
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
Google Maps
Satellite view of Zanzibar.


Ras Kigomasha Light, Pemba Island, September 2022
Instagram photo by Alexander Georgiev

Pemba Lighthouses

Pemba is a large island about 50 km (30 mi) off the mainland and 50 km (30 mi) north of Unguja (Zanzibar) island. Pemba has a population of about 550,000 and is governed as part of the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar. As a tourist destination it is not so well known as Zanzibar, but it is popular with scuba divers and ecotourists.

North Pemba Region Lighthouse
*** Ras Kigomasha
1904. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); flash every 55 s (!), alternately red and white. 27 m (89 ft) hexagonal cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and central cylinder. Entire lighthouse painted white. Two 1-story keeper's houses. This is a staffed station. Alexander Georgiev's 2022 photo is at at the top of this page, Jan W. Badura has a 2020 photo, Aleksandar Mandzhukov has a 2016 photo, Erik Willis Garstka has a 2020 drone view, and Google has a 2022 street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was prefabricated in England by Chance Brothers. Located on the northwestern tip of Pemba. Accessible by road (4WD recommended). Site open and the keepers will allow visitors to climb the tower, for a fee. . ARLHS ZAN-008; Admiralty D6746; NGA 31276.

South Pemba Region Lighthouses
Matumbi Makubwa (Matumbe Makupa)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 31 m (101 ft) square stone tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. A 2021 photo is at right and Google has a good satellite view. This lighthouse was restored in 2002-03 by Salem Construction Ltd. Located on a small island off the southwestern tip of Pemba. Accessible only by boat. Site presumably open, tower status unknown. ARLHS ZAN-005; Admiralty D6751; NGA 31280.
[Mkoani Range Front]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); quick-flashing red light. 6 m (20 ft) skeletal tower atop a square concrete base, carrying a daymark with red and white horizontal bands. The light is in the center of Kassongo Silver's photo and Google has a satellite view. The rear light has a similar description but has not been located. A town of about 25,000 residents, Mkoani is the regional capital and the terminal for ferries arriving from the mainland. Located at the edge of the water on the south side of the pier at Mkoani. Site status unknown. Admiralty D6748; NGA 31284.

Matumbi Makubwa Light, Pemba, January 2021
Google Maps photo by Brownboytravels dot blog

Unguja (Zanzibar Island) Lighthouses

The island of Unguja (Zanzibar) is 85 km (53 mi) long and up to 30 km (19 mi) wide. It is densely populated, with a population of about 900,000. The capital is the historic city of Stone Town (Mji Mkongwe) on the west coast of the island. Note: the smaller lights of Zanzibar are poorly known and photos of them are needed.

South Unguja Region Lighthouse
* Ras Makunduchi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 27 m (89 ft) tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Rainer Arndt's 2022 photo, Lighthouse Digest has Tim McCann's photo, Marco Prete has a 2009 photo, Tim Hennig has a 2021 closeup, a 2022 closeup and a distant view are available, and Google has a satellite view. A marine science team from Newcastle University in England visited the lighthouse in August 2012 and found it staffed and operating but in need of paint. Their account has several photos. Located on the southeastern point of the island, near the village of Makunduchi. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS ZAN-009; Admiralty D6700; NGA 31428.

West Unguja Region Lighthouses
Pungume Island
1919. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 3 s. 22 m (72 ft) square tower, originally painted with black and white vertical stripes but now with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a good satellite view. Pungume is a small island off the southwestern coast of Zanzibar. Located at the southern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. ARLHS ZAN-007; Admiralty D6702; NGA 31424.
**** Chumbe
1904. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 11 s. 34 m (112 ft) square 5-stage stone tower with lantern and gallery, last painted white in 2018. Original 4th order Fresnel lens in use, lit by an AGA acetylene system installed in 1926. Keeper's house and a small mosque, built for the keepers, nearby. The keeper's house includes a restaurant and a small museum. Seven modern cottages provide overnight accommodations. A 2022 photo by Jürg Kyburz is at right, Jacopo Grimoldi has a 2024 photo, Jeremy Newhouse has a photo, Penny Wilby has a good photo, a 2010 photo is available, Serhii Tkachuk has a 2022 drone view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse, deteriorated after years of automated operation, was partially restored by Chumbe Island Coral Park, Ltd., which also operates the restaurant and cottages and offers day tours of the island and lighthouse. Lighthouse Digest has Jeremy D'Entremont's feature article on the lighthouse in connection with its 100th anniversary, celebrated in August 2004. This is easily Tanzania's best known lighthouse. Located on a small island 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Stonetown, Zanzibar's main harbor. Accessible by passenger ferry. Site open, tower open to guided tours. Site manager: Chumbe Island Coral Park. . ARLHS ZAN-001; Admiralty D6704; NGA 31416.
Zanzibar Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); quick-flashing white light. 14 m (43 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower mounted on piles. Omar Shehe Omar has a photo but the light is not seen in Google's indistinct satellite view. This range leads vessels through the Southern Pass, a break in the reefs southwest of Stonetown. Located about 500 m (0.3 mi) offshore. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ZAN-002; Admiralty D6706; NGA 31404.

Chumbe Light, Zanzibar, April 2022
Gooogle Maps photo by Jürg Kyburz
* Zanzibar Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 6 s. 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical stone tower, painted white. Omar Shehe Omar has a 2022 photo, Federico Debetto has a 2019 street view, and Google has a 2021 street view and a satellite view. This light seems overwhelmed by surrounding trees and buildings. Located on the west side of Nyerere Road south of Stone Town. Site open, tower status unknown. Admiralty D6706.1; NGA 31408.
* Shangani (Beit-el-Ajaib, "House of Wonders") Clock Tower (2)
1924 (station established 1890s). Rebuilt around 2022 after a collapse in 2020. Listed with focal plane 44 m (144 ft); continuous white light. The light was mounted on a mast atop a square clock tower on the front of a large palace. Entire building painted white. Munisch Bhagwanani has a 2007 closeup, Jay Green has a good photo, Nasir Fazal has posted many photos, Trabas has Jim Smith's photo, taken in 1997, and Google has a 2019 street view, a satellite view, and a distant 2019 sea view. The Beit-el-Ajaib, or House of Wonders, was built by the Sultan Sayyid Barghash around 1883 as a ceremonial palace. A square clock tower and lighthouse was built in front of the palace, as seen in the postcard view posted by Huelse. In 1896 the buildings were badly damaged when British warships briefly shelled the town during a dispute over the royal succession, a conflict known in Zanzibar as the Shortest War in History (38 minutes). When the building was rebuilt in 1899-1900 the clock tower was incorporated into the center of the front of the building, creating one of Zanzibar's best known landmarks. The building has been used as a royal residence, for government offices, and as a museum. In 2020 the clock tower and some of the rest of the building collapsed during renovation work, as seen in Google's January 2021 street view. The building was rebuilt as seen an April 2023 photo and Ahmad Nyungwa's January 2023 photo seen at right. Located on the waterfront of Stone Town. Site open, building open, but tower closed. Site manager: Zanzibar Department of Archives, Museums, and Antiquities. . ARLHS ZAN-010; Admiralty D6718; NGA 31384.
Maruhubi (Marubi) Palace Gardens Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); quick-flashing white light. 6 m (20 ft) light atop a square stone pyramid. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This range guides vessels on a clear passage along the northwest coast of the island. Located on the beach on the north side of Stone Town, about 250 m (275 yd) south of the Tourism College. Site status unknown. Admiralty D6726; NGA 31376.
Maruhubi (Marubi) Palace Gardens Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 13 m (42 ft) skeletal tower mounted on a square stone tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No closeup photo available but Google has a distant 2021 street view and Bing has an indisinct satellite view. The Maruhubi Palace was built in the late 1800s and burned in 1899, leaving picturesque ruins. Located in the palace gardens on the north side of Stone Town, 384 m (1/4 mi) south southeast of the front light. Site status unknown. ARLHS ZAN-004; Admiralty D6726.1; NGA 31380.

Shangani (House of Wonders) Light, Zanzibar, January 2023
Google Maps photo by Ahmad Nyungwa
Beit-el-Ras Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); red light occulting once every 6 s. 13 m (43 ft) stone tower painted with black and white horizontal bands. No closeup photo available but Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. This range guides vessels northbound along the coast as they approach Stonetown. The front light is a small beacon on the beach near the Abla Beach Hotel (photo needed!). Located 230 m (250 yd) northeast of the front light, in a built-up area across Malawi Road. Site status unknown. Admiralty D6732.1; NGA 31372.

North Unguja Region Lighthouses
Mangapwani (2)
1926 (station established 1886). Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 15 s. 23 m (75 ft) square stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. The Zanzibar Ports Corporation has posted on Facebook a video showing the lighthouse and its interior. Google has a satellite view. The light marks the start of the coastal passage guided by the Marubi Palace Range Lights. Located on the northwest coast of the island about 25 km (15 mi) north of Stone Town. Site status unknown. ARLHS ZAN-003; Admiralty D6738; NGA 31356.
Tumbatu (Mwana Wa Mwana) Island
1889. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 10 s. 23 m (75 ft) six-stage square stone tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse appears to be unpainted white stone. Igor Kuznetsov has a 2024 photo, Peppe Nesta has a photo, Marco Marini has a 2022 view from the sea, Christo Deysel has a 2023 photo, and Google has a satellite view. This not-so-well known tower is very similar to the famous Chumbe Light, but it is 15 years older. Tumbatu is a long, narrow island off the northwest coast of Zanzibar; it has several resorts, and transportation can be arranged from Stone Town or Nikokotoni. Located on an islet just off the northern tip of the island. Site probably open, tower closed. ARLHS ZAN-006; Admiralty D6740; NGA 31344.
* Ras Nungwi (Hog Point) (2)
1926 (station established 1881). Active; focal plane 18 m (60 ft); white flash every 5 s. 14 m (46 ft) 3-stage square tower with lantern and gallery, rising through the center of a 1-story keeper's house. Building painted white, lantern red. A 2025 photo is at right, Mitu Constantin has a 2020 photo, Kris Fricke has a 2014 photo, Trabas has Eckhard Meyer's 2012 photo, Kevin Harber has a closeup of the tower, Wikimedia has Jarod Burns's 2012 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Zanzibar's oldest light station may be endangered: beach erosion has created a steep scarp in front of the building, seen in Burns's photo. Located at the northern tip of Zanzibar. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS ZAN-011; Admiralty D6742; NGA 31340.


Ras Nungwi Light, Zanzibar, February 2025
Instagram photo by ambra_mastro

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted June 12, 2005. Checked and revised March 1, 2026. Lighthouses: 14. Site copyright 2026w Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.