Our Home Away From Home - Paje Hostel
During your stay, you'll be based at our vibrant volunteer hostel located in the heart of Paje on Zanzibar’s beautiful east coast. It’s genuinely one of the best places to base yourself while volunteering on the island, combining a social atmosphere, comfortable accommodation, and an amazing location just minutes from the beach.
Family-Style Living
Our warm and friendly team is based on-site, so there is always someone around to help with whatever you need.The hostel has become a home away from home for many volunteers, and it’s very common for people to stay in touch long after they leave.
Location
The House is located on the main road, directly in Paje, one of Zanzibar’s most popular and lively beach towns. We are only a short 3–5 minute walk from the stunning white sand beach and turquoise water the island is famous for. Everything you need is within walking distance, including cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, gyms, pharmacies, shops, ATMs, and local transport options.
The main hospital is located about 35 minutes from the hostel by transport, and both local Dala Dala, Tuk Tuk and sometimes the volunteer vehicle is available. Most volunteers going to this placement choose to split a ride fare making it very low cost.
The Rooms
All rooms are clean, comfortable, and newly renovated, each with private ensuite bathrooms and hot showers.
Rooms are shared dorm-style accommodation with other volunteers and are gender-specific where appropriate. Sharing with other participants is a huge part of the experience, and many volunteers leave having made lifelong friendships with the people they stayed with.
Common Spaces
We have a large swimming pool, outdoor couches and lounge spaces, a vibrant bar area, cozy hangout spots, and restaurant-style dining spaces where everyone comes together throughout the day. Whether you want to relax quietly, meet other volunteers, plan weekend trips, or enjoy social evenings together, there’s always something happening around the hostel.
Food & Connection
Breakfast and dinner are included each day, and dinner especially tends to become a really social part of the experience where volunteers, travelers, and staff all come together at the end of the day to share stories and connect.
We also provide Wi-Fi throughout the hostel (although, as with much of Zanzibar, occasional outages can happen from time to time).
Real Support
Our team genuinely cares about making sure volunteers feel safe, supported, and comfortable throughout their stay. Whether you need help arranging transport, booking activities, adjusting to life on the island, or simply have questions, our coordinators and local staff are always there to assist.
While this is still volunteer-style accommodation in a developing country, we pride ourselves on offering a much more comfortable, social, and supportive environment than most standard volunteer housing on the island.
