Kiwengwa, northeast Unguja
Hidden beneath the coral rag thicket of Zanzibar's northeast coast is a forest most visitors never find, until they step into the cool dark of the Mchekeni Coral Caves. Declared a protected reserve in 2005 to save it from decades of timber cutting, Kiwengwa-Pongwe is now a sanctuary for stalactite-filled limestone caves, rare medicinal plants and dozens of recorded bird species. A community-run ecotourism project means every visit directly supports the villages who now protect, rather than clear, this forest.