Tanzania & Zanzibar
Stone Town is an absolute must, it's famous for its iconic doorways that blend the typical African style with Indian and Arabic designs. Of an estimated amount of 560 doors around Zanzibar City, the majority can be found in this part of the island's capital. Zanzibar was home to one of the largest slave markets in the world. Although the slave trade took place all over the island, three major markets saw the bulk of these inhumane transactions. You will find the slavery museum as well as a slavery monument in the city. If you are a Freddie Mercury Fan, you may already know that he was born and raised in Stone Town, his family home still remains, half of the house has been turned into a hotel, and the other half has been turned into a Freddie Mercury museum.
As a primary trading post on the spice, silk and slave trade routes for over a millennium, Zanzibar has been a unique cultural crossroads, blending African, Indian, Arabian and European cultures. This is most apparent in the Old Stone Town, one of the few remaining ancient towns in Africa.
Stone Town is a labyrinth of chaotic alleyways, interposed between towering limestone houses, each with ornately carved hardwood doors with brass finishings and terracotta roofs.
Alongside the architecture, Zanzibar is unique in its cuisine, religion, politics, and way of life. It's very different to mainland Tanzania, and makes for a perfect start or end to an East African safari.
Zanzibar offers a number of outdoor activities and water sports, including cycling, kitesurfing, diving, or just general island hopping. Most hotels are based on the mainland, but if you want to escape the bustle of the main island’s beaches, there are plenty of smaller islands to give you that marooned-on-a-desert-island experience.
Mnemba island is largely regarded as one of the best dive and snorkel spots in Zanzibar. The island is a 30-minute boat ride from the town of Matemwe on Unguja’s East coast.
Zanzibar city comprises two parts: Stone Town, the historical epicentre, and Ng’ambo (literally translated as ‘the other side’). Stone Town is the historical core of Zanzibar, said to be the only remaining ancient town of East Africa still used today. It offers enough activities for two days, including strolling around the labyrinthian alleys, touring the old slave market, visiting Prison island, checking out the old Sultanate ruins, or getting lost in the old market.
Let’s not forget that the Zanzibar archipelago is, rather exotically, also known as the ‘Spice islands’ for its historical role as the centre for spice trade. It's well worth taking a tour of the spice farms that still operate today and can be reached from Zanzibar city.
The best time to visit Zanzibar is from July to August and December to February. These are the dry seasons, so the weather is warm and there is less chance of rain ruining planned excursions.
These seasons link perfectly with Tanzania if you are looking to combine your trip with a safari or trek. Which is exactly what we did, we took a light aircraft over to Mikumi National Park for a day safari.
Like Tanzania, Zanzibar has two rainy seasons, one short, the other long. The long rainy season often sees monsoons from March to May, which means the beaches are crowd-free and hotels offer discount rates, but you will be sunbathing in torrential rain!
