Stone Town Guided Walking Tour
A small-group morning walk through Zanzibar’s UNESCO-listed old town with a local guide: the Old Fort, the sultans’ palace, the former slave market and the carved doors and alleys between them.
Tanzania
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is the Spice Island of the Indian Ocean, a low green island off the coast of Tanzania where Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian and European history meet on white-sand beaches and turquoise reefs.
Its old capital, Stone Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage maze of coral-stone houses, carved wooden doors, mosques, churches and bazaars, with a waterfront where the Forodhani Gardens fill with food stalls every evening. Beyond the town lie the clove and nutmeg farms that made the island rich, the Jozani Forest with its rare red colobus monkeys, and the giant tortoises of Prison Island. Out at sea, wooden dhows carry snorkellers to the sandbanks and lagoons of Menai Bay on the Safari Blue day, to the coral gardens of Mnemba Atoll, and into the sunset off Nungwi and Kendwa in the north. This guide books the tours worth booking, explains the compulsory Zanzibar travel insurance and how to get around, and helps you split a first trip between Stone Town and the beaches.
Don't miss
Prison Island and the Giant Tortoises
A short boat ride from Stone Town to Changuu, the island of giant Aldabra tortoises, with a prison that never held prisoners, a small beach and snorkelling in clear water.
Jozani Forest and the Red Colobus Monkeys
Zanzibar’s only national park, where a guide leads you to the rare Zanzibar red colobus monkeys found nowhere else on earth and along a boardwalk through tidal mangroves.
Freddie Mercury Museum
A small museum in Stone Town’s Shangani quarter telling the Zanzibar story of Farrokh Bulsara, who grew up here before becoming Freddie Mercury, the singer of Queen.
Stone Town Guided Walking Tour
A small-group morning walk through Zanzibar’s UNESCO-listed old town with a local guide: the Old Fort, the sultans’ palace, the former slave market and the carved doors and alleys between them.
Things to do in Zanzibar
Mnemba Atoll Dolphins and Snorkelling Day Trip
A full day from Stone Town to the north coast and out by boat to Mnemba Atoll, Zanzibar’s best-known reef, to look for dolphins and snorkel over coral gardens, with tropical fruit and a seafood lunch.
Safari Blue Sandbank and Lagoon Day in Menai Bay
Zanzibar’s classic full day at sea: a dhow across Menai Bay to a white sandbank, snorkelling on the reef, a swim in a mangrove lagoon and a long seafood lunch on an island beach.
Prison Island and the Giant Tortoises
A short boat ride from Stone Town to Changuu, the island of giant Aldabra tortoises, with a prison that never held prisoners, a small beach and snorkelling in clear water.
Zanzibar Spice Farm Tour
A guided morning at a working spice farm outside Stone Town, tasting and smelling cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper and tropical fruit straight from the trees that made Zanzibar the Spice Island.
Jozani Forest and the Red Colobus Monkeys
Zanzibar’s only national park, where a guide leads you to the rare Zanzibar red colobus monkeys found nowhere else on earth and along a boardwalk through tidal mangroves.
Old Slave Market and Anglican Cathedral Tour
A private Stone Town tour that begins with a guided hour at the site of East Africa’s last open slave market, now the Anglican cathedral and memorial, with entry tickets included.
Stone Town Evening Food Walk and Forodhani Night Market
An evening walk through the Darajani Bazaar and down to the Forodhani Gardens, where the waterfront fills with grills and stalls, tasting Zanzibar pizza, urojo soup and sugarcane juice with a local guide.
Private Sunset Dhow Sail off Kendwa
A private sail on a traditional wooden dhow along the north-west coast of Zanzibar, watching the sun go down over the Indian Ocean from the water off Kendwa and Nungwi.
Freddie Mercury Museum
A small museum in Stone Town’s Shangani quarter telling the Zanzibar story of Farrokh Bulsara, who grew up here before becoming Freddie Mercury, the singer of Queen.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Park Hyatt Zanzibar
Shangani, Stone Town
Stone Town’s most polished address, on the beach in the Shangani quarter, with 67 rooms and suites, a seafront infinity pool, a spa and The Dining Room looking out over the dhow harbour.
Rates on Expedia →Zanzibar Serena Hotel
Shangani, Stone Town
A classic Stone Town seafront hotel in two restored historic buildings, with 51 rooms and suites, a palm-fringed pool, the Maisha Spa, a rooftop seafood terrace and taarab music in the bar.
Rates on Expedia →Turaco Spice Tree, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Shangani, Stone Town
A good-value Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel on Shangani Street in the heart of Stone Town, with 58 individually decorated rooms, a rooftop restaurant with sea views and a garden restaurant.
Rates on Expedia →Turaco Nungwi Resort, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Nungwi
A relaxed beach resort in Nungwi village on Zanzibar’s north coast, with a sandy beach, a pool with a swim-up bar, a beachside seafood grill and rooms with balconies or terraces.
Rates on Expedia →Hotel Riu Jambo
Nungwi
A big, 24-hour all-inclusive beach resort on Nungwi Beach with four pools, a children’s pool and kids club, specialty restaurants, an over-the-sea restaurant and bar, a spa and nightly entertainment.
Rates on Expedia →Zanzibar guides
First Time in Zanzibar: What to Book, How Many Days and How to Get Around
The practical primer for a first visit to Zanzibar: the compulsory travel insurance, how many days to plan, how to split them between Stone Town and the beaches, what to book ahead and how to get around the island.
Where to Stay in Zanzibar: Stone Town or the Beach, and the Best Hotels
Where to stay in Zanzibar: Stone Town for history and food, Nungwi and Kendwa for sunsets and swimming, with the best hotel in each and how to split your nights.
