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Zanzibar Travel Guides

Zanzibar is as exotic as its name sounds and is reminiscent of a page out of ‘The Adventures of Sinbad’ in its aromatic intrigue and island charm. Island dwellers in their flowing linen shirts and cheese cloth pants are a unique population that is as mysterious as it is charismatic. Zanzibar is located on the waters of the warm Indian Ocean just 40 km off the Tanzanian coast and is 96 km long and 32km wide. The island’s major features are the scenic beaches and coral reefs with the historic Stone Town (recently declared a UNESCO World heritage site) as one of its focal attractions. Zanzibar is an island built on the spice trade that dates back to 975 AD with the present day economy sustaining itself on fishing and agricultural trade. Zanzibar is an ideal place for scuba divers looking for azure diving waters and coral reef formations populated by colourful and enchanting marine life.

Zanzibar’s colourful history is peppered with trading interests, pillagers and explorative journeys to the island which have left a lasting imprint that is clearly reflect in the Zanzibar of today. Zanzibar at one point or another in history has been visited by the Dutch, the Chinese, the Egyptians, Indians and Arabians and of course the English who have all had interests in the islands natural resources namely spices, slaves and ivory. The island remains an intriguing blend of culture and religious practices with Islam as the dominant religion followed by christianity.

Zanzibar’s Spice Plantations are legendary, with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper playing a starring role in their fame. Jozani Forest is home to the rare Colobus monkey and the elusive Zanzibar leopard and is a magnificent leafy green sight to behold and explore. Prison Island holds significance in terms of slave history which is were they were sent if they displeased their masters and now has the more positive function of being home to giant tortoises originally from the Seychelles.

Zanzibar is very well known for being a hive of culture and musical activity and it owes this to its cosmopolitan population and marriage of cultures. So festivals and cultural celebrations are not uncommon on the island and in fact make up a big part of the society. Although Zanzibar may be independent in many ways, it is considered officially a part of Tanzania and maintains strong cultural ties that are often reflected in the festivals and events held on the islands.