Zanzibar - Unguja Island

Indulgence yourself with the luxury of Zanzibar’s white, palm-fringed beaches, turquoise waters and Stone Town’s eclectic history.

BAOBAB trips to Zanzibar are arranged on a tailor-made basis. Please examine the accommodation guide for a choice of hotels with example prices and itineraries and then contact us for a precise quote for your chosen holiday (or for further assistance to help you make up your mind!!).

All BAOBAB’s prices are excluding the international flight, which provides you with more flexibility, especially when you are based outside the UK. BAOBAB will arrange all aspects of your holiday once you are in Tanzania, including internal flights to Zanzibar, transfers to your accommodation, day trips and scuba-diving.

Accommodation on Zanzibar

The Zanzibar Archipelago comprises two main islands, Unguja (or better known to us as Zanzibar) and Pemba, and about 50 smaller islets. Unguja, the biggest island (about 85 km long and 39 km wide), offers palm fringed white beaches, pristine coral reefs and a colourful history believed to go back 2,000 years. It has always had powerful trading links with Arabia and Persia, providing a gateway for slaves, gold, ivory, wood, spices, glass, and textiles. The Portuguese arrived in the early 16th century; at which time the clove plantations were established.

Things to do
Zanzibar’s charm lies first and foremost in its beautiful bounty beaches, its tropical waters with fantastic coral reefs and its perfect atmosphere for complete relaxation. However, it has much more to offer than just beaches and often just in half-day or day trips. For example:

On your way from Stone Town to your beach resort, you can do a spice tour to some of the many plantations in the Island’s interior. A spice tour makes a great excursion, especially if you have never seen clove, pepper, vanilla, nutmeg or coffee plants in the ‘wild’. You will be introduced to a variety of spices Zanzibar is famous for and their uses in cooking, cosmetics and traditional herbal medicine.

You can do a cultural tour to Jambiani or Nungwi, quaint fishermen villages on the East coast of Zanzibar. In Jambiani you can visit a traditional herbalist and the seaweed farms run by local women and in Nungwi the Dhow manufacturing and the sea-turtle reserve.

A visit to Prison Island, the former prison for slaves and quarantine station for Zanzibar, is an absolute worthwhile experience. Not only can you escape the hustle and bustle of Stone Town on its peaceful beaches, but you can also experience giant tortoises in the wild.

A visit to Jozani Forest, home to the red colobus monkey - a rare species only known on Zanzibar, and the largest area of mature forest left on Zanzibar, is also a wonderful experience. The red colobus monkey is full of character and roams freely through the forest. Furthermore, the nature trail reveals Zanzibar’s impressive diversity in flora and fauna.

Zanzibar is also famous for the old Stone Town with its labyrinth of narrow streets. Stone Town is built on a triangular peninsula, with around every corner something interesting: quaint shops & bazaars, arts & craft markets, mosques, and white washed houses. It consists predominantly of Arabic architecture, with a blend Indian, African and European design. The most impressive architectural structures are the large Arabic houses, usually two to three storeys high, with a central courtyard and flat roof, surmounted by a low crenulated parapet. Most buildings have elaborately carved wooden doors decorated with massive brass doorknobs.

Visit the Beit el Ajaib (formerly palace of the sultan), the Old Fort, the Anglican Cathedral and Old Slave Market and you get a real taste of Stone Town’s exotic history. In the evening, you can eat typical Swahili food for under £1 at Forodhani Gardens or indulge yourself with an exquisite and romantic dinner in Emerson & Green’s Tower Top restaurant.

Diving & Snorkelling
The East coast of Zanzibar has some of the best dive sites at Zanzibar, with trips to Mnemba Atoll and fringing reefs in front of the beach resorts. You will have the opportunity to see a vast range of reef fish, sponges, hard & soft corals and other marine species. Dolphins and turtles are regularly encountered in very close proximity to the dive boats.

Diving conditions around Zanzibar are generally good with visibilities from 15-30m, however viz is subject to tides and currents. The sea is generally calm, though in July it can get a little choppy with Kusi blowing from the south. A short period of rain during late November - early December can cause short-lived algal blooms, reducing the visibility down to about 12m.

An approximately 20 minutes flight from Dar-es-Salaam airport will take you to the airport near Stone Town. A pre-arranged taxi will transfer you to either Stone Town or any of the beach resorts.