Stone Town
Stone Town
is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. It
was the former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing centre of the
spice trade as well as the slave trade in the 19th century. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other
to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous
status, with Stone Town as its local government seat. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the
19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture,
with a unique mixture of Moorish, Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements.
For this reason, the town has been included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in
2000. The heart of Stone Town mostly consists of a maze of narrow alleys sided
by houses, shops, bazaars and mosques. Since most streets are too narrow for
cars, the town is crowded with bicycles and motorbikes. The seafront has wider
streets and larger, more regularly placed buildings.
Traditional buildings have
a baraza, a long stone bench along the outside walls; this is used as an
elevated sidewalk if heavy rains make the streets impracticable, or otherwise
as benches to sit down, rest, socialize. Another key feature of most buildings is large
verandas protected by carved wooden balustrades. The most well-known feature of
Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, with rich carvings and
bas-reliefs, sometimes with big brass studs of Indian tradition. Stone Town is
punctuated with major historical buildings, several of which are found on the
seafront; this include former sultan palaces, fortifications, churches,
mosques, and other institutional buildings. While Stone Town has been included
in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 2000, this designation does not provide
complete protection for the town's heritage. Despite the establishment of a
Conservation Authority, about 80% of the 1709 buildings of Stone Town are in a
deteriorating condition. Note that Stone
Town can be noisy and there is nowhere to stay where we can guarantee silence;
frequent calls to prayer from the mosques, along with the hustle and bustle of
town, are part of everyday life here. It's a lively, vibrant atmosphere, but
don't expect peace and quiet.
We can offer a interesting walking tour of Stonetown with one of our professional Stonetown Tour Guides to let you smell, feel and hear the authentic residents and traders of Stonetown.
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Southern Zanzibar
South of
Stone Town and the airport is the Fumba Peninsula. It's probably the most
relaxed and friendly corner of the island, but until recently it has really
only been used as venue for short few day-trips, to see dolphins from Kizimkazi
or the red Colobus monkeys in Jozani Forest. On the south coast of Zanzibar lies the Menai Bay Conservation Area, a
sea turtle protection area for the endangered species that come to breed on the
island. Roads to the southeast coast take visitors through the Jozani Forest,
home to Zanzibar’s rare Red Colobus monkeys and a number of other primate and
small antelope species. Zanzibar triggers a mix up reactions of early clove
farming in Pemba and Zanzibar in the 1880's, which became the world's largest
producer of cloves. This was a measure of success for the early traders who
also came to buy slaves. The beautiful white sandy beaches are quiet and
uncrowded and for those in search of a no fuss peaceful quiet relaxing time
this is the place. Just like the spices
grown here, Zanzibar really spices up your holiday with all it flavour.
East Coast
Miles of
white sand beach, coral reef, traditional villages and nature walks adorn the
beautiful and wild EAST COAST of Zanzibar. The east coast of Zanzibar is lined
with powder-white beaches which look out towards a long barrier reef, about a
kilometer offshore. Voted and included in the Top 30 Island Beaches in the
world by the prestigious Conde' Nast Traveler in their article "20
years...30 beaches"! The beach on this side of Zanzibar stretches for 25
kilometres, or more, and is edged by palm trees and quite a few fascinating
fishing villages. Lodges here generally have more space than those in the
Nungwi area, but like the north, the beaches here slope very little. This means
that when the tide is out, the water retreats a long way and swimming from the
beach is difficult – although paddling to the top of the exposed reef with the
right local guide is fascinating! There's
good diving and snorkeling here.
West & North Coast
Two or
three hours drive NORTH from Stone Town, is Nungwi - which is a fishermen's village
and a tourist attraction, located at the northernmost tip of Unguja (Zanzibar).
In the past it was mostly known as a dhow boatyard. Until the 1990s, the local population was
opposed to tourism, so Nungwi's beach is one of the last in the area to host
hotels and other touristic structures. This situation has since changed, and
the main beach of Nungwi, nicknamed "Jambo Square", is now constantly
full of visitors. A small aquarium with
sea turtles has recently been created in the village. The setting is beautiful,
but the number of people in Nungwi town, the noise and the constant stream of
apparently uncontrolled development do take the exclusive air off its charm. There are now a number of fabulous luxury beach resorts on the WEST Coast of Zanzibar - offering great sunsets from your luxury bedroom suite or from the lovely white sandy beach.
Off shore Islands
The Mnemba
Atoll is an atoll, located off the northeast coast of Unguja, the largest
island of Zanzibar. It consists of an oval reef seven by four kilometres in
extent, containing the tiny Mnemba Island at about 1.5km in circumference. The
surrounding reefs have been declared a Marine Conservation area. Mnemba Atoll
is a popular scuba diving site, with a wide variety of corals and associated
species, as well as occasional sightings of larger species such as turtles and
dolphins. Calm conditions are most frequent in September and October, though
visibility is at its optimum in January. The island itself is privately owned
and can be visited only as a guest of the Mnemba Island Lodge. Mnemba Island is a 90 minute drive from Stone
Town across the main Zanzibar Island, before a twenty minute boat crossing.
Chumbe Island is a small privately-owned island a few kilometres off of the main island of Zanzibar, known for its ecological innovation and exceptional coral reefs. In 1994, the island and its surrounding waters were declared the Chumbe Island Coral Park, which contains the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary and the Closed Forest Reserve. The park is run by the nonprofit private organization Chumbe Island Coral Park, Ltd. (CHICOP), which conducts marine research and small amounts of eco-tourism on the island. The high quality of the reef is attributable to the fact that the island was within a military zone which limited human impact on the marine life. The island has two historic buildings, a small mosque and a lighthouse, both built around the turn of the 20th century.
Changuu
Island (also known as Kibandiko, Prison or Quarantine Island) is a small island
3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-west of Stone Town. The island is around 880 yards
(800 m) long and 250 yards (230 m) wide at its broadest point. The island saw
use as a prison for rebellious slaves in 1860s and also functioned as a coral
mine. No prisoners were ever housed on the island and instead it became a
quarantine station for yellow fever cases. More recently the island became a government-owned tourist resort and
houses a collection of endangered Aldabra Giant Tortoises which were originally
a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles. This ceased to function but
has since been reopened as a hotel by a private company. Freshwater is
transported to the island via an underwater pipe from the Zanzibar mainland.
Mafia
Island ("Chole Shamba") is part of the Tanzanian Spice Islands,
together with Unguja and Pemba. The economy is based on fishing, subsistence agriculture
and the market in Kilindoni. The island attracts some tourists, mainly
adventure scuba divers, game-fishermen, and people wanting relaxation.
