Tanzania

Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spices and the Indian Ocean

Two nights in a former palace in Stone Town, then five nights by the sea

Tanzania

Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spices and the Indian Ocean

A stay in Zanzibar that is about more than the beach. It begins with two nights in Stone Town, in a former palace turned 4* hotel (local rating), with a guided tour of the UNESCO-listed old town. Then come five nights by the sea, between Paje and Jambiani, with three outings included: Jozani forest and its red colobus monkeys with a spice farm, Mnemba atoll with mask, snorkel and fins, and a seaweed farm run by women of the island. The 3* beach hotel can be replaced by a 4* or 5* on request.

When

June to Oct

Price

From 1 856€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

7 nights

Ideal length

Stone Town

Days 1-3

Zanzibar's old town, a World Heritage site: narrow lanes, carved doors, the market and memories of the sultans.

Day 1

Flight to Zanzibar

Board a scheduled flight to Zanzibar. Dinner and night on board.

Day 2

Arrival in Stone Town

Arrive at Zanzibar airport and transfer to your hotel in Stone Town, a renovated former palace with period furniture and colours of Arab and Indian influence. The hotel has many steps. Dinner on your own.

Day 3

A guided tour of Stone Town

Tour the old town with a French-speaking guide: the former slave market, the museum devoted to the sultans and their palaces, the old fort, the dispensary, the Anglican church, then the market and its stalls of fruit, spices and fish. Lunch and afternoon on your own.

1 / 4

Jambiani and the east coast

Days 4-6

Five nights facing the Indian Ocean, between Paje and Jambiani: white sand, palm trees, and free days alternating with the excursions.

Day 4

From Stone Town to Jambiani

A last morning in Stone Town and lunch on your own. In the early afternoon, transfer to your seafront hotel: air-conditioned bungalows, exotic gardens and a white-sand beach.

Day 5

Free day in Jambiani

A free day between the pool and the beach. Optional, booked and paid locally (about $130 per person): the 'Safari Blue' boat trip, a day on a traditional boat in Menai Bay, with snorkelling stops and a barbecue on an island.

Day 6

Jozani forest and the spice farm

Leave for Jozani forest: woodland, grassland and mangrove, walked with a French-speaking guide in search of the red colobus, a monkey found only in Zanzibar. Then visit a nearby spice farm, where a local lunch is served before a walk among the plants.

1 / 5

Mnemba atoll and the seaweed farm

Days 7-10

Two more sides of the island: the reefs of Mnemba atoll, and seaweed farming, Zanzibar's second-largest industry.

Day 7

Mnemba atoll

Thirty minutes' drive to the boarding point, then out to Mnemba atoll to explore its reefs with fins, mask and snorkel, equipment provided. A snack on a sandbank before returning. Free afternoon at the hotel.

Day 8

The Paje seaweed farm

Visit the Seaweed Center in Paje, a social enterprise that gives work to women seaweed farmers. Depending on the tide, you see the harvest, then the processing into soaps and beauty oils. The rest of the day is free.