Here are few more pictures of Zanzibar - Stone Town, the beaches & more. We had a lot of free time to explore this beautiful island.
Did I inspire you?
Let me know :)
When you hear the word "Zanzibar", the first thing that comes to your mind is an island with sun-kissed beaches ... dotted by swaying palm trees and surrounded by the most bluest waters ... right? When we visited Zanzibar, it was exactly how we envisioned it to be - picture perfect! After 5 days of roaming around in the Tanzanian wilderness, we were ready for this relaxing beach holiday. It was an hour long journey by air from Kilimanjaro Airport to Zanzibar. And guess what, once I reached Zanzibar I was finally reunited with my suitcase! Imagine being stuck in the same pair of jeans for 5 days!
We booked our tours and transfers from a company called "Colours of Zanzibar" well in advance. And because we booked many things with them, they reduced the price. We were going to spend 3 days in Zanzibar.
Zanzibar is basically divided into 2 parts - Stone Town & the beaches. If you want to stay somewhere close to the airport and are not too particular about a beach, Stone Town is your best bet. If you want to stay in paradise, go for a beach ... its that simple! We stayed at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, Nungwi which was somewhere on the north of the island. We got a bit lucky too, when they upgraded us to a cottage ... bang on the beach. With the exception of lunch on the day we arrived & breakfast everyday, we didn't eat at the hotel. Instead we tried out the various restaurants located along the beach. The hotel was lovely too. In addition to big sized rooms, it had a beautiful pool.
I would have loved to just lie down on the beach all day and sip on fresh coconuts, however, I just had 3 days here and a lot to explore. Here are some of the things we did & which I think you should do when you are in Zanzibar:
1) Doors of Stone Town - Even if you are not staying in Stone Town, I highly recommend you visit it. In our case, we toured Stone Town on the day we landed, just before heading to the hotel. Stone Town in well known for its doors. You'll see them in various colours and designs. In the past, you could tell the status of the person living inside just by looking at their door.
2) Eat a banana! - I know, I know ... it sounds ridiculous that I'm telling you to eat a banana right? The bananas in Zanzibar were half the size of my hand! We tried them out at Darajani market. P.S. Its good to tell your guide to buy them for you as you might get cheated in the market. Let me also warn you, that the market isn't the cleanest, however, you'll get a real feel of Africa. You can buy Zanzibari spices there too.
3) Former Slave Market - Zanzibar was the last known hub of slave trade. We visited the exact location where it took place. Now, a part of the area has been converted into a church. We saw the underground chamber where slaves used to be kept before they were auctioned ... maybe 50 of them in that little space. Some of them didn't even make it to the auction as they died of starvation.
4) Freddie Mercury's House - Did you know that one of the greatest singers of all time "Freddie Mercury" was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar? Well, we saw his house ... just from the outside. It had now been converted into a hotel.
5) The Old Fort - There wasn't much to see here except for some ruined walls, a little amphitheatre and some vendors inside. Since it was part of our tour, we just went with the flow.
6) Jozani Park - A national park located an hour away from Nungwi famous for its Red Colobus monkeys. They compulsorily assign a guide for your group. If you are into wildlife, you should visit this place.
7) The Rock - After seeing pictures of this restaurant built on a rock in the middle of the sea, we knew we had to visit. We made an advance online booking on their website assuming that it would be packed, however, it wasn't. Since the tide was low, we could actually walk on the little pavement towards the restaurant. Other than the look of this place, there wasn't anything fancy. The price of food & drinks were ridiculous. We just enjoyed a few cocktails.
8) Horse Riding - This was an impromptu plan, although I do love horse-riding. The horse riding centre was located at Sea Cliff Resort & Spa, and the horses were owned by a lovely couple from South Africa. There were four horses and I got the shortest but oldest of them all! Basically, they take you on a scenic route on the grass, beach & water (if you prefer). Yes, the water was my main intention however, I wasn't fully dressed for it. I did get into the water partially though. It was a sunset ride so we witnessed a beautiful sunset too.
Here are few more pictures of Zanzibar - Stone Town, the beaches & more. We had a lot of free time to explore this beautiful island.
Have you been to Zanzibar?
Did I inspire you? Let me know :)
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