4 great days in Stone town Zanzibar
Introduction
Stone town Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage center remain a melting pot for many cultures and ranks high on the bucket list of would be tourists. Been to Zanzibar quite a few times and like many, I always preferred to stay at beach resorts as opposed to Stone town itself which I felt was not my thing for some reason.
The sandy white beaches always seem more inviting, so Stone town in the past has always served as a transit to my final destination, the beach! For a change, I recently decided to break that perception and fully experience only Stone Town.
Fast forward four days later, I realized the town was starting to grow on me and I easily could have stayed longer as the list of fun things to do is endless. Truth be told, I wished I had ‘a deep pocket full of those green notes with pictures of American presidents on them’ (my inside joke for US dollars)!. There is simply no limit to the adventures you could have in Stone town. You could do virtually everything that there is to be done and there is something for everybody.
Arrival day
Travelling from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar by Fast ferry is always more adventurous than the much quicker 20mins flight. I mean if you just happened to pass out at the start of the flight, you would probably be in Zanzibar before you even fully understood what happened to you. Its literally that fast! No hard and fast rules here though especially if travel by sea is not for you. There is no adventure in getting to Zanzibar completely seasick so choose what works best for you.
Our approximately 2hr fast ferry ride was awesome and my sister made it even merrier since she had never been on fast ferry before. She was not expecting ‘plane comfort’ in a ferry! Since we had travelled very light, with only back packs, upon arrival at Zanzibar Port, we opted to walk to our hotel (Dhow Place) while we took in the sights at Forodhani in the daytime. Hard to believe how busy it gets at sun-down, almost unrecognizable with all the people in all colors and sizes coming to get a taste of Forodhani food and and some just to breathe in the ocean.
Our lazy walk took us through Freddy Mercury House, curio shops and onwards to Dhow Palace, a lovely boutique hotel, built in typical Zanzibari style. While completing the check-in procedure, I glanced at the swimming pool, and I could almost see it beckoning to me to get in and just relax which we gladly obliged after enjoying our lunch. And so, the afternoon was spent in the lovely Dhow Palace Hotel swimming pool.
By evening, we wanted to sample some Zanzibar food, so with directions from our hotel reception, two hungry stomachs and a few wrong turns on the narrow streets we made it to Lukmaan Restaurant , which is actually quite a happening restaurant, with tourists from all around.
At Lukmaan Restaurant you are spoilt for choice when it comes to food and if you are a foodie, it’s halleluiah for you. The cats have their own heaven here judging from how fat they all are around. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel, no wrong turns this time! The night was beautiful with a well-deserved great night’s sleep after an adventurous arrival day.
Day Two, Zanzibar Stone town Tour
Day started with a sumptuous breakfast after which we went out to meet our Stone town tour guide Mr. Ramadhani who was beaming with a smile, true Zanzibari hospitality. It was kind of sunny, so we were a bit weary of the heat, but we survived it. Tip for Stone town tour – bring a hat with you and don’t forget your sun tan lotion as well as comfortable walking shoes. We skipped the slave market as we were not quite interested in relieving that unpleasant history, then headed to Forodhani where we saw the biggest family of huge pussycats. If you love pussycats, you will love this. Learned that there is actually a foundation for protection of cats in Zanzibar, to my surprise.
Next stop was the Old Fort, where we dabbled in some Oman and Arab history. If you plan to be in Zanzibar, particularly Stone town in July, you may want to visit on an evening or two as the venue is used for live entertainments in the evenings in peak season. Your hotel may be able to give you more information on the exact days. The fort is right next to the House of wonders. The list of wonders is actually quite funny so next time you are on a tour, don’t miss out. The house also houses the oldest car in Zanzibar.
Did you know that the Stone town buildings are actually made in real Stone? And did you know the designs on the doors are deliberate and full of history and meaning? That outer balconies and inner balconies on the buildings are either of Arab or Indian origin? You will be surprised by what you will learn on the tour.
Next, we headed to the Fish market and spice market. Ever seen an octopus before it makes its way to your plate? All sorts of sea food and spices. Want to take a delicious piece of Zanzibar to your friends and family back home? Spices – all well packed in good proportions and named even for some of us who are clueless about what some of the spices look like in their raw form.
We decided to end our tour with a visit to the local kitenge & Khanga market (local fabrics). After a hard time choosing from countless varieties, we finally got our khangas packed and off we headed back to our hotel for another relaxing afternoon. You don’t want to end up needing another holiday after the holiday. We had our dinner at the Forodhani this time and just took in the happenings around us before calling it another adventurous day.
Day Three, Prison Island
Again began with breakfast and a lazy morning. At approximately 1100hrs we got picked up for our boat ride to Prison Island. The boat ride is a little not for the faint hearted, although it is motorized and quite fast. My sister was quite nervous at first and but enjoyed the ride once we set off.
I haven’t met anyone who has been to prison Island and gotten over the giant tortoises. The giant tortoises are very real and as big and old as they say they are. Why not experience them yourself and become the next storyteller for the Giant tortoises and quit hearing it from John and Mary.
Aside from the tortoises, there is interesting history to learn add why it’s called Prison Island in the first place. At about 1600hrs, we headed back to Stone town and did a little more shopping for souvenirs – sea shells this time from the port area. Next stop was to our hotel to rest up, freshen up and go say goodbye to Lukmaan’s food by eating it one more time before our departure in the morning.
Departure day
Unfortunately, all fun things do come to an end too and it was time to go to our dismay. We enjoyed our last breakfast in Stone town and headed to the port for our morning fast ferry back to Dar es Salaam. The sea is calmer in the mornings making the ride smooth and more fun. So, you may want to do earlier boats compared to the late evening ones when the sea is a little rough. Stone town is fun, and you will have a fuller experience of Zanzibar if you save some days to explore in Stone town.
Conclusion
If you want to rest better before departure, then you could start with 2 or 3 days in Stone town and end with a beach stay. But if you want to stay closer to the airport and would also like to do some souvenir shopping, then you can start with the beach stay and end with some nights in Stone town.
However, if you only have a few days to spend in Zanzibar, then you could stay at a hotel with a beach like Zanzibar Serena, Tembo House Hotel, that way you can shoot your 2 birds with one stone. You may also want to see other key destinations in Tanzania to visit. Please check this link Popular destinations in Tanzania
Introduction
Stone town Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage center remain a melting pot for many cultures and ranks high on the bucket list of would be tourists. Been to Zanzibar quite a few times and like many, I always preferred to stay at beach resorts as opposed to Stone town itself which I felt was not my thing for some reason.
The sandy white beaches always seem more inviting, so Stone town in the past has always served as a transit to my final destination, the beach! For a change, I recently decided to break that perception and fully experience only Stone Town.
Fast forward four days later, I realized the town was starting to grow on me and I easily could have stayed longer as the list of fun things to do is endless. Truth be told, I wished I had ‘a deep pocket full of those green notes with pictures of American presidents on them’ (my inside joke for US dollars)!. There is simply no limit to the adventures you could have in Stone town. You could do virtually everything that there is to be done and there is something for everybody.
Arrival day
Travelling from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar by Fast ferry is always more adventurous than the much quicker 20mins flight. I mean if you just happened to pass out at the start of the flight, you would probably be in Zanzibar before you even fully understood what happened to you. Its literally that fast! No hard and fast rules here though especially if travel by sea is not for you. There is no adventure in getting to Zanzibar completely seasick so choose what works best for you.
Our approximately 2hr fast ferry ride was awesome and my sister made it even merrier since she had never been on fast ferry before. She was not expecting ‘plane comfort’ in a ferry! Since we had travelled very light, with only back packs, upon arrival at Zanzibar Port, we opted to walk to our hotel (Dhow Place) while we took in the sights at Forodhani in the daytime. Hard to believe how busy it gets at sun-down, almost unrecognizable with all the people in all colors and sizes coming to get a taste of Forodhani food and and some just to breathe in the ocean.
Our lazy walk took us through Freddy Mercury House, curio shops and onwards to Dhow Palace, a lovely boutique hotel, built in typical Zanzibari style. While completing the check-in procedure, I glanced at the swimming pool, and I could almost see it beckoning to me to get in and just relax which we gladly obliged after enjoying our lunch. And so, the afternoon was spent in the lovely Dhow Palace Hotel swimming pool.
By evening, we wanted to sample some Zanzibar food, so with directions from our hotel reception, two hungry stomachs and a few wrong turns on the narrow streets we made it to Lukmaan Restaurant , which is actually quite a happening restaurant, with tourists from all around.
At Lukmaan Restaurant you are spoilt for choice when it comes to food and if you are a foodie, it’s halleluiah for you. The cats have their own heaven here judging from how fat they all are around. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel, no wrong turns this time! The night was beautiful with a well-deserved great night’s sleep after an adventurous arrival day.
Day Two, Zanzibar Stone town Tour
Day started with a sumptuous breakfast after which we went out to meet our Stone town tour guide Mr. Ramadhani who was beaming with a smile, true Zanzibari hospitality. It was kind of sunny, so we were a bit weary of the heat, but we survived it. Tip for Stone town tour – bring a hat with you and don’t forget your sun tan lotion as well as comfortable walking shoes. We skipped the slave market as we were not quite interested in relieving that unpleasant history, then headed to Forodhani where we saw the biggest family of huge pussycats. If you love pussycats, you will love this. Learned that there is actually a foundation for protection of cats in Zanzibar, to my surprise.
Next stop was the Old Fort, where we dabbled in some Oman and Arab history. If you plan to be in Zanzibar, particularly Stone town in July, you may want to visit on an evening or two as the venue is used for live entertainments in the evenings in peak season. Your hotel may be able to give you more information on the exact days. The fort is right next to the House of wonders. The list of wonders is actually quite funny so next time you are on a tour, don’t miss out. The house also houses the oldest car in Zanzibar.
Did you know that the Stone town buildings are actually made in real Stone? And did you know the designs on the doors are deliberate and full of history and meaning? That outer balconies and inner balconies on the buildings are either of Arab or Indian origin? You will be surprised by what you will learn on the tour.
Next, we headed to the Fish market and spice market. Ever seen an octopus before it makes its way to your plate? All sorts of sea food and spices. Want to take a delicious piece of Zanzibar to your friends and family back home? Spices – all well packed in good proportions and named even for some of us who are clueless about what some of the spices look like in their raw form.
We decided to end our tour with a visit to the local kitenge & Khanga market (local fabrics). After a hard time choosing from countless varieties, we finally got our khangas packed and off we headed back to our hotel for another relaxing afternoon. You don’t want to end up needing another holiday after the holiday. We had our dinner at the Forodhani this time and just took in the happenings around us before calling it another adventurous day.
Day Three, Prison Island
Again began with breakfast and a lazy morning. At approximately 1100hrs we got picked up for our boat ride to Prison Island. The boat ride is a little not for the faint hearted, although it is motorized and quite fast. My sister was quite nervous at first and but enjoyed the ride once we set off.
I haven’t met anyone who has been to prison Island and gotten over the giant tortoises. The giant tortoises are very real and as big and old as they say they are. Why not experience them yourself and become the next storyteller for the Giant tortoises and quit hearing it from John and Mary.
Aside from the tortoises, there is interesting history to learn add why it’s called Prison Island in the first place. At about 1600hrs, we headed back to Stone town and did a little more shopping for souvenirs – sea shells this time from the port area. Next stop was to our hotel to rest up, freshen up and go say goodbye to Lukmaan’s food by eating it one more time before our departure in the morning.
Departure day
Unfortunately, all fun things do come to an end too and it was time to go to our dismay. We enjoyed our last breakfast in Stone town and headed to the port for our morning fast ferry back to Dar es Salaam. The sea is calmer in the mornings making the ride smooth and more fun. So, you may want to do earlier boats compared to the late evening ones when the sea is a little rough. Stone town is fun, and you will have a fuller experience of Zanzibar if you save some days to explore in Stone town.
Conclusion
If you want to rest better before departure, then you could start with 2 or 3 days in Stone town and end with a beach stay. But if you want to stay closer to the airport and would also like to do some souvenir shopping, then you can start with the beach stay and end with some nights in Stone town.
However, if you only have a few days to spend in Zanzibar, then you could stay at a hotel with a beach like Zanzibar Serena, Tembo House Hotel, that way you can shoot your 2 birds with one stone. You may also want to see other key destinations in Tanzania to visit. Please check this link Popular destinations in Tanzania
