Spices, Culture & Indian Ocean Paradise
Zanzibar — the 'Spice Island' — is an archipelago of extraordinary historical depth and natural beauty off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. Stone Town, the ancient core of Zanzibar City, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: a labyrinthine medina of coral stone buildings, carved wooden doors, mosques, Hindu temples and narrow streets alive with the scent of cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. It represents the unique fusion of Arab, Persian, African and Indian cultures that define the Swahili civilisation.
The island was the epicentre of the East African spice trade and the Indian Ocean slave trade for centuries. Sultans of Oman ruled from Zanzibar, and the island was briefly its own sultanate — the 'Zanzibar Sultanate' — before British influence and eventually union with Tanzania in 1964. This complex history is woven into every street, building and conversation in Stone Town.
Beyond the cultural richness, Zanzibar delivers some of East Africa's finest beaches. The north coast's Nungwi and Kendwa offer calm clear water year-round. The northeast coast's Matemwe and Kiwengwa face the open ocean with spectacular colour. The southeast coast's Paje is East Africa's top kitesurfing destination. The less-visited south and west coasts offer mangrove ecosystems, fishing villages and extraordinary sunsets.
Why Dawn Safaris Loves It
- Stone Town — one of Africa's most architecturally and culturally extraordinary cities
- Spice farm tours — cloves, cardamom, vanilla and cinnamon still grown on the island
- Swimming with sea turtles at Mnarani Marine Turtle Conservation Pond, Nungwi
- Jozani Forest — home of the endemic red colobus monkey
- The perfect end to a Kenya/Tanzania safari — 45 minutes by air from any mainland destination
