Sun, sand and spice in historical Zanzibar

A boat on the beautiful Zanzibar beach

Think of East Africa and it’s likely your imagination will summon up dramatic expanses of savannah and famous safari game like lions, elephants and wildebeest. But while this is the aspect of the region guests usually come to see, there’s a wholly different side to East Africa too. Perhaps the best way to experience this contrast is to journey less than 30 miles off the Tanzanian mainland to Zanzibar Island.
This beautiful spot in the Indian Ocean is the ideal complement to an action-packed safari adventure. With long, white sandy beaches, coconut palms, rainbow-coloured coral reefs and warm, turqouise water, it has all the hallmarks of a tropical island paradise.

An ornate Zanzibari doorway

But while Zanzibar is an idyllic retreat for chilling beside the ocean, what makes it so special is that it boasts such diverse treats besides that. The island’s eventful history has endowed it with a rich and kaleidoscopic heritage. Successive invasions, empires and influences make today’s Zanzibar a fascinating mix of arhitecture, culture and customs. This is most apparent in Stone Town, the island’s historic centre and a UN World Heritage Site. Here, the Arabic influence of Zanzibar is evident in beautiful mosques, palaces and bazaars. Ambling through the town’s narrow, winding alleyways and past its whitewashed buildings is the perfect way to embrace the romanticism and mystery of this unique place.

Another facet to Zanzibar is its long association with exotic spices. From the early nineteenth century it was realised that the island, with its regular rainfall, warm climate and rich soil, offered the perfect conditions for growing a range of spice plants. Zanzibar thus became a globally important supplier of spices that include cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric and saffron. Spice plantations still operate today, albeit on a smaller scale, and regular tours allow you to visit them to see the process by which these fragrant, exotic crops are cultivated.

The Old Fort in Stone Town

So despite being a small island of less than a million people, it’s unsurprising that Zanzibar, with such tempting and diverse features, has become famous the world over as a luxury holiday destination. If you would like to experience Zanzibar for yourself, we’d love to take you there.