Spend your days on Zanzibar watching palm trees sway in the breeze from your lounger. Curling your toes into powdery white sand. Skirting the edges of tangled mangrove thickets by kayak. Or spotting humpback whales from a dhow boat bobbing on the ocean.
A semiautonomous region of Tanzania, Zanzibar is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. ‘Zanzibar’ often refers to the biggest island, officially called Unguja. The second main island is Pemba, to the north.
Dozens more islets make up the area, including Chumbe Island (fabulous diving) and the private Mnemba Island (worth the price tag if you’re in the market for do-not-disturb exclusivity).
Stone Town strolls
It’s not all beaches and cocktails. For those craving a little culture, a visit to Stone Town, the oldest part of the capital Zanzibar City, is in order.
In this former trading post, the influences of the East African coast (Swahili, Indian, Arabic, European) meld together. Think giant, wooden, intricately carved Zanzibar doors (is it basic to say perfect for the ‘gram?). Spice-scented bazaars. Churches and mosques. The Hamamni Persian Baths. The Arab Fort.
Street vendors sell cups of chai tea, straight-off-the-grill mishkaki (meat skewers), and decidedly un-pizza-like Zanzibar pizza (it’s a whole thing – best enjoyed as late-night chow).
I’ll beach off with you any day, Ken.
You could spend hours exploring Stone Town’s winding alleys, but you’ve probably come to relax, too.
For some, that means solid days spent mostly horizontal on a white-sand beach. For others, it’s sunrise yoga followed by a morning snorkelling excursion, a pre-lunch spa session, and a dusk dhow cruise before a private, candle-lit dinner on the beach.
Fortunately, there’s space for everyone. A range of hotels caters for all your must-haves – be it the absence of others (read: kids) or an arm-long list of activities for the whole fam.
Monkeying around
You know we have our finger on the primate pulse of every destination. If you’re the same, head to Jozani Forest. This swampy swathe of indigenous forest is home to the endangered Zanzibar red colobus monkey – a creature with an Albert Einstein hairdo and a strip of rust-red fur running down its back and tail.
There are other monkeys to spot, too, plus antelopes, bug-eyed bushbabies and more than 40 bird species. Take a walk along the mangrove forest boardwalk, a habitat for crabs and lizards (and blood-thirsty mozzies – bug spray and/or long trousers and shirts are your friends).
Under the sea (under the sea)
Whether you’re a novice or a master, there’s a dive site in Zanzibar to blow your neoprene socks off.
Explore wrecks and reefs, rich with marine life. Spot a turtle coming up for air and swim with a pod of curious dolphins – until they drop you like you’re (not) hot.
Above the surface, kitesurfers zip around the lagoons. Fancy a try? You can take to the water throughout most of the year.
