Zanzibar: Stone Town and the spice islands

It’s 6:18 p.m. on the Forodhani Gardens waterfront in Stone Town and the nightly food market is being set up — small charcoal grills, racks of grilled fish and prawns and ‘Zanzibar pizza’ (a fried-bread street snack with various savoury and sweet fillings), the smell of grilled meat carrying across the harbour. The dhows are anchored offshore. The call to prayer from the Old Fort mosque is winding down. Tourists, locals, and Stone Town teenagers are mixing in the same evening crowd. This is Zanzibar at its layered best.

Why I keep coming back

Zanzibar — strictly, the Zanzibar archipelago, of which Unguja (commonly just called Zanzibar) is the main island and Pemba is the smaller northern one — was the spice-trade hub of the western Indian Ocean for centuries. Stone Town, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage site of densely interwoven Arab-Swahili-Indian-Portuguese-British architecture, with the famous carved wooden doors (Indian and Arab styles, mostly), narrow alleys, and a Muslim-majority population practicing a culturally distinct Swahili Islam.

The beaches are the postcard reason most visitors come — soft white sand, turquoise Indian Ocean, low-rise beach hotels. The trick is to not skip Stone Town in the rush to the beach.

Where to base yourself

Stone Town for the first 2–3 nights. Heritage hotels in converted Arab merchant houses: Emerson Spice, Park Hyatt Zanzibar, Tembo House Hotel, the slightly more affordable Maru Maru.

Beach side for the remaining nights:

• East coast (Paje, Jambiani, Bwejuu) for the windsurfing/kitesurfing beaches and a more local feel.
• North (Nungwi, Kendwa) for the most consistent beach (no tidal swings) and the most developed resorts.
• Southwest (Kizimkazi) for the dolphin tours.
• Pemba for the divers and the genuinely off-grid quiet.

What to actually do

Walk Stone Town slowly. A morning walk through the alleys, looking at the carved doors, the old Arab houses, the Anglican cathedral (built on the site of the old slave market — the small below-ground holding cells are still visible), the Persian baths.

Visit the Old Fort and the House of Wonders. Two landmarks on the seafront. The House of Wonders (built 1883 for the Sultan, the first building in East Africa with electricity and an elevator) suffered a partial collapse in 2020 and is undergoing structural repair; check status.

Take a spice tour. A 3-hour drive into the central plantations — cardamom, cloves (Zanzibar was for a century the world’s leading clove producer), vanilla, cinnamon, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger. The guides break stems and let you smell the fresh material.

Sail on a dhow at sunset. The traditional Arab sailing vessels still in active use; sunset cruises depart from the Forodhani seafront and circle out into the harbour. About US$25 per person.

Snorkel or dive at Mnemba Atoll. A small atoll off the northeast coast; one of the best reefs in East Africa. Day trips run from Nungwi or Matemwe.

Eat at the Forodhani night market. Stone Town’s evening food market on the seafront; grilled seafood at fair prices. The Zanzibar pizza is the local must-eat (despite the name, more like a stuffed crêpe).

Where to eat

The Tea House at Emerson Spice (Stone Town) — Rooftop set menus, Swahili-influenced fusion; reservations required. Lazuli (Stone Town) — Smoothie bowls, breakfasts; the lunch standby. Forodhani night market — Grilled meat and fish, urojo soup, sugarcane juice. ฿15,000–30,000 Tsh for a substantial dinner. Lukmaan Restaurant (Stone Town) — Tray-buffet Zanzibari home-style; cheap and packed with locals. The Rock Restaurant (east coast) — A restaurant on a tiny tidal rock you can wade or be ferried to; touristy and the location is the show. Stone Town Café — Decent coffee and a quiet morning option.

When to come

June through October is the dry season; the best weather, the warmer water, the highest prices.

December through February is the short dry season (with December’s holidays elevating prices).

March through May is the long rains; many beach hotels offer significantly reduced rates but expect intermittent downpours.

Ramadan: Zanzibar is overwhelmingly Muslim and many restaurants will be closed during daylight; iftar evenings are atmospheric.

Practical notes

• Visa: Most Western passports get visa on arrival; US$50.
• Money: Tanzanian shilling. US dollars widely accepted in tourist establishments.
• Transport: A 20-minute taxi from the airport into Stone Town. The east coast is about 90 minutes from Stone Town; the north about an hour. Many travellers hire a driver for inter-coast moves.
• Health: Malaria risk is real on Zanzibar (lower in Stone Town, higher in coastal villages); prophylaxis recommended.
• Dress code: Stone Town is a conservative Muslim city; shoulders and knees covered, especially in the main streets. Beach resort areas are relaxed.
• Tides: The east coast has very large tidal swings; the beach can recede 500 m at low tide. The north coast has less dramatic tides.

A final thought

Zanzibar is the rare beach destination that has, alongside its postcard coast, one of the most architecturally and culturally rich coastal old towns in Africa. The mistake most safari-tackon visitors make is to spend two nights in Stone Town as a transit point and the rest of the trip on a beach.

Do it the other way. Stay three or four nights in Stone Town. Walk the alleys morning and evening. Eat at Forodhani. Take a spice tour. Hire a dhow for sunset. Then go to the beach for whatever time remains.

The island has been a cultural crossroads of the western Indian Ocean for a thousand years. Stone Town is the visible result. The beaches are beautiful but they are also, structurally, much the same beaches you can find in many places. Stone Town isn’t.