Zanzibar Excursions

Zanzibar Stone town tours/Excursion

The Zanzibar Stone town tours/Excursion starts from wherever the client wants to be picked up and takes you through fabled Stone Town, where history appears to stand still. One gets a comprehensive view of the Stone Town, it's sand and stone ancient built houses, some of them have Arab/Indian carved doors and the architecture which helps to make Zanzibar famous.

We then proceed to the main Zanzibar city market which was opened in 1904, where tropical fruits, vegetables, spices and fresh fish from the island are sold.

Our next stop will be at the Anglican Church of Christ which was built by Bishop Steers in 1873 on the side of the Old Slave Market. There is a cross in the church which is made of wood from the tree under which Dr. David Livingstone died. Next to the Church you will visit the slave chambers, tiny rooms in which the slaves were kept before being auctioned.

From here we continue our tour to the Sultan's Palace Museum, House of Wonders (Beit-el-ajaib built in 1883 and bombarded by the British Fleet in 1886), next to this you can also see the Old Fort, (built in 1700), moving along the sea front we come to the Jamituri Gardens where you can spend your evenings leisurely watching the brilliant sunset while you are enjoying the locally made dishes. From here we drive you to The Africa House formerly known as English Club, we then come to Tippu Tip house, (A notorious slave trader). We round up our tour by taking you to the museum of Natural History and Peace Memorial Museum.

Zanzibar island Spice tours

Zanzibar is also known as "The Island of Spices or simply Spice Island", Zanzibar is synonymous with spices and the spice trade. A spice tour is a great way to explore the island and taste the various spices straight from the ground.

Sample an array of spices to dazzle the senses
Explore the Island's incredible beauty
Purchase spices and oils cheaply

There are a number of tours you can choose from but all tours take you to the various areas where spices are harvested. You will have the pleasure of seeing cinnamon trees, nutmeg trees, vanilla trees and the likes. Smell and taste the various spices and guess what they are. A detailed description is given about a variety of spices, and their uses in cooking and cosmetics. The sheer number of spices produced and their incredible value for many ailments will fascinate visitors. This is also the cheapest place to purchase spices and spice oils. Also, witness harvesters climbing huge trees with no harnesses or protection, to bring down coconuts for your delight.

A full tour involves much more than spices and you will also have a chance to see the iodine plant, heena bush, ylang-ylang, the lipstick tree, cocoa and coffee trees. The tour also includes a visit to the Kidichi Persian Baths built in 1850 by Seyyid Said bin Sultan for his Persian wife Princess Sheherezade granddaughter of the Shah of Persia, you will also visit the Maruhubi Palace Ruins built by the third Sultan of Zanzibar Seyyid Barghash for his 99 concubines.

Zanzibar Prison island Tour/Excursions

Prison Island or Changuu Island is the middle island of the three visible from the Stone Townanzibar, it takes approximately 30 minutes to get there by boat or a local dhow.

This historical Island was formerly owned by an Arab and used for the confinement of refractory slaves. It was bought by General Matthews and the jail which still stands, was built in 1893 and hence the name Prison Island. It was later used as a quarantine Hospital, it has a frangipani lined path around the island where the former patients took their evening walks. Apart from the Prison ruins you can also see the beautiful peacocks and the enormous giant tortoises some of which are over a 100 years old. These tortoises were brought here from Seychelles by Sultan Said in the 1820's. Efforts are being made to protect the eggs of the tortoise. The island is a superb scenario for the photographer. A self walking safari covers the island in 15minutes. On this little paradise one can also swim, snorkel, sunbathe or just relax and enjoy the peacefulness that this beautiful island has to offer.

Zanzibar Jozani forest Tour/Excursion

Zanzibar's first and only National Park is centred on Jozani Forest and lies 35kms South-East of Zanzibar Town with an area of about 1,000 hectares, it is a natural forest where long ago you could find leopards and antelopes. At present it is the habitat for the Red Colobus Monkeys (Colobus badius kirkii) and the Blue Sykes Monkey. The Red Colobus monkey is one of the most endangered and rarest species in the world, they are very friendly creatures and love to be photographed and can be viewed at close quarters by the help of your guide.

You may also get a glimpse of various butterflies, birds and snakes. Other interesting features suitable for tourist in this forest include the coastal evergreen bush land, mangrove forest, saline grassland and ground water forest, though these may require longer walks to reach.

The Mangrove Boardwalk

About a kilometre south of the National Park centre, the mangrove boardwalk begins under the shade of an old tamarind tree. Here you can walk amongst the forest in the sea. The brackish water that flows through the mangrove is a nursery ground for hundreds of species of tropical fish, which can be seen feeding in the shallow waters, whilst crabs and other molluscs can be observed feasting in the nutrient rich mud. Perhaps one of the most famous and endearing residents of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park is the Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey.
Found only on the main island of Zanzibar, the Zanzibar Red Colobus is recognised as a separate species (Piliocolobus kirkii) and is said to be endemic to Zanzibar.

A visit to Zanzibar is not compete without seeing one of the rarest monkeys in Africa, with less than 2000 remaining in the world.

Zanzibar Dolphin tour/Excursion

The drive from town to the South takes one hour. On your way you might get a chance to see the famous Red Colobus Monkeys of the Jozani Forest. Kizimkazi fishing village is the home of several schools of the bottle-nosed dolphins, here you are taken by boat out into the sea to view the dolphins and if lucky will be able to swim quite close to them as they are very friendly and playful, Kizimkazi is also the site of a 12th Century Mosque, the earliest evidence of Islam in East Africa.

Zanzibar Sunset Dhow Cruise

This tour starts an hour before sunset, the guests are picked from their hotels and transferred to thee drop off point at the sea front, where the guests then board the dhow.
The skilled crew on board take the dhow about 1 km away from the shore by means of an engine, once out in the sea the engine is shut off and during a tense moment the skillful crew put up the sail, when the sail is in favor of the wind, the guest can sit back and relax enjoying the peacefulness of the ocean, as the dhow glides through the water, you can watch the wonder of the fiery golden sun setting beyond the horizon (while savoring a glass of chilled wine) .

Tour/Excursion to the North of Zanzibar

This trip leads you through the Mangapwani cave which is a 30minute drive from Zanzibar town, up to 1911 the cave was a secret hideout from which the slaves were illegally led out to the sea through a secret passage and then transported by dhow after the official closure of the Slave Market in June 1873. The tour then proceeds to Nungwi in the North of Zanzibar which is an hours drive from the cave. Nungwi has crystal clear waters an excellent place for diving, snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. As Zanzibar is a turtle conservation area you will be able to see the natural turtle aquarium here.

In this tour we also take you to a site where local villagers build dhows and boats to date using traditional tools.