Zanzibar Beach Holidays

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The most iconic port of the spice route, Zanzibar leaving its history far behind has turned into the most tranquil, coastal location that receives thousands of travelers each year. Travelers from all corners of the globe come to stroll on the soft beaches that have delicate white sand that sink below the feet. The gentles waves of the crystal clear water, shimmering turquoise water, triangular sails of the traditional dhows, the spectacular sunrise, and the golden sunsets make it a heaven for those who are looking for serene beach holidays. The Island is a combination of few breath-taking small beaches including Nungwi Beach on the northern tip, Kendwa beach on the northwest, and Matemwe Beach on the northeast. The Island further extends few adventurous activities for travelers including Scuba Diving, exploring the historical stone town, Dolphin watching, the aromatic spice tour, The World Heritage Site Jozani Forest, exploring the local markets, and enjoying the stunning nightlife on beaches.

Culture

Consisting of 2 main islands Unguja and Pemba, Zanzibar Island has a rich cultural and historical heritage. Most of the habitats of the Island are permanent inhabitants and mostly follow the Islamic religion. However, an ethnic blend can be found on the island which includes many diversified backgrounds like Persian, Arab and African. There are also Christian sects, Hindu and other smaller religions can be spotted on the island. The Island’s distinct colors and cultures capture the interest of many tourists. The cultural confluence can be seen in the diversity of food, polyglot nature of the Swahili language, and the distinct architectural styles in Stone Town that makes it the World Heritage Centre.

Climate

Zanzibar archaeology is conducted by two main islands, Unguja and Pemba, as well as is a combination of a few small islands. It is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania and the climate is tropical, hot all year round. The region like all regions of Tanzania experience 2 seasons, one is the dry/hot season and another is the wet/ rainy season, however, the coastal area is more hot and humid form the rest of Tanzania. The rainy season is of 2 types one is the long rainy season and the other one is the short rainy season. The long rain continues from March to May, with a peak in April when the island faces heavy downpour. The short rainy season continues from mid-October and December when the island experiences less rain. The warmest period of the region is from October to March. The hot season experience 31/33 degrees Celsius.

Currency

The Zanzibar currency is the same as Tanzania currency; it’s the Tanzanian shilling (TZS). So visiting Zanzibar also require you the same currency as Tanzania so if you have planned a combined trip to national parks of Tanzania and beaches of Zanzibar then make sure to exchange your money for Zanzibar trip too. There are few established lodges and restaurants in Zanzibar who accepts the US dollar too.

Facts

Zanzibar the Arabic word which means the coast of black people is an archaeology that is a series of islands on the Indian Ocean. Below are a few interesting facts about the island;

• The island is a mixture of few stunning small beaches
• The island is a homeland to the rarest Red Columbus Monkey
• The land is the oldest place where humans are residing since 20,000 there are humans residing in the island
• The stone town of Zanzibar is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO and showcases a great history and culture
• Due to the proximity to the equator, the island stays hot throughout the year
• Apart from tourism, the economics of the country depends a lot on spice growing

Food

Zanzibar cuisine reflects a mixture of various culinary traditions, including Bantu, Arab, Portuguese, Indian, British as well as Chinese cuisine. There are many street foods you can spot which on the street or on the beaches. Mostly the dishes of Zanzibar are filled with spice. Zanzibar dishes are mostly rice or meat cooked with an extravaganza touch of spice. The island offers fresh seafood including Tuna, Marlin, prawns, calamari, octopus, kingfish, lobster, tuna, snapper, and barracuda are some of the exotic seafood available on the island.

Geology

Zanzibar Island is the Indian Ocean Island that is situated on Swahili Coast just beside Tanganyika. The northern tip of the island is Unguja Island that is located 5.72 degrees south, 39.30 degrees east. The southernmost point of the Island is at 6.48 degrees south, 39.51 degrees east. A narrow channel is separating the mainland of Tanzania and Zanzibar having the narrowest point of 36.5 kilometers. The length of the island is about 85 kilometers and the width is 39 kilometers. The total area covered by the island is 1,464 km2.

History

Zanzibar is one of the ancient pieces of earth that holds human since last 20,000 years. The island came into focus when it became a base for traders voyaging between the African Great Lakes, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent. The Portuguese Empire was the first European power to rule Zanzibar, and ruled over nearly 200 years. In 1698 the island was controlled by Sultanate of Oman. The period developed an economy of trade and cash crops, with a ruling Arab elite and a Bantu general population. Another major trade of the island was ivory, the elephants were used to kill on the Tanganyika mainland and it still can be spotted on some region. Zanzibar came into the hands of the British Empire in 1890. The island got its complete freedom December 1963 and led to the Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba.

How To Go There

By air is the only suitable option available to reach Zanzibar. There are direct flights that are operating from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar and are quite easy to book these short hop flights. Travelers can book chartered flights to Zanzibar or Pemba. Another option is available to reach the island from Dar es Salaam is taking a ferry. However, it is not considered as the best option as the ferries are quite slow and can be a hectic journey to reach the island. If you are flying from overseas, there is an option to book a direct flight from your country to Zanzibar International Airport or else you can book a flight to Dar es Salaam and from there you can easily fly to Zanzibar.

Taking Children to Zanzibar

The mesmerizing Island Zanzibar is hard to describe and has to offer a lot which can capture the attention of travelers despite age and interest. If you are planning a family vacation to Zanzibar and wondering if to take your kids to the Island or not, then we would recommend there can’t be a better holiday gateway in the world to take your kids. The small island enables a lot of activities to enjoy with your kids. Here are a few of them: Most of the resorts of Zanzibar are designed to make family vacations interesting hence you can find Kids Club that enables a lot of activities for kids. The Tortoise: Changuu Island or Prison Island is just about 3 miles away from Stone Town and is home to approximately 100 Aldabra tortoises. Take your kids to explore the island and let them enjoy and learn about the oldest tortoises. Water Sports: Water sports are undoubtedly the best place to take your kids where they can enjoy to the fullest. The Zanzibar beaches offer warm and calm water to explore water activities. The Amusement Park: The stone town’s Kariakoo Amusement park is a great place to take your kids. Forodhani garden & Mnazi mmoja Garden has gardens and kids playground to enjoy.

Uniqueness

The name of Zanzibar fills our mind with the images of soft-sand, white beaches, and shimmering azure waters. These romantic blissful coastlines have many reasons to visit and we have enlisted a few below: Blissful beach destination: The tropical weather, white powdery sand on the beach, and balmy weather make this island paradise for the beach lovers. The destination combines up nature, culture, and adventure all at once. Enlightening cultural experience: The stone town of Zanzibar has declared as the UNESCO world heritage site and offers a stunning mixture of art, culture, and history. Exotic spices: Spices are the identity of Zanzibar as the island used to be one of the centers for spice trading. Even till date, there are many regions where you can explore spice plantation. A paradise for couples: The spice land is not only aromatic but also romantic and an ideal place to spice things up. With some of the stunning lodges, the place is perfect for the honeymooners. Diverse Island: Zanzibar offers a range of magnificent island beaches that enables various activities like spice farm, diving, snorkeling and fishing excursions.

Visa

As Zanzibar is a part of the United Republic of Tanzania you can use a Tanzanian tourist visa for entering to Zanzibar too. While you won’t need a different visa, you need to bring your passport to be checked upon arrival. There are few countries that don’t need to obtain a Tanzanian visa to enter the country as well as there are few nationalities who can obtain a visa upon their arrival to any of the international airports of Tanzania. For most of the nationalities including the UK and Australia, the single entry visa costs around $50 where citizens of the US need to pay $100 for the visa. It’s recommended to obtain a Tanzanian visa prior to entering the country.

DAY 1 Arrival Day and Welcome to Zanzibar

On arrival at Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, you will be met by our driver who will take you on the transfer to your Zanzibar beach hotel. You have the evening at leisure and your dinner tonight will be provided by your hotel.

Accommodation

Sultan Sands Island Resort Arab and Swahili archjtectural styles combine at the delightful Sultan Sands, housing excellent facilities in a resort which enjoys a relaxed atmosphere – ideal for an enjoyable holiday. The beautiful sands of Kiwengwa, on the island’s east coast, lie in front of the resort with the allure of the Indian Ocean just beyond. Lush tropical gardens surround the property. Rooms are spacious and fashioned with thatched roofs and hand-carved furniture, air-conditioned and en suite.
Free activities on offer include windsurfing, tennis, table tennis and a gym, while – at extra cost – you can go diving, fishing or take a boat trip. The Oasis Spa at the neighbouring Blue Bay Resort can pamper you (at extra cost) with an extensive range of treatments and services.

Meal Plan Dinner tonight will be served at your beach hotel.

DAY 2 At Leisure at your Beach Hotel

After breakfast at your hotel, kick back and enjoy a day at leisure at your oceanside hotel. You can cool off in the hotel pool or in the nearby ocean – the choice is yours. Your hotel will also provide you with both lunch and dinner today, so this really is a day when you can take it easy.

Accommodation

Tonight, you will spend your second night at your chosen beach hotel.

Sultan Sands Island Resort

Arab and Swahili archjtectural styles combine at the delightful Sultan Sands, housing excellent facilities in a resort which enjoys a relaxed atmosphere – ideal for an enjoyable holiday. The beautiful sands of Kiwengwa, on the island’s east coast, lie in front of the resort with the allure of the Indian Ocean just beyond. Lush tropical gardens surround the property.

Rooms are spacious and fashioned with thatched roofs and hand-carved furniture, air-conditioned and en suite.
Free activities on offer include windsurfing, tennis, table tennis and a gym, while – at extra cost – you can go diving, fishing or take a boat trip. The Oasis Spa at the neighbouring Blue Bay Resort can pamper you (at extra cost) with an extensive range of treatments and services.

Meal plan

Breakfast, lunch and dinner today will be served at your beach hotel.

DAY 3: At Leisure at your Beach Hotel

Breakfast is once again provided at leisure by your beach hotel. After that, feel free to enjoy another full day of relaxation by the Indian Ocean: a bit of sunbathing, perhaps or something a bit more energetic such as snorkelling or swimming. Ask at the hotel reception, to see what activities are available. As you are on a full board basis, once again you will take both lunch and dinner today at your hotel.

Accommodation

Tonight, you will spend your third – and final - night at your beach hotel.

Sultan Sands Island Resort

Arab and Swahili archjtectural styles combine at the delightful Sultan Sands, housing excellent facilities in a resort which enjoys a relaxed atmosphere – ideal for an enjoyable holiday. The beautiful sands of Kiwengwa, on the island’s east coast, lie in front of the resort with the allure of the Indian Ocean just beyond. Lush tropical gardens surround the property.

Rooms are spacious and fashioned with thatched roofs and hand-carved furniture, air-conditioned and en suite. Free activities on offer include windsurfing, tennis, table tennis and a gym, while – at extra cost – you can go diving, fishing or take a boat trip. The Oasis Spa at the neighbouring Blue Bay Resort can pamper you (at extra cost) with an extensive range of treatments and services.

Meal plan

Breakfast, lunch and dinner today will be served at your beach hotel.

DAY 4 Stone Town tour - Abeid Amani Karume International Airport

This morning you will enjoy breakfast at your hotel, before meeting our expert local guide for a tour of fascinating Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Over the centuries, many cultures have left their impressions on Zanzibar and it is perhaps in Stone Town where you can most easily see their influences. Your guide will lead you first to the colourful market, awash with exotic smells and buzzing with bartering locals. Afterwards, you will visit the calm of the 19th C cathedral, built on the former site of the slave market after the 1873 abolition of slavery.

As you wander the narrow streets and alleys, you’ll pass the Arab houses with their inner courtyards, hidden behind heavy doors. You can compare their style with the Indian residences, adorned with balustrades and metal railings. Amongst the town’s historic sites are the ‘Tip Tip House,’ the Old Fort and the People’s Palace Museum. Lunch will be taken at the Silk Route Indian rooftop restaurant, with views to the ocean. The Silk Route is full of character, so enjoy the excellent cuisine, perhaps washing it down with a cocktail. Afterwards, we will transfer you safely back to the airport for your flight.

Meal plan

Breakfast today will be served at your Stone Town hotel, while lunch is at the Silk Route Indian restaurant in Stone Town. (Note that the Silk Route is a rooftop restaurant, with access being by a lengthy staircase.)

Zanzibar has several seaside and Stone Town accommodations located in distinct areas of the island. Select your preferred region below to view details on where to stay.

1. Stone Town - Where To Stay
2. Northern Zanzibar - Where To Stay
3. Eastern Zanzibar - Where To Stay
4. Southern Zanzibar - Where To Stay
5. Private Island Experience - Where To Stay

Zanzibar, Swahili Unguja, island in the Indian Ocean, lying 22 miles (35 km) off the coast of east-central Africa. In 1964 Zanzibar, together with Pemba Island and some other smaller islands, joined with Tanganyika on the mainland to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Area 600 square miles (1,554 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 713,000.

Geography

Both Zanzibar and Pemba are believed to have once formed part of the African continent, the separation of Pemba having occurred during the Miocene Epoch (about 23 to 5.3 million years ago) while Zanzibar dates from the Pliocene Epoch (about 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) or even later. Various types of limestone form the base of both islands. Raised sands and sandstones also occur, together with varied residual deposits similar to alluvial strata on the adjacent mainland. Extensive weathering of the limestones combined with erosion and earth movements have resulted in a variety of soils including red earths, loams, clays, and sands. Flat areas of coral limestone occur to the east, south, and north of Zanzibar and on the western islands. In places the coral is overlain by shallow red earth or alluvium.

The general impression of Zanzibar when approached from the mainland is of a long, low island with small ridges along its central north–south axis. Coconut palms and other vegetation cover the land surface. It is 53 miles (85 km) at its greatest length and 24 miles (39 km) broad. The highest point of the central ridge system is Masingini, 390 feet (119 m) above sea level. Higher ground is gently undulating and gives rise to a few small rivers, which flow west to the sea or disappear in the coral country.

The climate is typically insular, tropical, and humid, with an average annual rainfall of 60 to 80 inches (1,500 to 2,000 mm). Rainfall is reliable and well-distributed in comparison with most of eastern Africa. Northeast trade winds blow from December to March and southeast trade winds from May to October. The “long rains” occur between March and May and the “short rains” between October and December.

Small patches of indigenous forest and isolated large trees support the view that much of the island was originally covered by dense evergreen forest. The open coral-outcrop country supports a dense thicket vegetation. The flat clay plains are grass-covered. The major wild animals include leopard (a variety peculiar to Zanzibar), civet cat, mongoose, two species of monkey, lemur, the African pig, forest duiker, pigmy antelope, about 20 species of bats, and 30 forms of snakes. Mosquitoes breed freely during the rainy seasons. Insect pests such as the coreid bug (Pseudotheraptus wayi), which attacks coconuts, and animal pests and parasites, such as tsetse fly and ticks (which transmit east coast fever to cattle), have been the subject of research and control

Before the development of eastern African mainland ports, Zanzibar was the trade focus of the region and enjoyed an important entrepôt trade. The island’s economy now depends on agriculture and fishing. Considerable areas of fertile soil and a favourable climate enable the production of a variety of tropical crops, most importantly cloves and coconuts. Local food crops, such as rice, cassava, yams, and tropical fruit, are also important. Fish is an important part of the diet, and local fisheries employ perhaps about one-tenth of the population.

The southern and eastern portions of Zanzibar Island have been mainly populated by a Bantu-speaking people known as the Hadimu. The northern portion of Zanzibar Island and the adjacent Tumbatu Island have been occupied by another Bantu-speaking people known as the Tumbatu. These two groups represent the earliest arrivals in Zanzibar. Throughout the 19th century, and after, they were expropriated from the western and more fertile parts of the island by later arrivals, notably Arabs. The nationalization of land in 1964, however, was followed by economic reforms that redistributed the land. Fishing has traditionally been highly important in coastal villages and remains so.

The language most widely spoken is a highly Arabicized form of Swahili (Kiswahili). Among the Arabs, the language of the home is usually Swahili, and use of pure Arabic is confined to scholars and recent arrivals from Arabia. Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, and Konkani are spoken by the Asian communities, and English and Swahili are widely used and understood.

History

Zanzibar’s history was greatly shaped by its geography, the prevailing winds of the region placing it directly on the Indian Ocean trade routes and making it accessible to both traders and colonists from Arabia, south Asia, and the African mainland. The first immigrants were the Africans; the next were the Persians, who began to land in Zanzibar in the 10th century and who, over a brief period, became absorbed into the local population and disappeared as a separate group. Their influence was left in the gradual consolidation of disparate villages and rural populations into what came to be recognized as two peoples, the Hadimu and the Tumbatu. This African-Persian population converted to Islam and adopted many Persian traditions. (Even today, most of Zanzibar’s African population calls itself “Shirazi,” in echo of the ancient Persian principality of Shīrāz, from which the earliest Persians came.)

Arabs had the deepest influence on Zanzibar, because the island’s position made it a perfect entrepôt for Arabs mounting slave expeditions into Africa and conducting oceangoing commerce. Arabs from Oman became especially important, for they began establishing colonies of merchants and landowners in Zanzibar. Eventually they became the aristocracy of the island.

The Portuguese then came in the 16th century and conquered all the seaports on the eastern African coast, including Mombasa, the richest and most powerful, as well as such islands as Zanzibar and parts of the Arabian coast, including the Omani capital of Muscat. The purpose of the Portuguese, however, was largely commercial rather than politically imperial, and, when their power dwindled in the course of the 17th century, they left few marks of their stay.

The Omani Arabs, who expelled the Portuguese from Muscat in 1650 and were the leading force against them in the entire region, gradually established at least nominal control over many settlements, including Zanzibar. After a lengthy turmoil of dynastic wars and losses and gains on the African coast, the ruling sultan of Oman, Saʿīd ibn Sulṭān, decided to relocate his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar. The rapid expansion of the slave trade in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, caused by the demand for plantation slaves in North and South America, made Zanzibar central to the slave (as well as the ivory) trade routes into the interior of Africa. Zanzibar itself also had significant resources of coconuts, cloves, and foodstuffs. The sultan of Oman made it his capital in 1832.