The classic Zanzibar sampler, run as one long day from most east- and west-coast hotels. The morning is a Safari Blue-style dhow trip over a shallow reef; the afternoon moves inland to a working spice farm, historic Stone Town and the giant tortoises of Prison Island.
It is the most efficient way to see the island’s headline sights if your trip is mostly a beach holiday and you only want to give one day to sightseeing. The exact stops and order shift with the tide and the operator.
How the day runs
It is a long, early day, and operators tailor the order to the tide and to which hotel you are coming from. A typical run looks like this.
Morning: Stone Town and Prison Island
An early start with a guided walk through the coral-stone lanes of Stone Town, taking in the carved doors, the Old Fort and the old slave market, before a short boat across to Prison Island to meet its giant Aldabra tortoises.
Midday: out on the water
You transfer south to Fumba and board a traditional dhow for the Safari Blue trip, snorkelling a shallow reef and anchoring at a sandbank for a grilled-seafood lunch as the tide falls.
Afternoon: the spice farm
On the way back you stop at a working spice farm to see, smell and taste the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla that gave the islands their name, with a chance to buy spices at source.
Evening: back to your hotel
You are dropped back at your hotel by early evening, or left in Stone Town in time for the Forodhani night market if you would rather end the day there.