What Are the Main Cultural Attractions in Zanzibar?
The main cultural attractions in Zanzibar are Stone Town’s UNESCO listed quarter, the former slave market and Anglican cathedral, the Old Fort, Darajani Market, the spice farms, the Kizimkazi Dimbani mosque and the Mangapwani slave chamber. Most are visited on guided tours boo…
Read more →What Is the History of Stone Town?
Stone Town’s history runs from early Swahili and Persian settlement through Portuguese occupation, Omani rule, the clove and slave economies, a British protectorate and the 1964 revolution. The quarter standing today was largely built during the nineteenth and twentieth centur…
Read more →Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe)
The Old Fort, known in Swahili as Ngome Kongwe, is the oldest standing building in Stone Town, open daily from eight in the morning until six in the evening with free entry to the courtyard. Visitors can walk in unguided or include it on any Stone Town tour. Built by Omani Ara…
Read more →Stone Town (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Stone Town is the old coral stone quarter of Zanzibar City, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 and best explored on a guided walking tour of two to three hours. Visitors can join tours on arrival or arrange them through any hotel in the quarter. Built largely …
Read more →House of Wonders (Beit-el-Ajaib)
The House of Wonders, or Beit al Ajaib, is the largest building in Stone Town and has been closed to visitors since part of it collapsed in December 2020. Tours now view it from the seafront and the Old Fort courtyard while restoration continues. Built in 1883 for Sultan Bargh…
Read more →Cultural Village Tour (Zanzibar)
A cultural village tour in Zanzibar takes two to three hours and is run by community cooperatives in villages such as Jambiani, Nungwi, Kizimkazi and Bwejuu, covering daily life, local trades and the work that supports the coast. Tours are booked through your accommodation or …
Read more →Darajani Market
Darajani Market is the main produce and spice market of Zanzibar City, sitting on Creek Road at the eastern edge of Stone Town and trading every morning from first light. Visitors can walk in freely or add it to a guided Stone Town tour. It is where the island actually shops, …
Read more →Explore Stone Town (Zanzibar)
Stone Town is explored on foot over a full day, covering the seafront palaces, the Mkunazini slave trade sites, Darajani Market and the evening food stalls at Forodhani Gardens. Guided walking tours run two to three hours and are arranged through any hotel in the quarter. Ston…
Read more →Former Slave Market & Anglican Cathedral
The former slave market at Mkunazini in Stone Town is now the site of Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, open daily to visitors with a single ticket covering the church, the underground holding chambers, the memorial and the exhibition. Guided tours of the site run throughout t…
Read more →Forodhani Gardens
Forodhani Gardens is the seafront park in Stone Town that turns into an open air food market every evening from around six until nine, and it is the cheapest good meal on the island. Visitors walk in freely, buy directly from the grills and pay in cash. The gardens sit on the …
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