City Tour
Get introduced to Stone Town, a place of winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and grand Arab houses. This private city tour takes you on a leisurely walk through the winding and narrow alleys and streets of Zanzibar Town.
First you will visit the Darajani market, which opened in 1904. You will feel the pulse of Zanzibar and hear different dialects being spoken by the people at the market. This is Zanzibar’s main bazaar and one of the main visitors’ attraction of Stone Town because of its colourful, chaotic maze of shopping stalls selling everything from kangas to exotic fruits to consumer electronics.
From there the tour takes you to the Anglican Church of Christ built by Bishop Steers in 1874 on the site of old Slave Market.
Then the you’ll proceed along the beach road up to Forodhani Gardens where you will see the Old British Consulate, the Arab Fort built in 1700, the House of Wonders built in 1883 and the Palace Museum.
For history buffs the tour is a great way to read up on Zanzibar’s history as it relates to everything from Zanzibar slavery, the royal families, Zanzibar local crafts, trade and the many and varied colonial years.
Prison Island (Changu Island)
This half day tour via a short boat trip to Prison Island is simply paradise on earth. See the giant tortoises wandering around, escape for some peace and quiet and enjoy the coral reefs while snorkeling.
Changu island was used for the confinement of refractory slaves, and in 1893, Lloyd Mathews built the prison, hence the name. The idea was to send violent criminals from the Tanganyika mainland to the island, but it ended up being used as a quarantine center, instead of a prison, for yellow fever epidemics that once raged through the region. Prison Island is still owned by the Zanzibar government.
The old prison still remains standing, providing shelter for the giant tortoises which are conserved upon the Prison Island. You can walk in the quarantine center, whereby you will come face to face with these old creatures.
On this little paradise one can swim, snorkel in the beautiful coral reef, sunbathe on the lovely white beach or just relax and enjoy peacefulness.
This island is ideal for a half day-trip with refreshments available throughout the day. It also has a small restaurant where you can enjoy simple meals. If you would like to stay longer and enjoy the beach and ocean, this is no problem! We are glad to provide you with our beach towels.
Spice Tour
Spice tour is a half day privately guided tour where you will find tropical fruits, spices and other rare species of plants are among the different vegetation.
The history of Zanzibar would be incomplete without the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and many other spices which brought the Sultans of Oman and the beginnings of the infamous slave trade. They can be seen in the farms or plantations just outside town, and our tour includes opportunities to dazzle the senses with fresh spices.
You will learn about spices, and their uses in cooking and cosmetics, getting fascinated by the sheer number of spices produced and their incredible value for many ailments. You will be asked to smell and taste various spices and guess what they are, as well as witness harvesters climbing huge trees with no harnesses or protection, to bring down coconuts for your delight. The rest we will leave you to discover, as it is not good to spoil the fun.
At the end of the tour we like to recommend you a local lunch, very nice food, the traditional way. Our suggestion is to depart from the hotel in the morning around 9:30am, so you will end your tour around lunch time.
Dolphins Tour
The Zanzibar dolphin tour is a long half day private tour, the main attraction being able to come close to the dolphin, and (if you are lucky) see them playing.
Situated on the southern point of the island, Kizimkazi fishing village is home to several schools of bottle-nosed dolphins which can often be sighted. After a transfer to Kizimkazi, visitors can board a local dhow and head off in search of the dolphins. Bottle-nose dolphins live in groups typically of 10–30 members, called pods, but group size varies from single individuals up to more than 1,000.
It is important to remember that these beautiful marine creatures are not tame in spite of which they come very close to the boats in large numbers.
To also have a glimpse of the rich cultural history of the Island, you can stop to visit the old mosque, one of the oldest Islamic building on the East African coasts, and it’s beautiful inscriptions.
Jozani Forest
Jozani forest tour is a half day guided (in a small group) tour. The tour will take you to the Jozani natural forest and will also visit the Jozani Forest Mangrove Boardwalk.
The Jozani Natural Forest Reserve is located in the central east region of Zanzibar island and is home to the rare Red Colobus Monkey, which is endemic to Zanzibar. These monkeys are full of character, and roam freely. They can also be seen at very close quarters just outside the reserve’s perimeter and are incredibly photogenic.
Jozani is home to other species including Syke’s monkey’s, small buck and bushpigs. The elusive Zanzibar leopard (last sited several years ago) is said to feed here at night – perhaps this is why the reserve is only open during the day?!
No visit to Jozani Forrest would be complete without a tour of the Chwaka Bay Mangrove Swamp about a kilometer south of the Jozani Forest National Park center, 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 tropical fish, and can be seen feeding in the shallow waters while crabs and other mollusks can be observed feasting hungrily in the nutrient rich mud.
This tour has an excellent nature trail and the guides are well trained and informative. It is a great way to see the wildlife on the island. Be sure to dress comfortably, as there is very little shade on the walk.
