You haven't really heard of Zanzibar. Everyone knows someone who knows someone else who has been there and know it exists. It was one of the few 'Z' places you knew of because of childhood games of 'Name, place, animal, things'.
But then you get there and you wonder why haven't more people been here? While a small part of you hopes more people don't get here so you can keep it as is.
The place has had a complicated history, from the Portuguese to the Sultan of Oman, to the Brits - they all have come and conquered/administered this place. Add to that, it is an island and therefore influences of travellers galore and you have this curious mix of a town which probably lives in its past but the influx of modern day travellers also gives it a contemporary vibe.
It is part of mainland Tanzania but is still semi-autonomous. We came to Zanzibar post our Serengeti safari since it was a hop over and we need not come all the way to the African continent again. We would have loved to spend more time here but we did only do a few days. It is a lazy sort of town, the kind you expect sea side towns to be.
The old world Stone town is a lovely part to walk around and get lost and have a taste of the local food.
You will come across a house where Freddie Mercury lived!
It is almost a well kept secret that the frontman of Queen was born in Tanzania. With his family roots which can be traced back to India and Persia, Farrokh Bulsara, as he was born never spoke openly about his childhood in Zanzibar. But hardcore Queen fans can do the Freddie trip in Zanzibar which includes visiting his home (now a tourist attraction) and a Freddie Mercury restaurant and gift shop.
The locals are not particularly enthused (though the folks we spoke to seem proud of the latent association) since Freddie was openly fluid about his sexuality and Islam (which is the predominant religion in Zanzibar) frowns upon this.
Tortoises - giant and OLD!
From music to turtles - not much of a connection, but a boat ride away from Stone Town is Changu island. Once known for being a prison for slaves, it is now home to the endangered Aldabra giant tortoises. Originally, given as a gift from Seychelles, they were initially stolen and faced dwindling numbers and extinction. Things have since improved and now there is a government funded foundation which takes care of these tortoises.
The oldest of these is 192 years old. 192! Can you imagine that? What a different world that was when the chap was born?
Its shell was cracked by a falling tree branch but the fellow plods on. 100+ seems to be the norm around here with a bunch of them sporting these numbers. Their ages are painted onto their shells (although what happens when the year turns over, I am not sure). But at least you know that is the lowest age of these chaps.
Back in Stone town (which is a UNESCO world heritage site), we also visited the Palace Museum which was another sultan's palace right on the sea front. It has items belonging to an old Zanzibari royal family including details of a then controversial Princess Salme (later Emily Ruete) who became pregnant with a German merchant and fled with him on a ship to continental Europe and lived her life there.
Getting there
Fly to Zanzibar straight if you are only doing Zanzibar. IF you are combining this trip with mainland Tanzania, fly in to Kilimanjaro and then take a flight in to Zanzibar. Precision Air is a Tanzanian airline which has connections to Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam etc.
We stayed at the Protea Hotel by Marriott and though it was clean and located on the waterfont (away from stone front though), the rooms were tiny. There was the bed and our luggage, not much room for anything else.
Preferably stay elsewhere but be careful, the proliferation of tourists has caused a mushrooming of stay options and the smaller ones are not very trustworthy when compared to what shows up online and what you actually get.
Psst - Try out Ethiopian food
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