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Zanzibar Excursions
Tour to the North
This trip leads you through the Mangapwani cave which is a
30minute drive from Zanzibar town, upto 1911 the cave was a
secret hideout from which the slaves were illegally led out
to the sea through a secret passage and then transported by
dhow after the official closure of the Slave Market in June
1873. The tour then proceeds to Nungwi in the North of
Zanzibar which is an hours drive from the cave. Nungwi has
crystal clear waters an excellent place for diving,
snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. As Zanzibar is a turtle
conservation area you will be able to see the natural turtle
aquarium here.In this tour we also take you to a site where
local villagers build dhows and boats todate using
traditional tools.
Sunset dhow cruise
This tour starts an hour before sunset, the guests are
picked from their hotels and transferred to thee drop off
point at the sea front, where the guests then board the
dhow.
The skilled crew on board take the dhow about 1 km away from
the shore by means of an engine, once out in the sea the
engine is shut off and during a tense moment the skillful
crew put up the sail, when the sail is in favour of the
wind, the guest can sit back and relax enjoying the
peacefulness of the ocean, as the dhow glides through the
water, you can watch the wonder of the fiery golden sun
setting beyond the horizon (while savouring a glass of
chilled wine) .
Dolphin tour
The drive from town to the South takes one hours. On your
way you might get a chance to see the famous Red Colobus
Monkeys of the Jozani Forest. Kizimkazi fishing village is
the home of several schools of the bottle-nosed dolphins,
here you are taken by boat out into the sea to view the
dolphins and if lucky will be able to swim quite close to
them as they are very friendly and playful, Kizimkazi is
also the site of a 12th Century Mosque, the earliest
evidence of Islam in East Africa.
Jozani forest tour
Jozani Forest lies 35kms South-East of Zanzibar Town with an
area of about 1,000 hectares, it is a natural forest where
long ago you could find leopards and antelopes. At present
it is the habitat for the Red Colobus Monkeys (Colobus
badius kirkii) and the Blue Sykes Monkey. The Red Colobus
monkey is one of the most endangered and rarest species in
the world, they are very friendly creatures and love to be
photographed and can be viewed at close quarters by the help
of your guide.
You may also get a glimpse of various butterflies, birds and
snakes. Other interesting features suitable for tourist in
this forest include the coastal evergreen bushland,
mangroove forest, saline grassland and ground water forest,
though these may require longer walks to reach.
Historical town tours
The tour starts from wherever the client wants to be picked
up. One gets a comprehensive view of the Stone Town, it's
sand and stone ancient built houses, some of them have
Arab/Indian carved doors and the architecture which helps to
make Zanzibar famous.
We then proceed to the main City market which was opened in
1904, where tropical fruits, vegetables, spices and fresh
fish from the island are sold.
Our next stop will be at the Anglican Church of Christ which
was built by Bishop Steers in 1873 on the side of the Old
Slave Market. There is a cross in the church which is made
of wood from the tree under which Dr. David Livingstone
died. Next to the Church you will visit the slave chambers,
tiny rooms in which the slaves were kept before being
auctioned.
From here we continue our tour to the Sultan's Palace
Museum, House of Wonders (Beit-el-ajaib built in 1883 and
bombarded by the British Fleet in 1886), next to this you
can also see the Old Fort, (built in 1700), moving along the
sea front we come to the Jamituri Gardens where you can
spend your evenings leisurely watching the brilliant sunset
while you are enjoying the locally made dishes. From here we
drive you to The Africa House formerly known as English
Club, we then come to Tippu Tip house, (A notorious slave
trader). We round up our tour by taking you to the museum of
Natural History and Peace Memorial Museum.
Prison island tours
Prison Island or Changuu Island is the middle island of the
three visible from the Stone Town, it takes approximately 30
minutes to get there by boat. The prison on this island was
built in 1893, which was later used as a quarantine
Hospital, it has a frangipani lined path around the island
where the former patients took their evening walks. Apart
from the Prison ruins you can also see the beautiful
peacocks and the enormous giant tortoises some of which are
over a 100 years old. These tortoises were brought here from
Seychelles by Sultan Said in the 1820's. Efforts are being
made to protect the eggs of the tortoise. The island is a
superb scenario for the photographer. A self walking safari
covers the island in 15minutes. On this little paradise one
can also swim, snorkel, sunbathe or just relax and enjoy the
peacefulness that this beautiful island has to offer.
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