Best Things To Do in Stone Town – Our Expert’s Choice

11-20 of 26 Best Things To Do in Stone Town

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    11. Shop for Zanzibar-made Crafts and Other Goods

    Items for sale include locally sourced art, fabrics, cosmetics and spices

    Stone Town is a wonderful destination for a spot of retail therapy. Narrow Hurumzi and Gizenga Streets are lined with a mix of stylish shops and smaller stalls selling – among other things – surreally colorful

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    Tingatinga paintings, bright local fabrics, and organic cosmetic products handcrafted from homegrown fruits and spices. A scattering of more upmarket souvenir shops and boutiques can be found on the wider and busier Kenyatta Road. When shopping in Stone Town, look out for the ‘Made in Zanzibar’ logo. This indicates the item was made by a member of a respected network of small, ethical fair-trade producers.

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    12. Set Sail for Idyllic Changuu (Prison) Island

    Dhow outings to Changuu often include a beach barbecue at Nakupenda

    This popular destination for a day trip out of Stone Town is also called Prison Island in reference to a well-preserved stone building built there as a quarantine center in the 1890s. The 3.5km/2.17mi boat trip

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    to Changuu offers fabulous views back to Stone Town’s historic Shangani and Forodhani waterfronts. Once there, you can visit a well-run sanctuary that protects a population of Aldabra giant tortoises introduced from the Seychelles in 1919. After that, you’ll most likely head on to have a barbecue lunch at the isolated sandbar known as Nakupenda Beach.

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    Changuu Island Day Trips

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    13. Sip Sundowners on the Breezy Seafront

    The Shangani and Forodhani waterfronts are ideally positioned for sunsets

    There’s no more agreeable way to end a hot day in Africa than sipping a cocktail, mocktail or chilled beer as the sun sets in the tropical sky. And where better to do this than at

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    one of the west-facing hotels and restaurants that line Stone Town’s main waterfront?Stone Town’s most established sundowner spot is the Cape Town Fish Market, a lively contemporary restaurant that stands on a stilted jetty jutting out from Forodhani Gardens. There are plenty of other choices too. Wherever you end up, it is immensely satisfying to watch the sun set like a glowing orange ball over the Indian Ocean as sailing dhows cruise past and palms sway gently in the sea breeze.

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    14. Indulge in a Pampering Treatment at Mrembo Spa

    This Swahili-inspired spa offers massages, scrubs, facials and henna painting

    Founded in 2007, Mrembo (Kiswahili for ‘beautiful’) is a much-loved wellness center that provides a livelihood for more than 10 Zanzibari families. Its signature Singo Scrub, based on a traditional Swahili bridal ritual, uses an exfoliating

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    oil scented with ylang-ylang, sandalwood, jasmine, geranium and rose petal. It offers a variety of other traditional treatments, as well as aromatherapy massages, quality henna skin painting, and workshops focused on Swahili cooking and spice blending. An attached shop stocks Mrembo’s own Pure brand of cosmetics and oils, which are made entirely from organic and ethically sourced local ingredients.

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    15. Swim Through Dazzling Underwater Coral Gardens

    Snorkel or dive on the biodiverse reefs surrounding Zanzibar

    Zanzibar is a world-class snorkeling destination. Snorkeling tours leave daily from Stone Town to explore beautiful coral formations at Mnemba Atoll, Menai Bay and Blue Lagoon. On the boat trip out, you might well see dolphins

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    and turtles, and most excursions also include a seafood barbecue on a beach. But the highlight will be when you leap off the boat to enter a colorful underwater world of surreal coral sculptures swirled around by a kaleidoscopic array of fish.Zanzibar is equally rewarding for divers, with more than 25 recognized sites clustered along the northeast coast and around smaller islands such as Mnemba, Tumbatu and Bawe. These deep sites share much in common with the coral gardens visited by snorkelers, but they offer a greater chance of encountering larger creatures such as stingrays, sharks and moray eels. The best choice of site will depend on several factors, including your experience level and prevailing weather conditions; plenty of PADI-registered dive schools are available to advise you.

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    Zanzibar Snorkeling Trips

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    16. Track Monkeys in Jozani Forest

    Jozani-Chwaka Bay NP is home to the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey

    For a different kind of day trip out of Stone Town, join a guided tour to Zanzibar’s only national park, which protects Jozani Forest as well as mangrove-lined Chwaka Bay. This is the main stronghold for

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    the Endangered Zanzibar red colobus, a shaggy-fringed monkey that occurs nowhere else in the world. Guided forest walks at Jozani almost invariably result in close-up encounters with a habituated colobus troop and you should also see the playful blue monkey. Another attraction is a wooden boardwalk that runs through the heart of a mangrove swamp.

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    17. Go to Mass at St Joseph’s Cathedral

    Historic St Joseph’s is the spiritual home of Zanzibar’s Catholic community

    One of the most prominent features of Zanzibar’s skyline is the tall twin spires of St Joseph’s Cathedral, which is said to have been modeled on its counterpart in Marseille in France. The building was constructed

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    by French priests and local converts from 1893 to 1897, but the site has hosted a Catholic mission since the 1860s. Daily morning masses are still attended by Stone Town’s small Catholic community (with four services on Sunday) and times are advertised on a board outside the main gate. The attached museum is less than essential, but it does contain some interesting historical photos of Zanzibar.

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    18. Dine Out on Traditional Zanzibari Fare

    Culinary highlights include fresh seafood and spicy Swahili dishes

    Stone Town has a lively culinary scene. In addition to hosting a cosmopolitan range of international restaurants – from Indian and Chinese to Italian and Ethiopian – it is a great place to sample Swahili cuisine.

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    Local favorites include spicy rice-based pilau and biryani, along with Swahili-style curries cooked in a tomato-and-coconut-based sauce. Seafood is of a high standard: try charcoal-grilled fish basted in a ginger-and-garlic marinade, or fresh lobsters, prawns and calamari. Sweet-toothed visitors can treat themselves to kashata (a type of coconut candy) and mandazi (the local equivalent of doughnuts).

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    19. Head Out of Town to an Idyllic Tropical Beach

    The coast of Zanzibar is lined with gorgeous Indian Ocean beaches

    For many visitors to Zanzibar, it’s all about sun, sand and surf. And even if you prefer to base yourself in characterful Stone Town, it’s worth taking time to visit one of the island’s postcard-perfect palm-lined

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    beaches. There’s plenty of choice. If you enjoy a trendy scene, Paje is a favorite with kitesurfers, while Nungwi and Kendwa are ideal for swimming and sundowners. Quieter options include stunning Mtende close to the island’s southern tip, or low-key Bwejuu and Michamvi Kae. Whichever beach you visit, aim to be there at high tide, when swimming conditions are generally best.

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    Zanzibar Beach Packages Best Beaches of Zanzibar

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    20. Go on a Fly-in Safari to Mainland Tanzania

    Stone Town is a short hop away from the likes of Serengeti and Nyerere NPs

    Tanzania boasts some truly stellar safari destinations, most of which are accessible by air from Stone Town. For those with limited time, a one- or two-day safari to either Nyerere (Selous) or Mikumi National Parks comes

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    with a good chance of spotting lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and other iconic African wildlife. Nyerere also offers the opportunity to join a boat safari, dodging around hippos and crocodiles, on the mighty Rufiji River.For those with more time, a longer fly-in safari to the Serengeti is highly recommended. This world-famous national park offers excellent year-round wildlife viewing, with high densities of lion, leopard, cheetah and other carnivores. Time it right and you might even catch the celebrated wildebeest migration on the move. A Serengeti safari is easily combined with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, and also one of the best places to see the Endangered black rhino.

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    Safaris From Zanzibar