Top Zanzibar travel destinations from Warere Beach? Also known as Mji Mkongwe, Stone Town is the ancient part of Zanzibar City, which is itself capital of Unguja island. Visit and you’ll get a perfect picture of how the old Swahili trading towns of East Africa look, sound, feel, taste and smell. With Islamic prayer calls on the air and atmospheric winding old alleys redolent of spices at every turn, this settlement is the heart and soul of the island. Admire elegant stone buildings, sip chai and coffee from busy vendors, and eat fresh fish dinners laced with coconut. Stone Town mixes Persian, Arabic, Indian and European legacies to create a destination to remember. See a lot more information on Warere Beach.
High quality Zanzibar travel destinations from Warere Beach: No trip to Zanzibar (or Tanzania) would be complete without a little ride on a dala dala minibus. These tend to be packed, sweaty, and with questionable safety records, but they are an experience and the cheapest way to get around the island. MY TIP: The best place to catch a dala dala in Stone Town in Darajani Market. You can pretty much get anywhere on the island from here. If you’re looking for a nice spot to have sundowners (sunset drinks) in Stone Town, Africa House Hotel is a great place to do it. The building was built by an Omani slave trader and later turned into an English Club, now it’s a hotel and bar. The decor of the hotel is a mix of Zanzibari and colonial style and whilst it’s not cheap, it has a lovely terrace that looks out over the ocean. You’ll see traditional dhows sail past as the sun slowly sets below the horizon. Although beware. You may think you have a nice seat facing the sunset, but lots of people want photos and will stand in front of you and block your view or squeeze in between you (it’s really annoying), so it may not be the relaxing experience you imagined.
Awesome Zanzibar travel attractions by Warere Beach: Make sure to get out of the city and explore as many Zanzibar beaches as you can. There’s a beautiful one around every corner. My personal favorites are Nungwi Beach and Pongwe Beach, but there are so many others to explore. Of course, if you are staying at an oceanside Zanzibar resort or hotel, you’ll likely want to chill at their beach for at least one of your days too! So choose a great hotel with the ideal location! The most exclusive of all the resorts on Zanzibar is, without a doubt Kilindi Zanzibar. The resort is near Kendwa on the Northwestern part of the island and is one of the top Zanzibar hotels on the beach. Its large grounds give plenty of privacy to its 15 villas that pop up from a lush hillside.
Top Tanzania travel tours from Warere Beach: As I mentioned before, the island has a dark past. This market was the last functioning slave market in the world and it only closed in 1873. Although this might seem like a bit of a downer, it’s an important part of the history of the region. Thousands of Africans were brought to the island as slaves to work on plantations. Slave traders also used the island as a base camp before sending slaves on the long journey to the East to be sold in Persia, Arabia, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt. At the Slave Museum, you can tour chambers where they kept slaves before they were sold. We went down to see the “rooms” where slaves were kept – a 12 by 12 foot basement with one tiny window near the ceiling. They kept over 30 people in these types of rooms. Although this happened hundreds of years ago it still gave me shivers as I stood there!
Recommended Zanzibar travel tours with Warere Beach: One of my top Zanzibar travel tips is to visit the Forodhani Gardens on at least one night on your trip! Forodhani Gardens refers to a public park in Stone Town. These gardens are set right in front of its most famous buildings, Old Fort and House of Wonders. It’s also sometimes referred to as Jubilee Gardens, Forodhani Park, or just the main town square. The best time to head here is around sunset. You’ll know when you arrive as your senses will be overwhelmed by the fresh grilled seafood. The open-air food market vendors sell mostly Swahili and Zanzibari cuisine, such as samoosas, seafood, and kebabs. Even if you are not hungry, we still recommend heading here as it is one of the best things to do in Zanzibar to experience the local culture. It’s also a very affordable place to eat!