by The tropical island paradise of Zanzibar, which is located directly off the East African coast, is never more tempting in Great Britain than outside of the season.
With its white sandy beaches and clear blue water, it is the perfect place to sit back, relax and to suck up a few rays. Although the long history of the island – a colony of Oman, before it was taken over by the British in 1964 and finally integrated in Tanzania – it is also a melting pot of competing influences that is about being researched.
In the north the winding old streets of Stone Town waves; On the ocean, wooden sails still cross the horizon in search of fish, and the green center of the island houses deadly mambas and rare monkeys alike.
From his snorkeling from world-class to observation of the sun with a cold Kilimanjaro beer in his hand, Zanzibar rewarded the fearless travelers. Here you can find out how you can use a one -week trip there.
What to do
The first thing is the first thing that hikes too Zanzibar without a day or two in the famous stone city. Stone Town was built by the Omanis in the 18th century and is a Warren of tiny streets, high buildings and small, shaded courtyards where locals sit, sell their goods and drink coffee together.
In addition, of course, there is Freddie Mercury’s birthplace, a building in the style of the 1920s in the High Street, which today acts as a museum (Freddiemercurymuseum.com).
Only hiking through the streets is a must – not least for the chance to recognize the famous doors of the Stone Town. These have been built by Indian and Arab trading families for centuries past centuries, and their decorated designs give an idea of how great these houses must have looked like: due to maintaining the maintenance, they are slowly decaying.
Also take time to visit the souq. Located on the border of the old and new cities and built by the Germans in the early 20th century, it is still open every day. In addition to the sale of tourist-friendly goods such as spices, it is also the place where the locals haunted the freshest seafood and vegetables. A visit is a sensory overload, although they are being excited.
And for sunset, visiting the port is a must. Watching traditional sailing as the sun goes over the water is an unforgettable experience. And as soon as it gets dark, it will be really fun when the local night market for Forodhani night begins.
Every evening it is a room in which the locals buy dinner from a number of providers. Therefore, it is the perfect place to try a traditional Zansibari kitchen, including chicken in Tamarindbrot, seafood in abundance and abundance and sugar cane juice that are pressed in front of them and that never cost more than a few pounds.
There is a prison island off the coast that is also known as Changuu. Located about 30 minutes by boat from Stone Town, it was a quarantine station for people who visited Zanzibar. A prison followed in 1893, and while a look at his ruins is definitely worth, the real draw is the chance to see turtles, and the shy duist: a kind of tiny antelope. There are no public ferries here, but tours can usually be arranged via your hotel.
Go south and take your time to book a trip with Safari Blue. This is located in the rapidly growing fishing village of Fumba and is the perfect way to honestly explore Sanzibars breathtaking sea life. The journey begins on board an old-fashioned sailing boat or dow and the day of sightseeing contains snorkeling from coral reefs off the coast, a mangrove-natural coral swimming pool and dolphin spotting (£ 60pp, safariblue.net). The highlight of the trip – or at least mine – observed how the crew raised the sails and navigated with wind power through the Dhow back to land while he drinks a chilled Kilimanjaro beer.
The center of the island is also worth exploring. There is several unique species in Zanzibar, including the rare Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey – and one of the best places to recognize them, is the Jozani National Park. Guides, who are waiting in the park that the guests arrive, run one, two and three hours on tours (which start from 9 pounds) with the chance to discover monkeys, elephant spy mice, bushbabies and mamba before cooling down to a local mangrove forest.
Where to eat
The rock restaurant is located on the east coast and was built on a tiny Rocky Island a few dozen meters off the coast. In the case of flood, the sidewalk is fully submerged; Fortunately, there is always a boatman who drives the guests over the front steps.
As soon as the tariff is strongly distorted to Italian (no surprise; one of the founders is Italian), but the seafood are fresh and the chance of drinking a cocktail from the massive menu of the restaurant when the sun goes down is not one who can do it (meals cost about 70 £ and drinks, thermockrestauranzarzbar.com).
For people who drive through Stone Town, the options are abundant. The Zanzibar Coffee House is a Muss-Genauso a lot for its excellent, real East African Rift Valley coffee, such as the chance to climb and drink on the terraced roof, while looking over the roofs of Stone Town (utengule.com/zanzibar-coffee house).
With regard to the WoW factor, there is the Emerson Spice Hotel (more on this below) or the House of Spices, which offers one of lanterns and some Mediterranean foods from killer roof terrace on the roof. Yes, there are pizza, but there are also tapas and a huge selection of fish dishes that are equipped with the option of one of five fragrant sauces.
On the rest of the island, try Kinzaz-uppo near Paje for a no-foot meal (pizza, curries and seafood) in a murderous place on the ocean or at the local restaurant Fisherman. True to its name, it is a local connection right on the island that serves some common grilled seafood. No booking required.
Where is staying
One of the biggest draw from Zanzibar is his flawless, white sandy beaches. If you fancy a serious downtime, the best way is to experience you by booking a hotel on the coast.
One of the best is white sand villas. The white sand is located near the backpack hotspot of Paje (with a robust night life scene in the high season) and includes a selection of 18 spacious villas that are hidden under the lavish, fluctuating green.
The topic here is relaxation. The mood is quiet, there is an excellent SPA complex (massages are carried out in a series of cabanas that look at a Koi pond), and the roof bar sells cocktails with local spirits. Take your time to enjoy the revolving selection of free activities of the hotel, including guided garden hikes, yoga, cycling into the nearby village of Jambiani and Watersports.
Our recommendation would be to choose the beach villa, which gives its own swimming pool and its own bathroom outdoors as well as a special living room to relax from the heat of the sun. And a dawn into the breakfast bar, which over the ocean and the seafond farmers who live there at low tide are a must (the rooms start from £ 636 per night, Whitesandvillas.com).
The residence is the right place on the opposite coast. The hotel itself consists of 66 villas (our recommendation would be the frontpool -villa Frangipani Ocean, which looks at the ocean), and with things that are to be done.
At the top of the list is the bridge, which has a bar and is the perfect place to watch the sun goes over the Indian ocean. But there is a pagoda in which yoga courses are carried out every day in the middle of a haggle of flowers from the nearby trees, a small but well-drained spa and a water sports cabin with paddleboards, kayaks and snorkeling.
Do you want to involve a little more? Well, there is also a diving center in which newbies can arrange their padis in the crystalline waters off the coast of Zanzibar, and established divers can explore the coral reefs in their free time (from £ 375 per night, half board, cenizaro.com).
For those who stay in Steinstadt themselves, our picks would probably be the Park Hyatt or Emerson Spice. The Park Hyatt is a wasteful property on the water and offers first-class service and killer outlook in the crime is a popular place for people who want to snap a cocktail at sunset (the rooms start at £ 350, hyatt.com).
Emerson Spice is located in the labyrinth -like roads of Stone Town, but offers numerous charm. It plays in a renovated Arab merchant house and has a terrace on the roof that offers a perfect place for cocktails and some of the best meals in Steinstadt: a five-course course courses by Sansibari Cuisine. Think of seafood: shrimp with grilled mango or Calamari. And of course the hotel itself is very nice, with stained glass windows, wooden grilles and ancient rooms (the rooms start at £ 99, emerssonzanzar.com).
