Things to do
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Forodhani Gardens
Seafront gardens beside the old fort turn into a night food market after dusk, with grills of kingfish, octopus and prawns, cassava, and sugarcane juice pressed with lime and ginger. Zanzibar pizza is the thing sold hardest. Hygiene varies between stalls, so the ones cooking to order and turning over quickly are the safer choice.
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House of Wonders
A sultan's seafront palace of 1883 was the first building on the island with electric light and a lift, which is where the name comes from. Part of it collapsed in 2020 and restoration continues behind hoardings. The exterior, the clock tower and the carved door still read from Forodhani.
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Park
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
Zanzibar red colobus, found nowhere else, live in the coral rag and groundwater forest of the island's only national park, habituated enough to be watched from the path. A boardwalk runs out over a mangrove channel on the far side of the road. Guided walks take about ninety minutes and leave regularly through the morning.
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Nungwi
At the northern tip of Unguja, a fishing village turned resort strip keeps deep water close to shore, which means swimming through the tide cycle where most of the east coast dries out. Dhow builders still work the beach between the hotels. Sunset here faces west over open water, and the bars along the sand get loud.
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Prison Island
Built as a quarantine station and never used as the prison its name suggests, this small island north of the town now keeps a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, some of them over a century old. Boats cross in about twenty minutes and the reef off the beach suits snorkelling. Afternoon swell can make the return crossing a wet one, so morning boats are calmer.
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Spice Farms
Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom grow on smallholdings in the centre of the island, a legacy of the Omani plantation economy that gave Zanzibar its name in the trade. Walks through them are led by growers who cut and crush leaves and bark to identify by smell. Most visits end with fruit and a cooked lunch.
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Stone Town
Lanes wide enough for a handcart run between coral rag houses hung with carved Zanzibari and Indian doors, and the plan defeats navigation on purpose. The former slave market, the old fort and the Anglican cathedral anchor a walk of a few hours. Getting lost is the standard experience, and the shore is never far.