It’s common knowledge Zanzibar is East Africa’s number one beach destination for South Africans. But did you know...
1. Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen, was born in Zanzibar in 1946. His birth name was Farouk Bulsara.
2. Zanzibar is not one island; it’s a group of islands just off the coast of East Africa. There are two large main islands, Pemba and Unguja – the latter is sometimes informally (and incorrectly) referred to as “Zanzibar”.
3. The shortest war in history was waged in Zanzibar. The Anglo-Zanzibar War between the United Kingdom and the Zanzibar Sultanate took place on 27 August 1896. It lasted between 38 and 45 minutes before a ceasefire was called.
4. Zanzibar is a year-round destination temperature-wise with average daytime highs between 28C and 32C and night-time lows between 20C and 25C. February is the most humid month, while March to May are the wettest.
5. Zanzibar was the first country in Africa to introduce colour television – in 1973.
6. The capital of Zanzibar is not Stone Town, as some believe, it’s Zanzibar City. Stone Town is the historic town within Zanzibar City, famed for its labyrinth of narrow streets, historic buildings and ancient spice markets.
7. Zanzibar is a super affordable tropical island experience for rand-bearing South Africans, especially over the Easter holidays when there are an abundance of special offers. This year, The Holiday Factory has pulled out all the stops and is offering seven-night packages for four- and five- star Zanzibar resorts starting from as little as R13,600 pps, including return flights, airport taxes, return airport transfers and breakfast and dinner daily (limited availability - Ts and Cs apply). Check out the detailed offers for: Uroa Bay Beach Resort (four-star), My Blue (four-star), Gold Zanzibar (five-star), Sea Cliff Resort & Spa (five-star) and Karafuu Village Beach Resort (five-star).
8. Zanzibar is popularly called The Spice Islands, due its main economic activity after tourism being spice exports – mainly cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper.
9. Zanzibar is – or was – home to the Zanzibar Leopard. This beautiful wild cat is classed as “possibly extinct”, as none have been spotted in several years. According to local legend, several young Zanzibar Leopards were captured on mainland Tanzania and brought over the island as an exotic addition to the Sultan of Zanzibar’s palace. But as the leopards grew in size and ferocity, they were released into the Jozani Forest, where they bred. Sadly, they were hunted into (possible) extinction and the Jozani Forest is now best know for its rare Red Colobus Monkeys.
10. With living reefs surrounding the islands, Zanzibar is a prime dive destination. The water temperature is warm, visibility is usually excellent, currents are weak and there’s an abundance of colourful fish, all of which contributes to an ideal location for first time and novice divers. Many of the larger resorts on the North and East coasts have professionally-run dive shops on-site. Qualified divers must produce their certification and a log book.
In general: Zanzibar is an archipelago made up mainly of “Zanzibar” – the local name is “Unguja” but it is internationally known as Zanzibar - and Pemba Islands, as well as over 50 small islands. It is located in the Indian Ocean, about 40 km from the Tanzanian coast, and 6° south of the equator. The island is roughly 85 km long and 39 km wide.
Seasons/Weather:
Summer: December-February with temperatures around 35°C
Winter: June - August, around 25°C The Indian Ocean has about the same temperatures during these months.
The main rainy season is from April to mid June. According to locals, last time there was that much rain was 30 years ago. The second “mini” rainy season is in October/November, usually with short lived rains, sometimes though it rains for an entire day. Please note that even if it rains, the Indian Ocean remains wonderfully warm. I love swimming in the Ocean while it rains. As everywhere else in the world, the weather changed quite a bit lately. September/October were incredibly hot with temperatures of 35°C December/January were cooler than usual with very unusual rain in January, even sometimes for the entire day, and temperatures around 25-28°C. Please be aware that the weather at the west coast (facing Tanzania mainland) and the east coast is very different, the east coast usually gets more sunshine and less rain than the west coast.
Beaches:
You find here picture postcard beautiful white sand beaches lined with coconut trees. My favourite part of Zanzibar is the south east coast. It is quiet, tranquil, the locals of the south east coast are extra friendly (genuinely friendly, they smile with their eyes). Here you have approx. 20 km of white sand beaches stretching from Jambiani via Paje and Bwejuu to Michamvi. Paje is the main village at the south east coast; it is very popular with kitesurfers – be aware that the beaches are crowded with kites during kite season and swimming in the ocean is almost impossible if not dangerous. If you stay in Paje, rather walk a few minutes till you find a peaceful beach and safe swimming. Luckily we are blessed with a 20km stretch of beach, there is a perfect place for everyone.
Especially the east coast of the island is protected by coral reefs that make swimming safe – no sharks or huge waves.
NB: At low tide you cannot swim in the Indian Ocean at the east, south and west coasts. The beaches at these coast lines are very flat, hence the ocean recedes at low tide out to the coral reef, which is anything between 1 and 1.5 km offshore. You can walk out towards the coral reef at low tide. Watch out for the black sea urchins, spiky things that you don’t want to step into. They are clearly visible so watch your step and wear special shoes. Also don’t pick up cone shells – see page To do and not to do. You can check the time table for low and high tide for Zanzibar on www.mobilegeographics.com.
At the north coast, you can always swim even at low tide since the beach falls off deeply after a few meters. Therefore, the north coast is very popular with tourists. In December and January (high season) the beaches are packed with tourists there and it is quite noisy. If you are looking for a quiet holiday, this ain’t the place for you. The west coast is my least favorite part. Especially at the southern end it is very rocky and there are only small patches of sand. Also, the sand at most of the west coast is coarse yellow, not the amazing white sand Zanzibar is famous for.
Sports Activities:
Include scuba diving, kitesurfing, SUP, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, wind surfing; golf (only at Sea Cliff Resort and Spa, 18 holes); cycling, volley ball, beach soccer. Only in Nungwi/north coast: fly boarding, parasailing, water skiing, jet skiing. Besides the beautiful white sand beaches and delicious food, Zanzibar has quite a lot to offer. There are a few lime stone caves scattered all over Zanzibar and it is believed that in ancient days people lived in these caves. Some of the caves (like Tazari in Nungwi) are believed to have been used as hiding places for slaves in the pre-colonial Zanzibar era of the slave trade. Most of the caves are home to African bats. You can watch them at sunset flying out of the cave entrance. In Bwejuu at the south east cost is a large cave big enough to hold up to 1000 people. It is still used as a shrine. I mention a few of the caves on the pages “Discover Zanzibar”.
There are a lot of stories and tales that villagers insist are true. One of those talks about a phantom ship that appears at night and vanishes in front of the Palm Beach Inn reef off Bwejuu (see Discover Zanzibar south of Stone Town).
Culture/History:
The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the west coast of the island. Its historic center is Stone Town and it is said to be the only functioning ancient town in East Africa. There are three buildings that I know of that have underground tunnels leading out to the ocean; these were built after the slave trade was prohibited by the British; that way the poor slaves were smuggled at low tide from the boats through the tunnels into these buildings. Stone Town’s architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture. Stone Town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Zanzibar’s main industries are spices, raffia (products made from raphia palm trees), seaweed and of course tourism. The islands mainly produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper. For this reason, the islands are also known as the Spice Islands. Please do try to go on a spice tour, the plantations are about 20 km north of Stone Town, it is definitely worth your while.
Language is KiSwahili but English is widely spoken especially in Stone Town, also Arabic, German, Spain, French, Russian and Italian and lately there are quite a few tour guides in town who speak Polish. It is lots of fun if you try to speak some words in KiSwahili, greetings for example. You will for sure be rewarded with a bright smile. Most important word is “Jambo” which is a friendly greeting – you just reply also with “Jambo”. Thank you is “ahsante”. For the English word “cool/okay” you can use “Poa”. For more phrases, please check “To do and not to do”. As per the last consensus in 2012, approx. 1.3 million people live on Zanzibar island. Population growth annually is just over 3%.