Blog post by We Are Travel Girls.
Zanzibar is an island paradise with so many things to do!
Located off the Tanzanian coast, Zanzibar is full of soft sandy beaches that stretch for miles, bordered by clear, turquoise water and lush green trees, swaying in the breeze.
Add in some local culture, delicious food, and rich history, and you will understand why you should visit Zanzibar!
The ocean here is lovely and warm, with barely a wave to disturb the peace. Men clothed in masaai garb walk alongside women clad in burqas and traditional dhows dot the waterline.
You could while away your time by lazing on the beach and sipping mocktails all day or participate in group tours and activities.
Zanzibar is still relatively undiscovered, and aside from the beach resorts, there’s little else in the form of developments. This means that there are fewer people, smaller crowds, and more authentic experiences to be had.
So visit now and enjoy a slice of paradise, before the secret gets out!
Keep reading to learn the best things to do for a perfect trip to Zanzibar!
What to do in Zanzibar?
Zanzibar is one destination where you can while away your time at the water’s edge without getting bored of the startling views. But there are also tons of activities on offer if you’re looking for things to do.
From visiting a prison or an island forest to having a meal on a rock or engaging in extreme watersports, there’s something for everyone.
Relax in the Ocean
With miles and miles of pristine turquoise water, Zanzibar’s beaches are their crowning jewel and you should spend as much time as possible enjoying it.
Not to exaggerate, but as we flew over the island, there were audible ooh’s and aah’s rippling through the plane, as everyone caught sight of the indescribable waters. I never knew that such colours existed in nature without the need for Photoshop or Instagram filters!
There are very few, if any waves here, and the beach feels like a gigantic swimming pool. You could walk and walk, and still have the water barely brush your shoulders.
One thing to keep in mind though is that depending on the time of the month you visit, you could have the pristine waters or a seaweed invasion.
Go on a Safari!
We didn’t know that ocean safari was a thing, but Safari Blue is the most popular thing to do in Zanzibar, with good reason. A full day trip, that includes transfers to and from your hotel and a full lunch, it is well worth the price, starting at $70 USD per person.
You will get fitted with flippers and assigned a life vest and snorkel mask, before setting off on a traditional dhow boat. You then jump off of the boat for some snorkelling, and if you’re a strong swimmer, you could even swim with wild dolphins.
Next up is a visit to a large lagoon for some swimming and relaxing amongst the mangroves.
Lunch is a seafood barbeque on the beach, along with some fresh, seasonal fruit. You can also explore some of the magnificent trees on the small island or do some souvenir shopping at the little stalls before you depart.
The last stop is a little sandbar with the most heavenly water, before sailing back to shore powered by the wind instead of the boat’s motors.
Explore Zanzibar’s Stonetown.
With small, winding alleys and bright wares for sale, Stone Town is a feast for the senses.
As you walk through the town, make sure to pay special attention to the elaborate doors, rumoured to be strong enough to withstand elephant attacks, which were apparently common a long time ago.
There are historic buildings such as the House of Wonders, said to be the first building on the island to be electrified, and the Old Fort, which now hosts little stalls.
You can visit the old slave market to contemplate the horrors to which people were subjected to and the Sultan’s Palace which has been converted to a museum.
An unexpected building we happened upon was the birthplace of Freddie Mercury– you cannot go inside but people queue up for a chance to take a picture of the city’s most famous citizen.
If you find yourself in town on a Saturday night, make sure to check out the food market at Forodhani Gardens for some great local food. Try to buy from stalls that are busy, to make sure that the food is relatively fresh and hasn’t been sitting out in the heat all day.
Don’t expect big malls or international brands, but you can do some souvenir shopping while you’re in town, too. As always, be sure to bargain!
Visit a Spice Farm.
While most farms aren’t as expansive as we’d pictured, they all have a staggering variety of spices growing.
It was really interesting to see the form various spices grow in before they reach our supermarket shelves in their powdered form. You also get to taste some of the spices and play guessing games to identify which spices are which.
The highlight of the tour is a performance by a fearless man, who climbs up an extremely tall coconut tree unaided, while loudly singing ‘mambo jambo hakuna matata.’
As if climbing the tree wasn’t enough of a spectacle, he then proceeded to perform some acrobatics, kicking his legs out and dangling from the treetop.
Afterwards, the whole group is treated to fresh coconut juice, straight out of the shell, and some tours include lunch as well.
Spend time with locals.
If the idea of wandering around the villages alone isn’t your cup of tea, most resorts offer walking village tours, where a member of staff accompanies you into a nearby village and shows you around.
We really enjoyed the experience, as he was a goldmine of information and answered any questions we had about the island, its history, and its people.
He also acted as a translator when we came across anyone we wanted to speak to, and took us inside one of the huts to visit its occupants. It really did strike us how simply they live, yet how content they all seemed.
We were taken to a turtle sanctuary, a ‘boat yard,’ where locals sat under trees and tarps, working on traditional dhows, and a fish market selling all sorts of fresh seafood.
By law, none of the beaches on Zanzibar can be privatised, so even resorts can not lay claim to the waters on their doorsteps.
While this means that touts can try to sell you things if you’re beyond resort boundaries, it also makes it easier to connect with locals passing by. We took some toys with, and enjoyed building sandcastles and blowing bubbles with local kids.
Many people take toys and gifts for local kids, but we were told that this encourages children not to attend school in the hopes of bumping into generous tourists.
If you want to donate, rather ask your hotel to put you in contact with the local school, and donate through the school instead.
