At the end of your safari, you will be driven after breakfast to Arusha Airport to board your flight to the magical island of Zanzibar, which lies just off the coast of Tanzania, for an outstanding conclusion to your East African holiday. Upon arrival, you will be greeted at the Zanzibar airport and taken to historic Stone Town where you will check in to one of the historic Emerson hotels, a pair of elegant boutique hotels that capture the essence of traditional Swahili architecture. Emerson Spice consists of three adjoining World Heritage site buildings in the exotic Kasbah of Zanzibar’s Stone Town. Two of the facades face a quaint square at the end of historic Tharia Street, a principal thoroughfare for walking tours of the city. The third façade looks down Tharia Street toward the Anglican Cathedral and the slave market. Nestled among the rear facades is a squared private courtyard containing an ancient well. Emerson on Hurumzi was once was the home of one of the richest men in the Swahili Empire, built in the 1870s at a location and height from which he could obtain a clear view of the ocean and watch his vessels and precious cargo arrive in the nearby port of Malindi. The top of the building reaches a height of 80 ft and now houses the restaurant of Emerson on Hurumzi Hotel whilst still commanding a magnificent view of the Indian Ocean and the jumble of rooftops, tea houses, mosques, and spires which make up the birds-eye view of Stone Town.
After settling into your rooms, you will be met by a local guide and taken on a walking culinary tour of Stone Town, a perfect initiation into the sensory paradise that is Zanzibar. While savoring the local treats, including a proper lunch, you will learn about Stone Town history and contemporary life in Zanzibar. After lunch, return to Emerson on Hurumzi for a traditional Zanzibar chai ceremony, during which you learn more about the culinary traditions of Zanzibar, how Zanzibari chai is made, and for which occasion the special chai is served. Chai is accompanied by a variety of traditional Zanzibar sweets. Enjoy a little free time exploring Stone Town on foot or relax in your hotel before joining the group for a fantastic rooftop dinner celebration—a “Swahili food safari” with music performed by the Dhow Countries Music Academy.
Overnight at Emerson on Hurumzi or Emerson Spice House Hotel on Bed&Breakfast Basis.