Stone Town Zanzibar Add-on Tours
This 3-day visit to Zanzibar’s historical Stone Town is an exciting, culturally-rich holiday featuring a stay at the historical Emerson hotel, an ideal base to soak in the sounds, sights, and smells of the surrounding streets and alleys. In addition to some exciting cultural activities, you will go on a spice plantation tour and visit the island’s tropical forest reserve. Stone Town is also a fabulous place to shop for local goods and souvenirs.
This extension can be added to any Tanzania adventure and can also be combined with our other tropical beach retreat extensions on the main island of Zanzibar (Ungunja) or Pemba for a lovely Zanzibar extension.
itinerary
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.
After breakfast, you will depart with your local guide to the village for a tour of the Tangawizi Spice Farm. Zanzibar is known as the “Spice Island”, a name that evokes a romantic past infused with the particular aroma of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and lemongrass.
Today, these and many other spices, herbs, and tropical fruits are cultivated on the same plantations that have been producing them for centuries.
After lunch, you’ll return to your hotel and enjoy some free time to explore Stone Town, do some shopping, or just relax. Alternatively, if you’re feeling crafty, pay a visit to Mrembo Spa in Stone Town to choose from workshops in Batik dyeing, spice blending, soap making, incense making, and more! While you’re there, perhaps indulge in one of their luxurious traditional spa treatments.
In the evening, see Stone Town in a new light on a cultural night tour go and visit the Forodhani food market with varieties of sea foods
This personalized tour offers a picture of local Zanzibari life and culture amongst the men, women, and children on the island, showing just how the community engages in daily life. Round off your evening with a public Swahili dinner at Stone Town’s Forodhani
Overnight at Emerson on Hurumzi or Emerson Spice House on Bed&Breakfast basis.
Rise with the call to prayer, enjoy an early breakfast, and depart for the southeast of Ungunja, first stop: Jozani Forest Reserve. Jozani tropical rainforest (Jozani Chakwa Bay National Park) lies 35 kilometers southeast of Stone Town with an area of about 1,000 hectares. Long ago, you could find leopards and antelopes that are now reported extinct. At present, you will find primates such as the indigenous red colobus monkey, the blue Sykes monkey, and the adorable bushbaby. The red colobus monkey is one of the most endangered and rarest species in the world. They are very friendly creatures, love to be photographed, and can be viewed at close quarters with the help of your guide. You are also likely to see some of the 50 butterfly species, 40 bird species, and several species of snake. Other interesting features of this ecosystem include the coastal evergreen bushland, mangrove forest, saline grassland, and groundwater forest.
From here, connect to one of our beach extensions in Kendwa, Matemwe, or Kizimkazi.
The best adventure travel experiences happen when you have the best experts and guides. With decades of experience in the field, our guides offer exceptional leadership and expert destination knowledge. Our sales team, expert guides, and trip leaders are highly accomplished professionals who know Tanzania like the back of their hands and are the key to the success of every one of our trips. Please feel free to ask us any questions.
The best adventure travel experiences happen when you have the best experts and guides. With decades of experience in the field, our guides offer exceptional leadership and expert destination knowledge. Our sales team, expert guides, and trip leaders are highly accomplished professionals who know Tanzania like the back of their hands and are the key to the success of every one of our trips. Please feel free to ask us any questions