Here is a list of activities you can consider trying out when in Zanzibar.
Mnemba Island tour
A tour to Mnemba Island is one of those sea tours you have to try out when in Nungwi. First, they will take you to see dolphins where you can swim with them if you wish. The dolphins swim pretty fast so it's almost like a wild goose chase, but seeing them occasionally pop out of the water and dive back in is worth it. From there they will take you to Mnemba Island. I couldn’t believe my eyes that such a place could exist. The water was light blue and crystal clear- very inviting! Mnemba Island in itself is small but very beautiful with a clean white sandy beach and lots of trees in the middle. Note that the island is privately owned and nobody is allowed to step foot on its shores. Rumors are going around that it is privately owned by Bill Gates (You did not hear this from me). The waters surrounding the island has a very nice coral reef perfect for snorkeling. This is hands down the most beautiful coral reef I've ever seen, well, the only other coral reef I've seen is the one at Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park. People are not allowed to stand in the water as it might risk damaging the corals, so if you are not a good swimmer you would need to use a floater. Fruits are part of the tour package, so once you are done with snorkeling you go back to the boat for a nice plate of fruits. This Mnemba Island tour convinced me even more that Zanzibar is a tropical paradise.
Stone Town Tour
This time round I got a proper guided tour around stone town. This is the first activity we did when we got to Zanzibar, and I think it's a good idea to start your stay in Zanzibar by learning about their culture and history. Stone town is very rich in culture and history, and that is very evident even as you glance around at the buildings and how the area is generally mapped. We got to learn how the Portuguese first came to the island and were later chased away by the Omani Arabs. You will therefore find that most of the architecture in Stone town was greatly influenced by the Omani Arabs because they got to rule there for a while. There is also some Indian aspect to it because one of the Sultans who ruled Zanzibar had stayed in India for a while. I was told how to differentiate the unique doors and balconies as to whether they are Arabic or Indian designs. The Indian design doors and windows have a dome shop at the top while the Arabic design has a square shape. The balconies are also a bit different, the open balconies are of Indian design while the closed balconies are of Arabic design. I got to learn and see a lot from that tour. You can't imagine how many times I said "wow" during the tour.
Prison Island Tour
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You can choose to couple up your Stone Town tour with a tour to Prison Island, since it’s 30min away from Stone town on a boat. This will be an extension of your Stone Town tour as Prison Island's history is linked to that of Stone Town. This island is also known as Quarantine Island because it was once used as a quarantine center for travelers- trying to imagine being quarantined on an exotic island. It's called Prison Island but the irony is that the island never got to be used as a prison, the slave trade was abolished before they could use it as a prison. The prison cells were instead transformed into a bar, library, and accommodation. There is even a restaurant and swimming pool on the island. The bar is active and running up until now but the restaurant, accommodation, and swimming pool are currently not in use. You will also find giant tortoises on the island, with the oldest being 196 years! The tortoises were gifted to the prime minister of Zanzibar during colonial times. The place has a wonderful history, what I've shared is jst a little snippet of information, there is a lot more to learn. I was surprised and impressed to see Zanzibar tour guides giving tours in Italian and French, seems like these guys are dedicated to their jobs to go to the extent of learning a new language for it. Our tour guide had also taken English classes to enable him become a tour guide and he did a wonderful job showing us around.
There are so many other activities you can do in Zanzibar, this list is not even half of it. Zanzibar is huge and has so many other places to explore like the east and the south coast. If you want to experience an exotic Tropical Island off the East African coast, you now know the place.
