Bush, Beach & Culture

Stone Town Tour (from Stone Town, Beaches S/SE & N/NE)

Zanzibar

Discover UNESCO-listed Stone Town on this half-day trip, from its decorative Arabic doors to daily market life and Freddie Mercury’s former home.

The guided walking tour starts in Stone Town’s slave market, which lies next to the Anglican church and has a moving memorial sculpture. Here, you’ll learn about the sobering legacy of the slave trade in Zanzibar. You’ll get the chance to explore Darajani Market too, which is a hive of activity for locals. Wander around stalls filled with colourful produce and spices, taste some fresh sugar cane juice and spot the town’s famous carved doors.

Next, you’ll move on to visit the former home of famous Queen singer, Freddie Mercury, the Old Fort and House of Wonder, which was built by some of the island’s first British settlers. After learning about these key landmarks, you'll have time to go shopping for wooden carvings, spices or Tanzanite jewellery. The tour ends with a visit the Forodhani food market. This is the most popular place for locals and tourists to gather in the evening on Zanzibar, as it’s full of Swahili food stalls selling all kinds of seafood, pilau dishes and Indian cuisine. If your tour is in the afternoon, you’ll enjoy a golden sunset from this busy market.

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Half Day Spice Tour (from Stone Town, Beaches S/SE & N/NE)

Zanzibar

Learn how Zanzibar’s world-famous spices are produced at a local farm. Learn how these precious spices are produced, from seed to harvest and then exported all over the world. The farm is also home to tropical fruit trees such as coconut, mango and papaya, some of which your guide will pick for you to sample.

On this half-day tour, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and taken to one of the island’s top plantations, which has been growing various spices for generations. 

Throughout the tour, your guide will point out everything from black pepper, vanilla and ginger to turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. One of the most famous spices you'll see are cloves, which locals often sun-dry and then squeeze to extract their oil for use in medicated soaps.

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Jozani Forest Tour (from Stone Town, Beaches S/SE & N/NE)

Zanzibar

Visit the Jozani Forest to spot rare wildlife in a protected natural reserve. Covering over 6,200 acres, it’s a haven of trees and plants known for their medicinal qualities, as well as wildlife including monkeys, bush pigs, tree hyraxes, dik diks and over 40 species of birds.

This three-hour tour starts with a transfer to the forest, which is a protected natural reserve and part of Zanzibar’s only national park, Jozani-Chawaka.

You’ll take a guided walk along the forest trails, stopping to look at the local flora and wildlife. Jozani Forest is filled with various species of trees, including eucalyptus, baobab, mahogany and teak and is a sanctuary for red colobus monkeys. Previously endangered, there are now about 2,500 in the reserve and their numbers are slowly increasing. The monkeys are very relaxed and used to visitors, so you can get incredible photos of them playing in the treetops and feeding on fruit.

Next, you’ll head over the other side of the park to see the mangroves, which are formed by salt water flooding in from the ocean. There’s a wooden boardwalk here which you can wander along for a glimpse into this lush ecosystem. Afterwards, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel in Zanzibar.

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Soak in the Maji Moto hot springs at Nyerere National Park

Nyerere National Park

Follow your guide through indigenous forest to a hidden hot spring, where you can swim in warm, sapphire waters. The Maji Moto hot springs are just a short drive from Mivumo River Lodge, yet it feels like the sparkling pools are in the middle of nowhere – it’s as if you’ve discovered your own private forest bath. Guests love having the opportunity to walk and bathe among nature after being stuck in a safari vehicle.

When you arrive at the site, your guide will take you on a hike through the thick woodland where you’ll be surrounded by bird calls. Eventually, you’ll emerge at a secret ravine covered with lush vegetation where you’ll find the hot pools. These are formed when sulphurous water flows over the rocks, creating a series of beautiful ponds where you can soak in soothing waters. It’s the perfect way to relax after a hectic safari schedule.

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World-class dives and canoeing through the mangroves on Pemba Island

Pemba Island

Pemba is a paradise for people who love water activities, from exploring world-class dive sites to canoeing through thick mangrove forests. At Fundu Lagoon, they are lucky to have the Misali Island Marine Conservation Area right opposite the resort and guests are taken there every day to dive and snorkel.

At Fundu Lagoon, they are lucky to have the Misali Island Marine Conservation Area right opposite the resort and guests are taken there every day to dive and snorkel. It has a white-sand beach that drops directly into the Indian Ocean. You can swim for just 20 metres and you’re on an unspoiled reef, which is amazing for snorkelling.

Often included in lists of the world’s best diving destinations, Pemba has thousands of exciting sites around the island to explore. They have their own five-star PADI centre with courses and equipment for all abilities, from beginners to experienced dive masters. Everything is arranged for you, you just have to step on the boat and your gear’s there, ready to go.

There are 30 dive sites that are regularly visited, including a big tanker wreck and coral reef wall dives, plus shallow sections for beginners. You could do three dives a day for a week and visit a different site each time. The coral is pristine and home to all kinds of colourful marine creatures, including turtles. It’s a great extension of your safari on mainland Tanzania and a chance to sample the country’s diverse marine wildlife.

Also recommended is canoeing in the nearby mangrove forest. One of the local guides will take you in a traditional, dug-out wooden canoe across the bay to an unspoilt tangle of mangroves. As you sail through the narrow canals, it’s like going back a thousand years, you’re surrounded by birds and parrots and it feels like sailing through the Amazon.

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