Enjoy Zanzibar
Private tour just for you!
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to be designed for you.
ENJOY TOURING recommends private holiday packages.
This means your trip will be unique and designed with your best interests in mind. One of the main decisions you have to make when planning an exotic getaway is the accommodation level.
We can book any hotel in Zanzibar, depending on how many people travel together, how many night you stay, the comfort level and the budget you have.
Aside the hotel stay, you need to choose the local daily activities. You fly so far, you need to enjoy it all, right?
Let’s talk about Zanzi!
We share with you our Zanzi adventure, to inspire you. Then, when you pick your travel date, we are here to assist you with the necessary bookings.
When is the ideal time to visit Zanzibar?
From June to October is officially the cool and dry season, which means your chances of a bright day are extremely high. This is the busiest period to visit Zanzibar, and hotel prices are at their highest.
November, March, Arpil, May are rainy months, so expect heavy rain. During these months, flooding is common, and many hotels will close their doors.
The best time to go if you want to kitesurf is from January to February or June to September.
Where to stay?
As Zanzibar is rich in all accommodation types, we will share with your (on your request) our recommendations, so you can pick one according to your preferences and budget.
For the first 1 or 2 nights it’s best to book a hotel near Stone Town or even in town, so you pay less on the transfer, as the day trips start from the east coast.
For the rest of the stay you may choose a hotel anywhere on the island, to enjoy only the beach.
For a low to mid budget budget we recommend Maru Maru Hotel, or Tembo Hotel as it has the history and the views.
Tembo House Hotel was the first beachfront hotel of Stone Town, now an UNESCO Heritage Site, with easy access the mazy streets of Stone Town.
For upper level accommodation we offer alternatives, as for an exemple: Emerson on Hurumzi Hotel, Emerson Spice Hotel.
Zanzibar highlights
Its time to meet your guide. We have reliable travel partners on the island, professional and prompt. They are to become your friends for the holiday, as they were for us and our clients.
Your guide will explain all the insights of Zanzibar and book for you the daily trips.
Now we share with the short version of what you’ll get there.
First day in Zanzibar you could do Prison Island + Stone Town + Spice Tour + transfer to your hotel.
Secondad day you could do Mnemba Island, as is closest to Stone Town area.
Then you can change hotel on the other coast if you want.
From the west coast you could do Jozani Forest and Safari Blue – with great sea food lunch!
Now, let’s take them one by one and see what awaits you.
Prison Island + Stone Town + Spice Tour
The most common day tour to do while arriving in Zanzibar. Best if landing time is in the morning. Meet by the guide in the airport and go to the breakfast restaurant, served on a nice roof top restaurant in Stone Town.
We’ve had breakfast in Maru Maru Restaurant, the buffet is generous and the owner really friendly. Or you can choose an alternative restaurant.
After breakfast we enjoy a boat trip to Prison Island.
Prison Island is just 15 minutes with boat from Stone town. Its name is in fact Changuu island, is a protected area that hosts the endangered species of Aldabra turtles. The turtles are the first thing you see, many of them really old. People feed them just like in a zoo. Here we see many families with kids.
Due to its considerable distance from shore, the Changuu island served as a prison for the slaves. Those who participated in riots were isolated here. Later, the island was a quarantine site for people who fell ill during epidemics.
I had chills on my back just being in that building. And they told us that now they build hostel for the tourists just in the premises of the prison. Who wants to pay 300 USD per night to live in a prison? Strange times we live now! People were fighting to get out and some would pay to sleep inside? Creepy!
Well, this is it! In this video you could take a virtual tour of the prison.
Then we have some time to have a beer in the inner yard of the prison or go to the beach, with very fine white sand.
Then we sail back, for the tour of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Stone Town Tour
We visit the Old Arab Fort and the Sultan’s Palace. Did you know that the first steam locomotive in East Africa was used in Zanzibar? The Sultan used it to go around his palace.
The tour begins at Malindi Harbor where ships were bringing slaves from Bagamoyo. We hear the story of Tippu Tip, a famous Arab slave trader, then we visit girls’ school for those freed from slavery, in Mbweni.
In the Slaves Market and learn more about the history of this city, from the period of the slave trade to the present day. You will learn, among other things, that here took place the shortest war in human history, lasting 38 minutes, between Great Britain and Zanzibar.
Zanzibar’s history is about the slave trade, more than 75% of the island’s population suffered from slavery. In the early 19th century, between 6,000 and 10,000 slaves were sold annually until the end of the century when slavery was officially abolished, when it came under the British protectorate in 1890.
We stop in the front of The Anglican Cathedral, which was built on the site of the old slave market, and its altar stood right on the spot where slaves were whipped.
It’s nice to stop by the public park known as Forodhani Gardens. The Old Fort and House of Wonders, two of the city’s most well-known structures, stand directly in front of these gardens. It’s also known as the central town plaza, Forodhani Park, or Jubilee Gardens. The best time to visit is just before sunset. When you arrive, the aroma of freshly grilled seafood will fill your senses. Most of the food is being sold at the outdoor food market is Swahili and Zanzibari food such samoosas, seafood, and kebabs.
One of the best things to do in Zanzibar to experience the local culture, even if you are not hungry, is to go here. It’s a pretty inexpensive place to dine!
If you want to dine in style, in a rooftop restaurant top of a boutique hotel, Tea House Restaurant at Emerson on Hurumzi Hotel, in the middle of the kasbah, is a great option. There are also lively live music events on Wednesday and Friday nights. Anyone wanting a night out in Stone Town should come here. The restaurant has one of the best views of Stone Town, making it my favorite thing to do in Zanzibar.
Dining in the magical Secret Garden Restaurant (at Emerson Spice Hotel ) is possible from 17h00 from an a la carte menu or drop in for snacks drinks or lunch.
The Zanzibar Cofee House could also be a nice stop to have a coffee and enjoy the view from the rooftop terrace.
We blend in with the locals in the Darajani Market, the major bazaar in Stone Town. This is the way you blend in with locals and buy what they buy. This is the best location to buy spices, dates, bread, fruits, and almost anything else you might desire. We buy some spices, with 1 USD, later we see those spices with 10 USD in the Spice Tour. We are clever, as we’ve been to touristic places before. The dried fish was to smelly to buy.
Sugar cane juice is delicious. I tasted it first time in India. Now, that i see the machine, I stop: Hei, we need to have a sweet moment! only 3000TZN for a cup! good deal! the water bottle was 6000TZN, so it’s better to buy a natural sugar cane, freshly juiced.
Freddie Mercury Legend
Freddie Mercury (real name Farrouk Bulsara) was born on 5 sep 1946 in Stone Town. His Persians parents were originally settled in British Indian, then returned to Zanzibar.
There is a souvenir shop dedicated to the artist’s music and a restaurant tribute to Freddie’s music. The ticket to Freddie’s museum is 8$.
Next, the SPICE TOUR.
We visit the Spice Farm, as Zanzibar is called “the spice island”, being the main exporter of cloves worldwide.
We discover the flavor of exotic fruits and the aroma of spices and find out their journey from when they are grown until they reach the aromatic dishes we eat.
When arrive at the Spice Garden and the local tour guide is welcoming us with a leaves basket. Each of us gets a basket to collect the seeds or the fruits we learn about.
As ladies, we are offered a very nice gift, a flower crown, a flower bracelet and a “wedding ring” made out of leaves. I told them I don’t want to get married!
They say: you marry with nature!
Me: Ok, I agree!
We join interactive activities, to recognize certain exotic plants and fruits by smell, taste, texture.
Did you know how Jack Fruit looks like? We always use ginger root, but how does the entire look like?
Depending on the season in which we visit the island, we enjoy the aroma of spices such as: cinnamon, cardamom, oregano, vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, cumin, ginger and the most aromatic fruits of papaya, mango, passion fruit and more.
In the end they kindly ask us to buy some spices. As the price was 10 times the price in Stone Town market, we say pass…
The trip ends with the transfer to the hotel.
Mnemba Island
This is a small private island (only 500 m in diameter) also called Mnemba Atoll due to the coral reefs that are around it. Recently, it was declared a protected area for endangered green turtles and is an ideal place for snorkeling and scuba diving.
We see exotic fish species swimming around reefs, corals in the clear turquoise waters. The beauty of the place is given by the dolphins. Although they seem to be very friendly, dolphins are quite shy when it comes to approaching people, but you could be lucky to see them live. We’ve seen dolphins before, we were so happy aside them here, in their natural environment.
On the return, if the tide allows, you will stop at Muyuni Beach to enjoy the sun and have a swim.
Safari Blue – snorkeling trip
A sea adventure including swimming, snorkeling and sailing within the traditional dhow. We start from 9am and return by 4pm.
Enjoy a magnificent ocean experience safari that begins from Fumba fishing village, in the wonderful region around the Menai Bay, south-west of Zanzibar with excellent sandy beaches and lovely view.
Unfortunately, the safari blue cruise’s area has become so massively commercial that the reef has been ruined. Me, after diving in Gili Islands (Indonesia) I was sad to see dead coral, few fish, I was very disappointment. But we have good entertainment and very good food. We enjoy a sea foods DELICIOUS LUNCH on Kwale Island. That maybe was thought to take the attention of the visitors from the dead marine life to the full plates… again, commercial strategy, that really worked great!
Jozani Forest – half day tour
Jozani Chwaka Bay Public Park was declared to be a National reserve in the 1960s. It’s home for the endangered Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey, that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. This monkey is endemic to the island and just 2,500 them remaining. The park is open every day from 7:30am to 5:00pm. The ticket is $8 USD includes a brief tour. Then you can wander around the mangrove boardwalk on your own. We advise visiting Jozani Forest before 9 AM because after that time, busloads of tour groups arrive.
In the way to see the monkey we tour across to the Pete Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk, in fact we stroll through mangroves. We see many exotic species of birds, reptiles and animals that live around the mangroves.
But the main attraction of the forest are the monkeys. They are very accustomed to tourists and they come quite close to them. No matter how great the temptation, it is not allowed to touch and feed them, as they can become aggressive.
Do cross the street and see the Mangrove forest afterwords.
As we are already in the neighborhood, let’s visit the Zanzibar Butterfly Center, it’s close to Jozani Forest. Here, 40 local farmers work to raise butterflies. We could have a 30-minute guided tour of the grounds. While learning about conservation, you can let the butterflies flutter all around you.
In the afternoon we return to the hotel. Funny trip, right?
Zanzibar is not only about the spices, it’s also about the food.
Fruits and vegetables are best used in combination with spices, fish, seafood and rice. Coconut milk is the basis of most rice dishes. The fish croquettes are very common. Anything with fish is fresh, that is for sure!
On the island, two rice dishes are traditional: biryani and pilau. The rice is cooked separately from the meat and sauce in biryani. When everything is completed, it is mixed and served with an exquisite sauce.
Pilau is cooked with all of the ingredients in the same pot, which gives the rice an excellent flavor. You have the option of ordering it with or without meat.
Soup Urojo is made with wheat and has mango and lemon flavors. It also typically includes potatoes and a variety of spices and meat. The locals enjoy it for lunch.
The specific dessert of the island is the spicy cake, with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cocoa. A cake with egg and vanilla, figs or hazelnuts is mainly consumed by Muslims (95% of the Zanzibar people) at the end of Ramadan.
Zanzibar pizza is unlike any other pizza you’ve ever seen. It’s closer to a pancake or pupusa. The dough is folded up to contain all of the ingredients before being fried on a hot metal pan. These are fiilled up with chicken or beef and commonly feature an egg, cheese, onion, bell peppers, and mayo. If you prefer it spicy, you can order it with chili! If you want something sweet, some sellers create these with Nutella or mango and cheese.
Zanzibar people used to drink mostly coconut water, but when the arabs came coffee began to gain in taste.
Zanzibar beaches
If there is a backpacker spot on Zanzibar, it’s Paje Beach, as Kite Surfing is the most popular thing in Paje. It’s frequently regarded as one of the top locations in the world for kiteboarding. The beach has hip cafes, burger joints, kite surfing companies, bars, and hostels.
To reach the beach you go through poor sights, very old small houses and barefoot children. The school in the area has bars at the windows, first I thought is was a stable for cows, then the guide told us that the building is a school, ok, a very poor one!
Zanzibar Hotels
If there is a backpacker spot on Zanzibar, it’s Paje Beach, with cafes, burger joints, kite surfing companies, bars, and hostels.
As Paje Beach is a poor area we will focus our suggestions on the hotels we’ve stayed in. also we can recommend the hotels where we’ve had clients with a great feedback.
This a short list, but it’s not all we can offer.
First and the best on my list for HONEYMOON is ZAWADI HOTEL, part of the prestigious Zanzibar Collection.
I stayed in Zawadi Hotel recently. The service here is pure luxury. The resort has only 12 villas (100 mp each), for adults mainly. I was amazed by the costumer care and the personal attention every member of the staff has for the guests. this is my number 1 recommendation for a couple holiday!
The meals are served a la carte, the choice is rich. The food is delicious and the wines are mainly from South Africa. At dinner time there is live traditional music.
The infinity pool gives you a wide ocean view. The sandy beach is just down the stairs, always with a lifeguard.
Highly charmed by this resort, I suggest you try it for at least 1 night.
The room, in fact a villa, has a huge bathroom, with bathtub and shower, the minibar is full and refilled daily, the bed is big and comfortable. The outside terrace has a mini pool and 2 sunbeds, a baldachin and a private ocean view. The next villa is far, so you have intimacy. Enjoy!
Another resort I really like is Tulia Zanzibar 5*. The only minus here is that they have no beach during the tide. The resort is build on a rock with nice ocean views, the villas are big and nice. the service is great! Ee’ve had dinner in the garden, with live traditional music and a la carte menu. Go for it!
The manager (a czech gentleman) is always around to make sure you fell just great!
The hotel recommendation list should continue, but we want to keep it simple.
We know the best in Zanzibar, for luxury, standard and budget hotels.
We also know very good resorts for families with kids, starting with Melia Zanzibar, then others.
This is why you are most welcome to contact us, to design the proper holiday just for you.
Let’s open new doors together, with great enthusiasm and joy!
Hakuna Matata!
Don’t worry, we are with you all the way.
Hai cu noi!
Let’s enjoy!
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Daniela Berbece
Fondator Enjoy Touring
+40741559352
daniela@enjoytouring.ro