Stone Town and Kendwa Beach, Zanzibar

We left our camp just south of Dar es Salam in Tuktuks (a trike with a covered seat for two in the back) to head for the Zanzibar ferry, in what can only be described as whacky races!

Zanzibar sits in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Tanzania, a beautiful one and a half hour ferry ride from Dar es Salam, Tanzania’s capital city.  We were staying at Safari Lodge in Stone Town, the old section of Zanzibar Town. Stone Town is made up of a maze of narrow winding streets and alley ways, lined with lots of curio shops selling clothes, material, jewellery and wooden carvings. It was very easy to spend hours wandering around visiting all the shops.

Zanzibar has a large Islamic population and it was the start of Ramadan when we arrived, meaning we could not eat or drink on the streets during the day and we had to be respectful of what we wore. Women had to wear trousers or a long skirt and make sure our shoulders were covered. In Stone Town, you could be arrested for eating or drinking in public during Ramadan, but it was a lot more relaxed when we got to Kendwa Beach on the North of the island. You could regularly hear the call to prayer echoing round the town from the many mosques.

Every morning at the main Daranjani Market on Creek Road you would find the locals selling the daily catch in the fish hall, here you will also find the meat market, with entire carcasses for sale, a place to avoid if you get queasy at the sight of raw meat or have a sensitive nose! Behind the Daranjani Market hall is the spice market, selling all sorts of spices farmed on Zanzibar, there is not an overpowering smell of spices as you may expect, as a lot of them are packaged in small plastic bags, but you can still enjoy lots of different smells.

Stone Town is known for its elaborate carved doors, there are more than 500 still in Stone Town today, many are much older than the buildings they are set in. The door was often the first part of the house to be built and indicated the wealth and status of the family. Arabic doors have a square frame, while newer Indian influenced doors have an arch on top. Some of the doors have large metal spokes on them, this comes from the Indian influence and was to stop elephants battering down the door. A common feature around the streets of Stone Town is the “baraza”, a stone bench outside the front door facing onto the street, it serves as a meeting place for socialising.

Despite there not being many cars in the narrow winding streets of Stone Town, you had to be careful not to be mowed down by a passing scooter, bicycle or cart of which there were lots!

Zanzibar has a history of being a major port for slave trading back in the 19th century, from as many as 10,000 to 50,000 slaves were passing through every year. Close to 600,000 slaves passed through between 1830 and 1873, when a treaty with Britain ended the trade. We visited an Anglican Cathedral which now sits on the site of the Old Slave Market, beside which there is a memorial.

Zanzibar is well known for its spices, with plantations scattered across the island, but they no longer dominate the economy. We visited a plantation and where shown lots of plants from which spices come from, which was very interesting. Zanzibar still produces cloves, black pepper, cardamon, cinnamon and nutmeg, also breadfruit, jackfruit, vanilla and lemongrass.

After a day in Stone Town we headed North to Kendwa Beach, where we stayed at Sunset Bungalows. Based right on the beach front, it was a two minute walk to the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.

We took a relaxing sunset cruise on a traditional Dhow along the coast, while listening to the crew singing “Jambo Bwana” and other African songs, as they played on drums and with maracas made from old tin cans on sticks.

Kendwa was a time to relax, swim in the warm ocean and take long walks along the beautiful long beaches.