Zanzibar - Island of sultans, slaves and spices

Visit Zanzibar and take a step back in time to a colonial Africa of Omani palaces, trading dhows and spice plantations.

 

- Justin Fox

My partner and I flew in to explore the island on a 10-day visit, staying on the east, west and north coasts, as well as in the capital, Stone Town. First up, was a lovely, small hotel in the northeast near the village of Matemwe. Azanzi was all wooden decks, makuti (palm-frond) roofs and hammocks, set on a sweep of beach where locals launched their ngalawas (outrigger canoes) and set sail for the outer reefs.

We spent our days lounging beside the pool sipping freshly squeezed tropical juices or using the hotel’s mountain bikes to explore the beaches. When the tide was low, we walked or kayaked out to the barrier reef, where women scavenged for marine titbits. It was the rainy season and bruised thunderheads towered above, occasionally showering us with hot rain. The play of light in the shallows and the sky was mesmerising.

Scuba fish is a diving outfit based at Azanzi. We joined them for a trip to Mnemba Atoll and a day of snorkelling and diving. Our dhow anchored in turquoise water and I tipped over the side, descending to 16 metres where the reef teemed with lion fish, scorpion fish, moray eels, nudibranches and giant groupers. In the deeper water, I spotted Napoleon wrasses, blue-fin trevallies and clouds of dancing bat fish.