With its white sandy beaches, clear blue waters, and remarkable history resulting in a unique Indian Ocean melting-pot culture, Zanzibar is one of today’s popular travel destinations.
Stone Town is the historic part of Zanzibar’s capital “Zanzibar Town”. With a population of 1.3 million people, Zanzibar Town has grown into a large city that keeps on rapidly developing and expanding.
We suggest you a few things to do in Stone Town (and “Zanzibar Town”):
Emerson on Hurumzi Tea House Rooftop
Emerson on Hurumzi Tea House and Secret Garden is a creatively in colorful Zanzibari decor designed old merchant's house that is known for its romantic rooftop, which has occasional live music. It features and beautiful views of Stone Town and the Indian Ocean.
To catch and enjoy the ‘Sunset hour’ before dinner (usually served at 7pm), diners are encouraged to arrive at 6pm. During the sunset hour, pre-dinner sundowner cocktails also await you. With only one event a day and limited seating, making reservations for the Emerson Spice Rooftop Tea House is essential.
Dhow Countries Music Academy
DCMA proudly guards the cultural heritage and interesting music heritage of Zanzibar and the “dhow region” which include countries along the shores of the Arab Gulf and the Indian Ocean such as Zanzibar, Iran, U.A.E, Comoros, Kuwait, India and Oman.
Their emphasis is placed on teaching traditional music styles such as kidumbak, ngoma and taarab with which they use as a tool for social change and youth empowerment.
There is always something going on at the DCMA, with concerts, jam sessions and workshops happening several times per week. You will have the chance to listen to talented local musicians.
We have been cooperating with the music academy for many years, bringing volunteer music teachers. You can be one of them!
Forodhani Gardens
Also known as the Night Market, Forodhani Gardens is a small park located along the main seawalk of Stone Town.
During the day, it is the perfect spot to catch a break (and maybe lunch or a drink) after a busy day in Stone Town. In the evenings, this park is especially busy when tourists and locals gather in a popular food street market in the main square. Here, they enjoy Zanzibari and Swahili delicacies such as chapati, samosa, fish skewers, shrimps and finger food. While the food might not always be fresh and prices are clearly targeting foreign tourists, it's the ambiance that makes this spot so special.
At sunset, local young men compete in who makes the most elegant jumps from the stone walls of Forodhani Gardens into the ocean. This has become a social media phenomenon and Tanzanian and foreign celebrities have joined the boys in their artistic jumps.
Cultural Arts Centre
The Cultural Arts Centre was created in 2008 with the goal to promote the Zanzibari diverse artistic heritage. Through CACZ, local artists and artisans from the island can receive training and sell products; the focus is on locally produced artwork and souvenirs made from sustainable materials, by groups such as women’s cooperatives. The center gives even artists and artisans from remote areas of Zanzibar access to tourists potentially purchases their items. Products include baskets, cushion covers, soaps, carvings, painting, drawings, decoration items made from upcycled products, sustainably-farmed pearls, jewelry and so forth.
We have been arranging internships at the Cultural Arts Centre for many years, so if you visit, you might find one of our World Unite! interns helping out at the center.
Freddie Mercury’s Birth House
Another one bites the dust!
The legendary Freddie Mercury, lead vocalist of the rock band Queen was born in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946 under the name of Farrokh Bulsara. His parents were from the Parsi community of western India who had moved to Zanzibar working for the British Colonial Office.
Freddy lived in Zanzibar with his parents from his birth to the age of 7. He was then sent to live with relatives in India, but returned to Zanzibar in 1963 when he was 17. At the age of 18, in 1946 at the time of the violence related to the revolution against the Sultan of Oman which led to Zanzibar's independence, his family fled from Zanzibar.
His birth house is now a museum. The main artifact shown at the museum is a black piano that little Freddy (or Farroukh) used to play at his birth house.
Darajani Market
Nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, and hot chili—can you recall the last time you were enveloped in the fragrance of all these spices while doing your grocery shopping?
At Darajani market, the air is filled with the enticing aroma of spices. However, it's not just spices; this market boasts a variety of other offerings such as herbal teas, fish, tropical fruits and vegetables, colorful African clothing, and curio arts & crafts. The streets around the market building are lined with myriad small local shops. Similar to traditional Arabic cities, each road typically hosts a specific type of shop; for instance, one street might be adorned with numerous jewelry shops, while another is dedicated to fabric traders.
It's the perfect area to experience the historic Stone Town and perhaps find a souvenir to bring back home!
When you join our programs in Zanzibar Town, as part of your arrival orientation, we will take you to the Darajani area and teach you how to bargain like a local.
Mlandege and Michenzani Area
Wait! Zanzibar Town is more than just Stone Town. Real local life isn't happening in the tourist staging of Stone Town. Zanzibar Town has various areas outside of the historic Stone Town worth exploring.
The way from Darajani Market to the Mlandege area leads you through the Mchangani area that has hundreds of small shops selling clothing, household items, electronics, and more. Once you arrive in the Mlandege (in swahili meaning "Bird eater") area, with its 5-6 storey buildings giving it a quite urban feeling, you will find larger shops, including the Kwality supermarket and some restaurants. As they don't target tourists but rather Zanzibar's upper-middle-class people, they are cheaper than restaurants in Stone Town, offering the same, if not better, quality and choice.
A neighboring area to Mlandege is Michenzani. When you walk from Mlandege, passing residential concrete blocks donated to Zanzibar by communist Eastern Germany in the 1960s/70s, you will reach Michenzani Mall, a large shopping mall that opened in 2021, of international standards. Opposite Michenzani Mall is Mapinduzi Square (“Revolution Square”), which has a tower of interesting Space Age architecture and where there are often public events.
Along the Airport Road
The long road connecting the Mnazi Mmoja area of Stone Town with the airport, spanning 5 km, is filled with shops, both smaller and larger supermarkets, and numerous restaurants, including Nyama Choma places specializing in grilled meat. It is bustling with activity during the daytime, and especially lively in the evenings with many street food stands along the road. These stalls sell the typical Zanzibar fast food, which is French fries, mishikaki meat skewers, shawarma, and fried chicken.
There are also quite stylish cafés with sweet milkshakes, pancakes, waffles and ice cream and Western-Arabic-style fast-food restaurants selling pizza, burgers, salads, and grilled meat. You should avoid these cafés and restaurants on weekends and public holidays, as they are overcrowded with large middle-upper-class local families that are often given priority by the service staff.
What not to do in Zanzibar!
You should not go on dolphin tours in Kizimkazi. The providers of these tours disturb the dolphins significantly by chasing them and surrounding them with multiple boats.
Similarly, we advise against visiting Prison Island, which is popular among tourists as a boat trip from Stone Town. A far too large number of Aldabra giant tortoises are kept there in a space that is too confined.
