Zanzibar Excursions & Short Trips

ZANZIBAR STONE TOWN TOUR (3hrs)

The three hours guided tour, begins and end up at your hotel where you will walk/driven to the city market (opened 1904). You will feel the pulse of Zanzibar and hear different dialects being spoken by the people at the market. From there we proceed to the Anglican Church of Christ built by Bishop Steers in 1874 on the site of old slave market.

You will see tiny and dingy room where slaves were kept (Slave Chambers) before reaching the auction table in the Old slave market. Then, you will be driven or walk (optional) to National Museum of Zanzibar (opened 1925), to see many interesting relics from the time of the Sultans and the early Explores.

While, walking along the beach road up to Forodhani Gardens, where you will see the Old British Consulate (the house where the body of late Dr.Livingstone was kept and later sent to Britain), the Arab Fort built (1700), the House of Wonders (built in 1883) National Museum of Zanzibar, High Court Building, Old German Consulate, Africa House (former English Club) Tip Tip House, kelele Square, Old British Consulate, Orphanage Home, Old Fort, Forodhani Gardens, House of Wonders (Current National Museum), Sultan Palace (Palace Museum) former French Hotel in Zanzibar ,Custom House, Old Dispensary, Old Harbor are among the topic of this guided tour in Zanzibar.

Afterwards, a leisure walking through the narrow streets of Stone town (old part of Zanzibar town), where most of the houses date back to more than two hundred and fifty years. In this part of town you will find a lot of exotic small bazaars and shops.

ZANZIBAR SPICE TOUR (3hrs)

Tropical fruits, spices and other rare species of plants are among the different vegetation to be seen in this guided tour. It is not only a tour but a rare experience to prove out why Zanzibar is referred to as the “Spice Island”.

These three hours guided tour, begins and end up at your hotel via Kidichi Village, to view the Persian Baths built in 1850 by Seyyid Said bin Sultan (first Sultan of Zanzibar) for his wife Princess Shehrzard (grand daughter of Fateh Ali Shah of Persia).

At Kizimbani Village you will visit Spice Farms to see smell and test varieties of Tropical fruits & Spices. Zanzibar offers many Fresh Spices including: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black peppers, roots gingers, vanilla sticks, lemon grass, nutmeg and many others; tropical fruits like jack fruit, bread fruit, pineapples, bananas, coconut mangos, malay apples and many others.

Rare plants such as henna bush, Ylang lang (the perfume tree) and anator (lipstick tree) are to be seen. Clients shall see the local peoples at their pulse and have opportunity to make good photographs.

PRISON ISLAND TOUR (1-3hrs)

From Stone Town you can board a local dhow and head towards Prison Island, also known as Changuu Island, famous for its Prison and Giant Tortoises!

This historical island was formerly owned by Arabs and used for the confinement of refractory slaves. It was bought by General Matthews and the jail which still stands, was built in 1893 and hence the name Prison Island.

While on the island, you will see the Giant tortoise, which are the main attraction of the island.
The beautiful beach is an ideal spot for sunbathing and the clear waters lend to excellent snorkeling.

DOLPHIN TOUR (3hrs)

Situated on the southern point of the island, Kizimkazi fishing village is home to several schools of bottle-nosed dolphins and Humpback dolphins, which can often be sighted following a short boat trip from the village.

If you are lucky, you may be able to swim quite close to the dolphins, which can be a very rewarding experience.

We are doing this trip in the afternoon to avoid the crowds of tourists in the morning, which in big numbers desturbing the dolphins. Kizimkazi is also the site of a 12th century mosque, the earliest evidence of Islam in East Africa, and is thus worth a visit for both natural and cultural reasons.

SANDBANK (Full Day)

We board the dhow at the hotel and then set sail towards Prison Island, to see the remains of the prison built to condemn Zanzibari citizens to isolation and watch the giant tortoises shuffle through the trees, with the patience that old age brings. From there we will do some snorkelling with a guide and teacher to see the stunning array of coloured corals and tropical fish of the islands.

Then hop back onboard and let us sail you away to a sand bank where brilliant birdlife exists. A seemingly uninhabited and quiet bank in the ocean suddenly comes to life with millions of birds flying overhead and ghost crabs scurrying across the golden sands.

After lunch relax on the sandbank listening to the birdlife around you and the hush of waves lapping against the shore. For the more active discover more underwater life around the sandbank and listen to stories from our crew about sailing the seven seas.
We will slowly sail back to Stone Town after soaking up the sun and return back to the Serena Inn by 03:30pm, relaxed and fall more in love with Zanzibar than you thought imaginable!

DHOW SUNSET CRUISE (1-2 hrs)

Our sunset cruises leave Stone Town in the late afternoon to cruise along the coast, slicing through the clear turquoise water. The sounds of the bustle of busy people in Stone Town grow faint in the distance until they seem there, only in a memory.

Musicians take over the sounds playing taarab, songs of love and loss, on violin and oud, as the crew serve canapés and keep your glass topped up with your choice of a selection of beers, sodas and drinking water from the Zanzibar Serena Inn, encouraging you to sink back into the cushions and enjoy the romance of Africa while watching the scenery drift by.

Onboard our dhow we have a personal guide who will accompany you on your cruise and give you a tour of Stone Town from the water as well as be able to answer any questions that you may have for him.

The sunsets, changing the sky from shades of pinks and blues to magnificent golden colours as you sail back towards the glimmering lights of Stone Town in the distance and the wind gently blows you back to the shore.

JOZANI FOREST TOUR (1-3hrs)

Zanzibar's first and only National Park is centred on Jozani Forest. With mangrove forests and saltmarshes to the north of the National park, the area is an extremely rich mosaic of Zanzibar's diverse natural habitats, a Haven for much wildlife, including rare, endemic and endangered species.

Found only on the main island of Zanzibar, the Zanzibar Red Colobus is recognised as a separate species (Piliocolobus kirkii) and is said to be endemic to Zanzibar.

During your Jozani Forest Nature Trail, you can stroll at your leisure to visit The Mama Mtondoo - or the Mother Mahogany, thought to be over 200 years old, or see the two trees in one - the strangler fig and its partner - the sycamore fig, or view the raffia fern which boasts the largest leaf in the world.

SAFARI BLUE TRIP (Full Day)

The trip is a full day trip on locally constructed sailing dhows, fitted with outboard motors, marine VHF radios, life jackets and other security requirements. Clients are transferred to Fumba village, approximately 14 miles from town to board the dhow.

The trip explores mainly Menai Bay, inhabited by humpback and bottlenose dolphins, which are conserved area. The dhow anchors in a safe and shallow area to allow for snorkelling.

High quality snorkelling material is provided, and a large range of sizes is available. Lunch is served on a sand bank or on one of the many uninhabited island in the region.

A traditional dish of barbecued fish, rice, lentils and fish curry is serves. Chilled fruit juice, mineral water, and bottled soft drinks are available throughout the tour. After lunch, clients can sail on an outrigger canoe carved out of a single mango tree, snorkel and swim, or just relax.

The trip is a full day trip on locally constructed sailing dhows, fitted with outboard motors, marine VHF radios, life jackets and other security requirements. Clients are transferred to Fumba village, approximately 14 miles from town to board the dhow.

The trip explores mainly Menai Bay, inhabited by humpback and bottlenose dolphins, which are conserved area. The dhow anchors in a safe and shallow area to allow for snorkelling.

High quality snorkelling material is provided, and a large range of sizes is available. Lunch is served on a sand bank or on one of the many uninhabited island in the region.

A traditional dish of barbecued fish, rice, lentils and fish curry is serves. Chilled fruit juice, mineral water, and bottled soft drinks are available throughout the tour. After lunch, clients can sail on an outrigger canoe carved out of a single mango tree, snorkel and swim, or just relax.

SLAVE CAVES MANGAPWANI

Slave Chambers: Built around 1880 from the cave and connected to the seaside 2kms away, the area is surrounded by varieties of indigenous trees such as Breadfruit, Ramboutants and scent shrubs. It was an important transit point for the captured slaves to be sold to the outside world at the time of the abolishment of slavery in 1873.

Between 1880 and 1905, the chamber was being used as a place of concealment of the human cargo pending their disposal.

The guided tour begins and ends at your hotel; Mangapwani ("Arab Shore") lies in a district where many Arabs used to live. In the village there is a Police Station, also a large government "Bungalow" which was built by the Arabs who originally owned Prison Island. Newly opened Serena Restaurant is nearby the Slave Caves.

Swimming, Sun bathing may be done widely.

EXCURSIONS PRICE LIST 2013- 2014 FROM BEACH HOTELS

TOUR	6 PAX (Rate Per person sharing in US$)
CITY TOUR HALF DAY	70
SPICE TOUR HALF DAY	65
CITY & SPICE TOUR FULL DAY	85
JOZANI FOREST HALF DAY	65
CITY & JOZANI FULL DAY	85
DOLPHIN TRIP HALF DAY	80
DOLPHIN & JOZANI FULL DAY	80
PRISON ISLAND HALF DAY	70
CITY & PRISON ISLAND FULL DAY	80
CITY, SPICE & PRISON FULL DAY	85
SAFARI BLUE	110

     

 NB:

¨       All above price are in US$.

¨       All the above tours are excluding lunch except Safari Blue.

¨       Extra US$ 30 per person has to be paid if lunch (picnic) is requested on any excursion.

¨       The prices are including entrance fees.

¨       All the above prices are only valid if clients will be from Beach Hotels.

¨       Please note that the price is net.