Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar Island tourism, Tanzania (HD 1080p)

• Report rights infringement
• published: 07 Apr 2016
• views: 100880

Zanzibar Island tourism, Tanzania - Trip to Zanzibar Island, Tanzania - Zanzibar Island vacations Sponsors (( http://www.gct.com & http://www.oattravel.com )) Travel Videos HD, World Travel Guide http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=World1Tube Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago off the coast of Tanzania consisting of Zanzibar Island (locally, Unguja), Pemba Island and many smaller islands. Zanzibar island itself is approximately 90km long and 30km wide. See in Zanzibar, Tanzania =================== There is a lot to see and to do on Zanzibar island. First and foremost, do enjoy the amazing white sand beaches especially at the north, east and south coast. The sand has the consistency of castor sugar! The best beaches are Nungwi/Kendwa, Matemwe/Kiwengwa and Paje/Jambiani, each offering different appeal. Zanzibar Island, a.k.a., The Spice Island, was an important stop in the Spice Trade centuries ago. Today, it is one of the few places in the world where saffron is produced, and many other Middle Eastern/Asian spices (cardamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, etc.) are grown here. Visit one of the spice farms where you can see how anise, pepper, cloves etc. grow; you can sample some of the exotic fruit grown on the island. And do check out the "lipstick tree". There are a number of historically important (and frankly, just plain beautiful) buildings in Stone Town, like The House of Wonders and The Arab Fort. It is easy to arrange a simple walking tour with a local guide who can teach you some history. The market in Stone Town is one of the largest, most vibrant open-air markets anywhere. Here, you can find several varieties of bananas, "elephant garlic" unique to the island, the largest avocados you'll probably ever see, and more. Prices are extremely reasonable. Even if you have no intentions of purchasing food, the spectacle alone is worth a visit. If seeing raw meat and fish covered in flies makes you squeamish, avoid that part of the market. Overall, pretty much all food that is not packaged in plastic is covered in flies. Seaweed Center (Seaweed industry development project), (Paje, East Coast, Zanzibar), ☎ +255 772 37-18-44, 3% of the world's commercial harvest of Seaweed is taking place in Zanzibar island. The industry has ~15,000 women seaweed farmers. The Seaweed Center is a socially responsible business that provides female seaweed farmers in Paje, Zanzibar with opportunities to improve their personal standards of living and develop economic activities that benefit the entire community. The project comprises a factory and gathering site to produce soaps and creams from seaweed that are sold locally and begin to be distributed throughout East Africa. Tours are available, showing the life of seaweed women, the work and the value added activities.ck tree". *Zanzibar also has quite a lot of caves, e.g. Tazani near Nungwi or Kuumbi Caves in Jambiani. A tour company in Jambiani called "Mambo Poa Tours" (www.mambopoatours-zanzibar.com) offers excursions off the beaten track, for example to an abandoned eco resort in the South of Zanzibar. Also do a village tour that are offered all over the island. The villagers don't see tourists as intruders, to the contrary, they welcome foreigners. *Please do make sure that you are dressed with a t-shirt and knee-length pants - Zanzibarians are 98 % Muslims and walking through villages in beach gear is disrespectful. *A Zanzibar resident put together quite a lot of information on "Zanzibar Insider Buzz", you can google it. There are also useful facebook pages, such as Karibu Zanzibar, Backpacking in Zanzibar, plus any facebook page from one of the many tour operators. *Jozani Forest has excellent nature trails, featuring some very exotic (and large) trees and plants. Even more interesting, though, are the Red Colobus Monkeys that live here. These Monkeys can only survive on Zanzibar, nowhere else in the world, since they need a diet of 70 different plants, berries etc. The Red Colobus Monkeys are a protected species. A major part of the entrance fees goes to the local farmers in the surrounding area. In the past, the farmers killed the Monkeys because they destroyed their crops. Ever since they are compensated for their losses, the killing stopped. They are very curious and playful and will likely pose for a picture. The entry fee (USD10) also include an optional visit to a beautiful mangrove forest which is highly recommended. Stone Town ======== The inner city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, is a most unique city. Blending Moorish, Middle Eastern, Indian, and African traditions and architectures, it is possible to spend days winding through Stone Town's labyrinthine alleys. That said, a day will give you plenty of insight. The inner city is small and can easily be explored by foot. It is estimated that 85% of the historic building fabric (coral stone) of Stone Town is irredeemably lost.