Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania. It is composed of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 20 miles off the coast of the mainland. It consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island referred to as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City. Its historic center is Stone Town, which is a World Heritage Site. I stayed in Stone Town at Stonetown View Inn. If you wish to stay in a hostel, Lost and Found is the popular hostel that most volunteers stay at in Stone Town. Another popular area to stay is on the East coast at Jambiani Beach. Although this is a more picturesque beach, I preferred to stay in Stone Town because there were more accessible restaurants, markets, and nightlife. I took 2 day trips to the East Coast for very cheap so I think I made the right decision. Stone Town is also close to the airport making it nice on your arrival and departure days. Stone Town in Swahili means “Old Town” and is the old part of Zanzibar City. The newer portion of the city is known as Ng’ambo, Swahili for “the other side”. Stone Town is located on the western coast of Unguja. Day 1 : Stone Town On my first day in Zanzibar, I explored Stone Town by walking along the waterfront, strolling on the beach, and exploring the main market. Darajani Market has everything- from spices, fresh fish, meat and chickens to shoes, household goods, and electronics. It is all set out in a series of covered halls and overflows into the surrounding streets. If you’re buying food, come in the morning when everything is fresh, although it’s much busier then. After the main market, I explored more of the town by walking through the maze of streets filled with various souvenir shops. Be sure to bargain!! I also took a visit to the Old Fort (free of charge). The Old Fort overlooks Forodhani Gardens and the ocean. It was built by Omani Arabs when they seized the island from the Portuguese in 1698, and over the centuries it’s had various uses, from a prison to a tennis club. There is a line of souvenir shops and a nice cafe/bar here. I walked past the Old Dispensary historical building. It is located on the seafront, halfway between the Palace Museum and the harbor. It served as a dispensary in the first half of the 20th century. It now has a small museum about the history of Zanzibar. One thing that I did not get around to doing in Stone Town was visiting Sultan’s Place. I did, however walk by it. It is a 3-story building located on the seafront. The palace was built in the late 19th century to serve was a residence for the Sultan’s family. After the Zanzibar Revolution, in 1964 it was formally renamed to People’s Palace and used as a government seat. In 1994, it became a museum about the Zanzibari royal family and history. For dinner, I ate at the local street market in Forodhani Park where several food vendors prepare food along the waterfront. Each evening as the sun sets, Forodhani Gardens transforms into an open-air food market. You can eat while you watch the locals dive into the water during high tide. Another restaurant option that you can consider is the Floating Restaurant. I also went to Tatu night club to dance and have a drink. Tatu means three in Swahili and this place has three floors: a well-stocked bar on the 1st floor, a pub-style restaurant on the 2nd floor, and a rooftop cocktail lounge on the 3rd floor where you can soak up the ocean views and dance the night away. Day 2: Prison Island and Nakupenda Beach The next day, I took a private tour of Prison Island and Nakupenda Beach. I got contact information from reading reviews on Trip Advisor. You can contact Ali on WhatsApp at +255 773 518 781 or Mohamed on at +255 777 576 383. At first Ali wanted to charge me $120, but I told him that it was mentioned on Trip Advisor for $50 so he agreed to that cost. You seriously have to bargain with EVERYONE in Tanzania. They want your business and know that other companies are doing it for next-to-nothing so are willing to go pretty low. The $50 included hotel pick-up, entrance fee to Prison Island, the boat ride, snorkel gear, and a delicious seafood lunch. Changuu Island, also known as Prison Island, lies about 30 minutes by boat from Stone Town. The island was formerly owned by an Arab and saw use for confinement of slaves. It also became a quarantine station for yellow fever epidemics. Prisoners were never actually held here though. The island was bought by General Lloyd Mathews and his goal was to make it into a jail. The jail was built in 1893 and is still there today and hence the name “Prison Island”. In 1919, the British governor of Seychelles sent a gift in the form of four Aldabra giant tortoises to Changuu. Presently the species is considered vulnerable and has been placed on the IUCN Red List. There is a dedicated foundation on the island which looks after the tortoises’ welfare. The oldest tortoise at the sanctuary is 192 years old. The average weight of the tortoises is 200kg. While on the island you will be able to observe and feed the tortoises, swim, sunbathe, and snorkel. After two hours walking around and taking some time to relax, I got back in the boat where the two co-captains/guides took me to Nakupenda Beach. Nakupenda in Swahili means “I love you” and is the name of an amazing sandbank located just off of Stone Town. After another 30-minute boat ride, I took a walk in the sand and went snorkeling as the guys cooked lunch. For lunch, they cooked lobster, squid, octopus, fish, and
Day 1: Marrakesh We arrived at our riad (hotel) where we were greeted with tea and bread. We then started our day at the Majorelle Gardens. This garden was created over the course of forty years by French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962). The park is one of the top attractions of Marrakesh; it has many shady paths meandering between tall trees and passed exotic plants. There are water features, streams and pools of water lilies and lotus flowers. At the entrance there is a beautiful fountain, other features of the garden include a cacti garden, a blue square fountain, the Café Bousafsaf, exotic plant garden, Yves Saint Laurent Memorial, a bamboo garden, pavilion and a collection of buildings including Boutique Majorelle, Galerie Love and the Berber Museum and bookshop. After the gardens, we headed to see Koutoubia Mosque. Marrakesh’s largest mosque is located near Djemaa el-Fna square. It is considered one of the most beautiful and proportioned mosques in existance. The mosque was named Koutoub which means “book” as a book market once stood not far from the mosque. We then walked around Djema el-Fna which is the central square and market place in Marrakesh’s Medina quarter. Back in 1050 it was the site of public executions (hence the name which means assembly of death) but today it is a hive of activity 24/7. This huge square is a bustle of activity with color, aromas, sounds and ever changing scenes. During the day the large square is frequented by snake charmers, men with Barbary apes, medicine men, water vendors, tooth pullers and vendors. But the square really comes to life when the sun goes down. Stalls are set up across the square with strings of lights adding to the atmosphere. In addition to the stalls there are storytellers, the Hoopla and halqa street theatre, water sellers, side-show attractions, fortune tellers, horse drawn carriages, henna tattoo painters, musicians, acrobats and entertainers. You will also find your fair share of pickpockets, scam artists and beggars. As the evening progresses the market turns into a large open-air restaurant with stalls serving up grilled meat and other delicacies. Impressive buildings surround the square including hotels, gardens, cafes and on one side by the souk, a traditional North African market. If you want to feel the heart beat of Marrakesh then visit one of the markets or souks especially those in the Old City (Medina). Just go to the central Square (el-Fnaa) and walk into the side streets to reach the markets. The markets are an attack on the senses with aromas, sounds, music, bright colors and plenty of people-watching opportunities. Here you can see fresh produce piled high, nuts, figs, dried fruit, spices, halva, olives, carpets, clothing, household goods, toys, candy, baked goods, brass ware, leather items, accessories, and the list could go on. This is the place to haggle over prices and find authentic and unique souvenirs. Of course it goes without saying that there are pickpockets who take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Many of the markets focus on one type of goods like the Carpet souk where you can see a variety of rugs and carpets including Berber carpets. At the Slipper Market you can find …slippers – row after row of colorful traditional Moroccan slippers (babouches) in leather, cloth and embroidery. The Metal ware Souk is where you’ll find lanterns and metal ornaments made from a range of different types of metal. The Spice Souk is the most colorful of the markets. The spices are displayed in huge sacks or in towering pyramids. There is also a Silk Souk, Crystal Souk, the tannery and other designated souks but really they all just flow one into the other. In all there are about 3,000 stalls. Just remember to hang on to your bag; bargain hard and learn to say no. After lunch, we went to Medresa Ben Youssef which was an Islamic college constructed during the Almoravid era (14th century). The building ceased to function as an Islamic college in 1960 and underwent extensive refurbishing before being opened to the public in 1982. The Medresa is known for its beautiful ceramic tiles, carved plaster work, and typical 15th century design. It is possible to explore the dormitory cells. Next we headed to the Bahia Palace and gardens. The palace has a harem with a large courtyard featuring a central basin and rooms around the courtyard that open up to the central area. There are pavilions, walled gardens and buildings. The oldest part of the palace is Dar Si Moussa with a courtyard, central garden, fountains and many varieties of trees. There are decorative rooms with ceramic tiles covering the walls. One of the greatest parts of the newer section of the palace is the marble courtyard measuring 30 meters by 50 meters. It is divided into quadrants by white marble pathways with colorful tiles and glazed earthenware in a checkerboard pattern and fountains where the paths meet. The palace is still used by the royal family and is sometimes closed when the royals are using the palace. Our next stop was the El Badi Palace. It has not survived in its entirety but it is still possible to see the ruined remains. The palace was commissioned by Saadian ruler Ahmad al-Mansur in the 16 th century. The palace complex once had more than 350 rooms, courtyards, walled gardens, fountains and a pool. The palace was unfortunately destroyed by Moulay Ismail but there is still plenty to see including the sunken gardens, dungeon prison cells, subterranean passages and the main hall with 50 columns. The palace ruins are used for festivals and special events including weekend dance parties. Close to the palace is the Kasbah Mosque (El Mansouria) which is located in the old fortified city. It is easy to confuse the Kasbah Mosque with the Koutoubia Mosque because of the similarity between their square minarets. Like other mosques non-Muslims cannot visit inside the building. Day 2: Atlas Mountains We took
