The Stone Town of Zanzibar travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

The Stone Town of Zanzibar is a fine example of the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa. The site has probably been occupied for around three centuries with buildings only being constructed with stone since the1830. Stone Town is the old city and cultural heart of Zanzibar, where little has changed for hundreds of years. It’s a delightful place of narrow alleys, crumbly mosques and grand Arab houses with giant brass-studded wooden doors.

The old town is built on a triangular peninsula of land on the western coast of the island. It consists of a warren of narrow alleys to houses, shops bazaars and mosques. Transport around town is by foot, bicycle or motorbike : cars are too wide to drive down many of the inner streets. Stone Town has been designated by UNESCO. It is also famous as the birthplace of Freddie Mercury, who used to be the lead singer of the band Queen.

At it’s height around,1870, the Sultan of Zanzibar held sway over an enormous tract of mainland Africa and control of the trades in silver, ivory and slaves. Due to its location, Zanzibar experiences a warm tropical climate. The average temperature is 256 but it can be as high as 396. February is the warmest month, while August is the coolest. There are two rainfall seasons, the longest and heaviest rains occurring in March to May and short rains in September to November. The Population of Zanzibar is estimated at approximately 1,000,000.
Stone Town is a mix of Arabian and Indian architecture. For many centuries there was intense seaborne trading activity between Asia and Africa, and this is illustrated in an exceptional manner by the architecture and urban structure of the Stone Town. A walk through the town will show you just how interesting the place is. You can spend hours getting lost in the fascinating network of alleyways full of shops and stalls selling spices, coconuts, mangos and lots of fresh seafood.