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ZANZIBAR SAFARIS
Zanzibar is a
unique coral island lying in the Indian Ocean a short
distance from Tanzania. With Pemba, and about 50 other
islands, Zanzibar originally was an independent country
until 1964 when it was united with Tanganyika to form
Tanzania under President Julius Nyerere. Presently it has
its own President and a degree of autonomy.
The island's
history goes back many centuries. Its heyday came in the
early 19th century when the Sultan of Muscat moved his court
to Zanzibar. Spice cultivation was developed (particularly
the clove tree), and the slave trade was at its height -
Zanzibar became the most important town in East Africa.
The Town
Zanzibar town is
located midway along the West Coast of the island. The old
part of the town, known as Stone Town, is composed of a
network of shady, winding narrow alleys between old stone
buildings with ornately decorated entrances and balconies.
Numerous tiny shops here sell everything under the sun.
Along the seafront are located several luxury hotels, the
old Sultan's Palace (House of Wonder), the old fort,
restaurants and the docks.
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ZANZIBAR Tour to the North
This trip leads you through the Mangapwani cave
which is a 30minute drive from Zanzibar town, up to
1911 the cave was a secret hideout from which the
slaves were illegally led out to the sea through a
secret passage and then transported by dhow after
the official closure of the Slave Market in June
1873. The tour then proceeds to Nungwi in the North
of Zanzibar which is an hours drive from the cave.
Nungwi has crystal clear waters an excellent place
for diving, snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. As
Zanzibar is a turtle conservation area you will be
able to see the natural turtle aquarium here. In this
tour we also take you to a site where local
villagers build dhows and boats to date using
traditional tools.
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Sunset dhow cruise
This tour starts an hour before sunset, the guests
are picked from their hotels and transferred to thee
drop off point at the sea front, where the guests
then board the dhow.
The skilled crew on board take the dhow about 1 km
away from the shore by means of an engine, once out
in the sea the engine is shut off and during a tense
moment the skillful crew put up the sail, when the
sail is in favour of the wind, the guest can sit
back and relax enjoying the peacefulness of the
ocean, as the dhow glides through the water, you can
watch the wonder of the fiery golden sun setting
beyond the horizon (while savouring a glass of
chilled wine) .
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Dolphin tour
The drive from town to the South takes one hours. On
your way you might get a chance to see the famous
Red Colobus Monkeys of the Jozani Forest. Kizimkazi
fishing village is the home of several schools of
the bottle-nosed dolphins, here you are taken by
boat out into the sea to view the dolphins and if
lucky will be able to swim quite close to them as
they are very friendly and playful, Kizimkazi is
also the site of a 12th Century Mosque, the earliest
evidence of Islam in East Africa.
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Jozani forest tour
Jozani Forest lies 35kms South-East of Zanzibar Town
with an area of about 1,000 hectares, it is a
natural forest where long ago you could find
leopards and antelopes. At present it is the habitat
for the Red Colobus Monkeys (Colobus badius kirkii)
and the Blue Sykes Monkey. The Red Colobus monkey is
one of the most endangered and rarest species in the
world, they are very friendly creatures and love to
be photographed and can be viewed at close quarters
by the help of your guide.
You may also get a glimpse of various butterflies,
birds and snakes. Other interesting features
suitable for tourist in this forest include the
coastal evergreen bushland, mangroove forest, saline
grassland and ground water forest, though these may
require longer walks to reach.
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Historical town tours
The tour starts from wherever the client wants to be
picked up. One gets a comprehensive view of the
Stone Town, it's sand and stone ancient built
houses, some of them have Arab/Indian carved doors
and the architecture which helps to make Zanzibar
famous.
We then proceed to the main City market which was
opened in 1904, where tropical fruits, vegetables,
spices and fresh fish from the island are sold.
Our next stop will be at the Anglican Church of
Christ which was built by Bishop Steers in 1873 on
the side of the Old Slave Market. There is a cross
in the church which is made of wood from the tree
under which Dr. David Livingstone died. Next to the
Church you will visit the slave chambers, tiny rooms
in which the slaves were kept before being
auctioned.
From here we continue our tour to the Sultan's
Palace Museum, House of Wonders (Beit-el-ajaib built
in 1883 and bombarded by the British Fleet in 1886),
next to this you can also see the Old Fort, (built
in 1700), moving along the sea front we come to the
Jamituri Gardens where you can spend your evenings
leisurely watching the brilliant sunset while you
are enjoying the locally made dishes. From here we
drive you to The Africa House formerly known as
English Club, we then come to Tippu Tip house, (A
notorious slave trader). We round up our tour by
taking you to the museum of Natural History and
Peace Memorial Museum.
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Prison island tours
Prison Island or Changuu Island is the middle island
of the three visible from the Stone Town, it takes
approximately 30 minutes to get there by boat. The
prison on this island was built in 1893, which was
later used as a quarantine Hospital, it has a
frangipani lined path around the island where the
former patients took their evening walks. Apart from
the Prison ruins you can also see the beautiful
peacocks and the enormous giant tortoises some of
which are over a 100 years old. These tortoises were
brought here from Seychelles by Sultan Said in the
1820's. Efforts are being made to protect the eggs
of the tortoise. The island is a superb scenario for
the photographer. A self walking safari covers the
island in 15minutes. On this little paradise one can
also swim, snorkel, sunbathe or just relax and enjoy
the peacefulness that this beautiful island has to
offer.
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