Stone Town 3-day itinerary

Start at the Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe), the oldest standing structure in Stone Town built by Omani Arabs in the 1690s over a Portuguese chapel. Walk through the open-air amphitheatre courtyard, then cross to the Sultan's Palace Museum (Beit el-Sahel) to see the preserved royal quarters of the last Sultanate of Zanzibar. From here, wander the labyrinth lanes hunting for Stone Town's 560 elaborately carved wooden doors — the most ornate are on Hurumzi Street and Gizenga Street, with Indian lotus motifs, Arabic geometric chains, and Swahili fish carvings indicating the original owner's heritage and status.

Visit the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ, built in 1873 directly on the site of Zanzibar's last open slave market. The altar stands on the exact spot of the whipping post where enslaved people were beaten to test their endurance before sale. Descend into the claustrophobic underground slave chambers to see the conditions in which up to 75 people were held in each tiny cell before auction. The memorial outside — sculpted figures in chains standing in a pit — is one of East Africa's most confronting and important historical monuments.

Walk to the Forodhani Gardens waterfront as the sun drops towards the Indian Ocean. The evening food market is Zanzibar's signature experience — dozens of stalls fire up charcoal grills serving Zanzibar pizza (stuffed chapati with egg and minced meat), octopus skewers, mishkaki (marinated beef), urojo soup, and fresh sugar cane juice. Eat on the seawall watching the dhow boats return to harbour in the orange light. After eating, walk to the rooftop bar at Emerson on Hurumzi for a panoramic view over the Stone Town rooftops and harbour.

Drive 30 minutes northeast to the spice plantations in Kizimbani — the agricultural heart of Zanzibar's centuries-old spice trade. Walk through working farms where cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, lemongrass, and black pepper grow fresh on the vine and tree. Guides crack open pods and rub leaves for you to smell and taste each spice raw — the difference between fresh and dried is remarkable. The tour includes a traditional Swahili lunch cooked with the spices you have just seen: pilau rice, coconut bean curry, and chapati.

Take a 30-minute boat from the Stone Town waterfront to Changuu (Prison Island), originally built as a coral-rag prison but never used for inmates. The island is home to a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises — some over 100 years old — gifted by the British governor of the Seychelles in 1919. Walk among the tortoises in their shaded sanctuary, then swim and snorkel off the small white sand beach on the island's west side where the coral reef is close to shore and visibility is excellent.

Board a traditional wooden dhow sailboat from the Stone Town harbour for a sunset cruise along the west coast of Zanzibar. The lateen-rigged dhows have sailed these waters for over a thousand years on the monsoon trade routes between East Africa, Arabia, and India. As the sun drops into the Indian Ocean the Stone Town waterfront turns golden — the House of Wonders, the Old Fort, and the cathedral spire silhouetted against the sky. Most dhow cruises include snacks, fresh fruit, and drinks on board.

Drive 45 minutes southeast to Jozani Forest — Zanzibar's only national park and the last remaining habitat of the endangered Zanzibar red colobus monkey, found nowhere else on Earth. The guided boardwalk trail passes through ancient coral-rag forest and mangrove swamp where troops of red colobus swing through the canopy overhead — remarkably habituated to visitors and often descending to eye level. The forest floor is alive with Sykes' monkeys, bush babies, and over 50 species of butterfly.

Continue east to Paje on Zanzibar's southeast coast — a long white sand beach with a shallow turquoise lagoon that extends hundreds of metres at low tide. The beach is a major kitesurfing destination and the colourful kites are part of the scenery even if you do not surf. Swim in the warm Indian Ocean, eat freshly grilled fish at a beachside shack, and watch the Maasai jewellery sellers and seaweed farmers working the tidal flats. The contrast between the ancient coral lanes of Stone Town and the open tropical beach is striking.

Return to Stone Town for a final evening walk through the illuminated lanes — the coral-stone buildings glow warm in the lamplight and the sound of Taarab music drifts from open doorways. End at one of Stone Town's rooftop restaurants — Emerson Spice or Tea House — for a multi-course Swahili tasting menu: coconut fish curry, biryani, tamarind-glazed prawns, and halwa (sweet confection) for dessert. The rooftop views over the harbour, mosque minarets, and cathedral spire at night are a fitting farewell to Zanzibar.