Zanzibar Islands Tour
Tumbatu Island
Lies off the north-west coast of Zanzibar where there are several 14th century mosque ruins and some 40 stone houses of the Shiraz People, built in the 12th century. Sightseeing, sports fishing and Scuba Diving are among some of the water sports activities you can engage in. The villages guard closely their culture and natural resources, however, and it is strictly prohibited to visit the island without a permit from the village elders. Therefore advance notice must be given so that the permit can be applied for.
Chumbe Island – Marine Tour
This Island is situated 8 miles southwest of Zanzibar Town and covers an area of approximately 20 ha. It is an uninhabited island dominated by coral rag forest and bordered, on its western shore, by a fringing coral reef of exceptional biodiversity and beauty. The island was gazette in 1994 as a protected area by the Government of Zanzibar. It covers 16 hectors of undisturbed forest and surrounded by a virgin coral reef, which can be reached in about 45 minutes by boat. The sanctuary has more than 200 a pieces of pristine stone corals, about 400 species of fish and turtles and dolphin regularly passing by. A fixed number of people are allowed to go there, which is not more than 14pax for a day trip and for accommodation is 13 when it’s full. You will do a guided walking in the small forest, snorkel, swimming or just relax.
Misali Island
Lying within the Pemba Channel is Misali Island. Misali is considered one of the diving paradise of East Africa, if not the world. It was once thought of as a safe haven by the pirates of the olden days and it is still believed that the lost treasure of the notorious Captain Kidd might be awaiting discovery somewhere around here. Beautiful and extensive coral reefs, containing myriad fish and other marine life, surround the island, which hosts a rich inter-tidal ecosystem. Note that, on Misali, which has been gazetted as a Marine Conservation Area, landing fees are payable. These fees go towards the upkeep of the island.
Chapwani Island
This island was formerly known as French Island and contains a cemetery, which was reserved in 1879 by Sultan Barghash for the burial of English people, most of whom were officers and men of the Royal and Merchant Navies. Amongst them are some British sailors who were killed in the action between HMS Pegasus and the German cruiser, Konigsberg, in 1914. There is a tourist resort on the island.
Mnemba Island
A conservation zone surrounds Mnemba Island, which supports a variety of aquatic creatures and plant life. Its pristine sandy beach is second to none in this part of the World and provides a nestling site for the endangered Green Turtle. There is an exclusive accommodation facility for tourists on the island.
Changuu Island – Prison Island
About 30 minutes by boat from Forodhani area lies Changuu, also known as Prison Island. A slight misnomer, as the ruined buildings thereon were never used to house prisoners, as was the original intention of the architects. The island was however once used by an Arab slave trader to contain the more feisty and troublesome slaves he had brought from the African mainland. Changuu Island also offers the visitor a chance to sunbathe in peace, or to swim or snorkel in the clear blue waters. Fishing from the shore or boat is also a leisure option, and the fish can be grilled on an open fire on the beach or taken inshore to ones barbecue. Other islets include the uninhabited Kokota Mapanya (Rat Island) and Pungume Island (with its automated lighthouse) and the distant Bawe Island (with its solitary guest house).
Pemba Island
Pemba Island, the sister of Unguja and the true Clove Island is virgin, green and remote. The most reliable access to the island is by air charter, but if one prefers to go by sea, the MV Sepideh and other ferries ply between the two islands several days a week. The beautiful bat, known as the Pemba Flying Fox is endemic in the dense Ngezi Equatorial Forest Reserve of Pemba. There are many different kinds of shrubs and trees that harbour the bats, who are insectivorous, nocturnal and rarely seen by visitors. The bats are exceptionally large, much so than the common East African bat species, with a wingspan of up to 1.7m. Although as a destination Pemba is remote, historically it is one of the oldest areas in East Africa. Ruins of ancient mosques, tombs and palaces, in Mkamandume, Wambaa and Msuka manifest this.
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Vacation Style Holiday Type
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Family
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Activity Level Moderate
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Group Size Small Group
Zanzibar is a small archipelago, consisting of Unguja (commonly referred to as Zanzibar), Pemba and some 50 smaller surrounding islands and islets. It is believed that the Zanzibar Archipelago has been inhabited for well over 2000 years, in AD60, a Greek merchant reported to the Syrain geographer, Marinus, the existence of Arabic trading settlements along the East African Coast, many dating from the 1st century.
As trade between Zanzibar, Arabia and Persia flourished between 12th and 15th centuries, the Islands became a powerful city-state and attracted many settlers from Saudi Arabia, India, Yemen, Oman and Persia.
In 1499, the Portuguese arrived, in the form of the peerless navigator, Vasco da Gama. His countrymen soon followed, forcibly occupied the islands and put an end to this golden age of free trade. The Portuguese era did not last very long and very few Portuguese settlers stayed after the colonial powers moved on to fresher pastures, challenged first by the British and later by the Omani Arabs in the mid-16th century.
By the 19th Century, Oman had solidified its control over Zanzibar and it became a major trading point and clearing-house for hundreds of thousands of slaves and countless tons of ivory. From this illustrious island, great trading caravans and famous explorers, such as Burton, Livingstone, Speke, Kraft and Rebman, launched their lengthy and perilous expeditions into the Heart of Darkness.
At the height of the slave trade, every year between 30,000 and 50,000 poor wretches arrived alive and were funneled through the Zanzibar slave market.
Although most of these were to be sold and transported to Arabia, Persia and the Indian Ocean Islands, many were used as labourers in big plantations on Zanzibar and a lot of families and their progeny remained there and settled. People from other African ethnic groups later migrated voluntarily to the islands from the mainland, and their descendants, along with those of the slaves, now make up the majority of the three African ethnic groups who inhabit the archipelago.
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- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners & dining
- All accommodation including tea houses en route
- All transportation including taxis and coaches
- Flights from Heathrow if booked inc. of flight
- Tour and trekking guide for entire journey
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- Travel insurance and other emergencies
- Visa fees and entry clearing fees
- Single room accommodations
- Liquors, beeers and bootled beverages
- Photography ccessories like cameras etc.
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