Zanzibar Island Things to Do

Do a Spice Tour! It is actually very interesting. We were taken to a spice 'plantation', where our guide got us playing 'guess the spice'! Smell a leaf, or look at a pod and try to work out what it will eventually be when you lift it off the shelf at your local food store.
The young men who work on the plantation are very adept at climbing the trees as well as making a variety if items out of leaves which you are obliged to then wear!

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We booked a spice tour and were whisked off early one morning (before the sun got too hot) to the spice plantation. Before setting foot onto the actual farm the air was filled with the fragrance of jasmine and ylang ylang flowers and it was qute intoxicating. We were told that the tour itself would not be on the plantation but on a mini farm that had been purpose built to guide curious visitors around. It is such an education for spice novices as you get to see how cumin, tumeric nutmeg and Zanzibars favourite Cloves are grown. The best part of this trip was definately lunch. Served in a small banda, you sit on the mats and enjoy sumptuously and delicately spiced pilau with various vegetarian sauces and vegetables all grown on the farm. There is also a tiny stall selling all the things you may have seen on the tour. I would definatley reccommend getting some Vanilla pods and some lemongrass tea (so very refreshing). You can book a spice tour at any place you stay in Zanzibar. We booked through Paradise Beach Bungalows on Paje Beach.

I adored sitting in the squidgy sand of an evening with a cold beer and watching the beautiful sunsets. The waters were calm and every so often you would hear them lapping up on the shore, the sky would turn a brilliant pink and the dhows would continue to bob up and down on the ocean. Nature - One of lifes biggest treats...

When I saw this being swept up onto the shore - I couldnt believe my eyes! I had never seen anything like it before I never even knew these were real!

So, keep your eyes open whilst along the beach - you never know what you may come across!

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The sea here is Sooooooooooo amazing!
The waters are so clear and clean, its also nice warm water that on a hot day will still refresh you as cool from the sun.
I loved swimming in Zanzibars seas - a beautiful experience.

The beach here is shallow for quite a way out which makes it a safe option for families.

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We split our time on Zanzibar island between here and Stonetown. Its amazing how different the pace of life is as soon as you find a beach!

After a couple of days in busy Stonetown we headed north to Kendwa.

Kendwa is just literally a beach area, its not far to Nungwi if you walk along the coast where there is a bit more going on. For us Kendwa was perfect, laid back. quiet and beautiful - Just check out the beach its amazing!

As the title of this tip suggests the guy is known locally as "butterfly man"!!!
He is crazy, he climbed so high up this tree it was scary! just grabbed the trunk and hoisted himself up....singing all the while....when he got to the top he shook the tree and lots of coconuts fell all the way to the ground.

He then started to make his way down the tree. When he got to the bottom he cracked open the coconuts and we drank fresh coconut milk and ate the pieces of coconut he had chopped up - all fresh from that tree!

The Spice Gardens which we visited were about an hour outside of Stonetown, but there are many that you will pass on your travels around the island.

I did enjoy the spice gardens, but I felt that the tour was a little too long! They young guys who were the guides did make it fun though - as you can see from the pic one made a hat out of the leaves and painted his face with natural lipstick which he picked out of the gardens!

You do get to buy lots of cheap fresh spices - including pure lemongrass oil - handy as a mozzie repellant!