Excellent Zanzibar travel tours from Warere Beach? Comprising part of a Unesco World Heritage site, the House of Wonders, aka Beit-al-Ajaib, is fragile in places to the point of collapse (and indeed, a partial collapse happened in December 2020, prompting the Omani government to pledge millions of dollars towards repairs). The largest house in East Africa upon completion in 1883, it was the first to have a lift, hence the House of Wonders name. It was also the first on Zanzibar to have the luxury of electricity. It tops the list of must-see sights in Stone Town, despite the current crumbling plight; the intriguing exhibits include garments, fishing implements and a traditional Swahili dhow vessel. Discover more information on Warere Beach Zanzibar.
High quality Tanzania travel attractions from Warere Beach: No trip to Zanzibar (or Tanzania) would be complete without a little ride on a dala dala minibus. These tend to be packed, sweaty, and with questionable safety records, but they are an experience and the cheapest way to get around the island. MY TIP: The best place to catch a dala dala in Stone Town in Darajani Market. You can pretty much get anywhere on the island from here. If you’re looking for a nice spot to have sundowners (sunset drinks) in Stone Town, Africa House Hotel is a great place to do it. The building was built by an Omani slave trader and later turned into an English Club, now it’s a hotel and bar. The decor of the hotel is a mix of Zanzibari and colonial style and whilst it’s not cheap, it has a lovely terrace that looks out over the ocean. You’ll see traditional dhows sail past as the sun slowly sets below the horizon. Although beware. You may think you have a nice seat facing the sunset, but lots of people want photos and will stand in front of you and block your view or squeeze in between you (it’s really annoying), so it may not be the relaxing experience you imagined.
Best Zanzibar travel destinations by Warere Beach: Make sure to get out of the city and explore as many Zanzibar beaches as you can. There’s a beautiful one around every corner. My personal favorites are Nungwi Beach and Pongwe Beach, but there are so many others to explore. Of course, if you are staying at an oceanside Zanzibar resort or hotel, you’ll likely want to chill at their beach for at least one of your days too! So choose a great hotel with the ideal location! The most exclusive of all the resorts on Zanzibar is, without a doubt Kilindi Zanzibar. The resort is near Kendwa on the Northwestern part of the island and is one of the top Zanzibar hotels on the beach. Its large grounds give plenty of privacy to its 15 villas that pop up from a lush hillside.
Best rated Zanzibar travel destinations from Warere Beach: As I mentioned before, the island has a dark past. This market was the last functioning slave market in the world and it only closed in 1873. Although this might seem like a bit of a downer, it’s an important part of the history of the region. Thousands of Africans were brought to the island as slaves to work on plantations. Slave traders also used the island as a base camp before sending slaves on the long journey to the East to be sold in Persia, Arabia, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt. At the Slave Museum, you can tour chambers where they kept slaves before they were sold. We went down to see the “rooms” where slaves were kept – a 12 by 12 foot basement with one tiny window near the ceiling. They kept over 30 people in these types of rooms. Although this happened hundreds of years ago it still gave me shivers as I stood there!
Premium Tanzania travel attractions from Warere Beach: Before we jump into this guide of things to do in Zanzibar let’s focus on the geography. Zanzibar is an island in the Indian Ocean, a two-hour (15 miles) ferry ride from Dar Es Salaam, a major city in Tanzania. Zanzibar is not a country but is considered a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania. Politically it is part of Tanzania. Zanzibar is also isn’t just one island but is the largest of the Zanzibar Archipelago, which consists of several islands. The four main islands are Unguja Island (which is Zanzibar), Pemba Island, Latham Island, and Mafia Island.