It may not have a particularly
romantic name, but Stone Town is the old city and cultural
heart of Zanzibar, where little has changed for hundreds of
years. It’s a delightful place of narrow alleys, crumbly
mosques and grand Arab houses with giant brass-studded wooden
doors.
Most of the buildings were built by the Oman sultans in the
19th century when Zanzibar was one of the most important trading
centres in the Indian Ocean.
European influences such as balconies and verandas were added
some years later. A common feature is the barazas –
a long stone bench built along the outside walls of the houses
and a spot for Zanzibari men to sit and drink chai and idly
gossip.
They also serve as raised walkways when Stone Town gets flooded
in the rainy season. The walls of the houses are made from
coralline rock, which is a good building material, but erodes
easily. Many of Stone Town’s 1 900 houses have crumbled
beyond repair, whilst others have been beautifully renovated.
Since Stone Town was deservedly declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO in 2000, the Stone Town Conservation Authority
is working towards restoring the ancient town before
these buildings are lost for ever.
The former Nasur NurMohamed Dispensary and the House of Wonders
are superb examples of how imposing this type of architecture can
look after a little tender loving care.
A walk through the town will show you just how interesting
the place is. You can spend hours getting lost in the
fascinating network of alleyways full of shops and stalls
selling spices, coconuts, mangos and lots of fresh seafood.
It’s a good place to pick up souvenirs such as jewellery,
colourful clothes, beaded leather shoes and wood carvings.
Stone Town is also the starting point for a Spice Tour to
the surrounding countryside – an opportunity to see
a side of Zanzibar other than old houses and beaches.
The infrastructure for visitors to Stone Town has improved
considerably in recent years. There’s now a wide
range of accommodation, from basic backpackers' to luxurious hotels
in restored atmospheric Omani mansions decorated with exquisite
Zanzibar antiques.
There’s a good selection of restaurants serving the
best of Swahili food, some local and international bars, and even
the odd internet café. Fortunately, these changes have
not intruded on the atmosphere of Stone Town,
and a lot of thought has been put into how to modernise the
town without it showing.
Finally, remember that Stone Town is not a living museum but
very much a community, where real people with a strong sense
of culture and religion live and work. Sensitivity should
be shown to the local people at all times.
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| Stone Town has a warm tropical
climate with at least 7-8 hours of daily sunshine outside
of the wet seasons. Temperatures and humidity can be high
year round but it is rarely overpoweringly hot thanks to the
ocean breeze. The hottest season is from January to February
and the coldest month is August. There are two rainy seasons. The short rains are from September to November, when it is
sunny in the morning and a pounding of rain falls from
the heavens most afternoons. The long rains are from March
to June, but be warned, these are monsoon rains and this is
not the best time to visit Stone Town. There is an inadequate
drainage system and the narrow streets quickly get flooded
with storm water, rubbish and filth. |
The Arab Fort was built
between 1698 and 1701 by the Omani sultans as the town garrison.
The enormous carved entrance door formerly belonged to a
wealthy sultan’s house. The two smaller doors
cut into the larger door were for the use of his children.
The Portuguese used it as a church; it was later used as
a prison and army barracks; and today it’s used as
a shopping centre, so you are free to wander around.
The ‘House of Wonders’ is well worth a look
for its grand scale and opulent architecture. Designed by
a British marine engineer in 1870, it was the first building
on Zanzibar to get electric lights, and the first in East
Africa to have an elevator – hence the name. It’s
an enormous square building with broad galleries running
around all four sides, and a clock tower perched on the
roof. It was damaged in 1896 during the Shortest War in
History (it only lasted 40 minutes), and was later used by
the British as their administrative offices until the revolution
in 1964. After that it was the headquarters for Zanzibar’s
leading political party. It’s still one of the largest
buildings in Zanzibar, and there are plans to open it as
the National Museum.
The Anglican Cathedral was built in 1873 by the British
on the site of the old slave market. The cathedral’s
altar is on the exact site of a tree that slaves used to
be tied up to and beaten. For a small tip, locals will show
you the underground slave holding cells, which are an eerie
sight. As a dedication to the people who fought against
the slave trade, the cathedral has a stained-glass window
dedicated to David Livingstone who was instrumental in the
abolition of the trade.
Despite the Sultan’s Palace being covered in a film
of dust about 100 years old, the museum has some
interesting antique furniture and paintings. It was built
in the late 1890's for members of the Sultan's family and
for his harem. Following the revolution in 1964 it
was renamed the Peoples' Palace and was used by various
political factions until it was turned into a museum in
1994.
The Nasur NurMohamed Dispensary was built in 1887 by Thaira
Thopen, Zanzibar’s richest man at the time, to commemorate
Queen Victoria’s Silver Jubilee. It’s one of
the most imposing of Stone Town’s buildings, with four
grand stories and wrap-around decorative balconies. It served
as a dispensary in colonial times but had fallen into disrepair
by the 1970s. It was one of the first buildings to be successfully
restored to its former glory and today is the Stone Town
Cultural Centre.
Livingstone's House was built around 1860 and was used by
many missionaries and explorers as a starting point for
expeditions into deepest, darkest Africa. Most notably,
David Livingstone lived here before commencing his last
journey to the mainland in 1866. Since then, it’s
been a laboratory (among other things) for research into
clove production. It is now home to the Zanzibar Tourist
Office.
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Since Zanzibar has a very small
airport, few international airlines fly to the islands. Those that do have to utilize a certain size of aircraft.
These include Air Tanzania, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
Most major airlines fly to Dar es Salaam International Airport
on the mainland where you can pick up a connecting flight
to Zanzibar on Air Tanzania or on one of the many daily charter
planes. From Zanzibar airport it’s a short 5km ride
by taxi to Stone Town, which shouldn’t cost more than
a few US$ depending on your bargaining skills. There’s
a departure tax of US$30 when you leave.
The most popular
and cheapest way of reaching Zanzibar is by ferry from Dar
es Salaam. There’s a startlingly array of choices
immediately noticeable when you arrive at the hustler-thronged
port in Dar. All the ferry companies have their offices here,
and you need to shop around. It helps if you have some
idea of what boat and price you want before you get pounced
on at the port. The big old ferries are the cheapest but take
the longest. The most convenient option is one of the modern hydrofoils – some of which used to work in Sydney harbour –
with their comfortable seats, videos and snack bars. Best
of all they only take 1 ½ hours to get there - an important
consideration, as the Zanzibar Channel is renowned for its
seasickness inducing powers. Once in Zanzibar it’s a
short walk into town from the port. There is a US$5 departure
tax on the return ferry trip to Dar. |
| Taxis can be hired near the
post office and Majestic Cinema but you’re unlikely
to need one as everything in Stone Town is within walking
distance. Taxis are also found at the airport and harbour.
If you are arriving by ferry, ignore any taxi drivers that tell you
that you will need a taxi to get to your hotel – the
centre of Stone Town is only a few short steps away
from the harbour. The dala-dala stand is at the market at the back of the old
town. These unique 'buses' depart when they have managed to
squash 14 people into the back and go to all the urban areas
of Zanzibar. However, they stop for anyone, everywhere, so
are notoriously slow. Alternatively, many of the travel agencies
around Stone Town run shuttle buses using mini vans to resorts
out on the east and west coast for a few US$ which is the
far more convenient way of getting to the beach. There are
several companies that hire out cars and motorbikes, but you
will need an international driving license, and driving on
Zanzibar’s roads is not an activity for the faint-hearted. |
| Zanzibar is generally a very
safe place. Thanks to the strong Muslim presence, crime
here is not as bad as mainland Tanzania where muggings on
beaches happen often. However there has been the odd incident
of mugging on Zanzibar when tourists are targeted. Don’t
carry valuables around with you; keep an eye on who is around
you; and don’t walk alone, especially through the narrow
streets after dark. It’s a good idea to carry a torch
at night, not only because of Zanzibar’s frequent power
cuts, but you can also shine it in someone’s face if
you get harassed. On arrival in Stone Town, you are likely
to be approached by tourist hustlers who pose as impromptu
guides, try to sell you tours, or hustle you to a certain
hotel where they will get a commission for bringing you there.
They can be quite persistent and to get rid of them just tell
them you have already made arrangements and thank them for
their interest. Some of these hustlers may also offer to sell
you drugs – ignore them. |
| US$ cash and traveller’s
cheques attract the best exchange rate in Stone Town’s
many bureaux de change, many of which stay open well into
the evening. Cash is usually changed without commission, but
again the rate varies depending on the denomination of the
US$ bills. The higher the bill the better exchange
rate. Note that bureaux de change do not accept pre-1993 US$
notes. Traveller’s cheques are more difficult to change
and require proof of purchase. They often have restrictions
of a maximum of US$100 a day. If you are going to Zanzibar
by ferry from Dar es Salaam, note that exchange rates are
generally better on the mainland. Change all the money
you need for your visit to the islands as there are few exchange
options at the beach resorts. Zanzibar does not have any ATMs
and credit cards are virtually unknown. If you do
manage to find a place that accepts them – often the
more upmarket hotels - there will usually be a surcharge of
10-15% and a bad exchange rate. |
The best and cheapest place
to eat in Stone Town, if not Zanzibar, is at the nightly open
air fish market in the Forodhani Gardens on the waterfront.
A collection of stalls serve up freshly cooked seafood
and snacks. Everything is cooked over charcoal burners and
the stalls are lit by gas lanterns. Thanks to the fish
debris on the floor, it’s the stomping ground for a thousand
cats. Here you can munch on a crab claw, a tiger prawn, a
piece of fried red snapper, fresh lobster, kebabs, stuffed
chapattis, roasted cashews and fresh sugarcane juice. It’s
a great experience and a fun and vibrant place to wander around
on a balmy evening. Beware though, because in the dim light
you need to scrutinize your food carefully to ensure that
it has been cooked properly. If not, ask the vendor
to throw it back on the coals.
There are plenty of restaurants
around Stone Town, mostly non-alcoholic, specialising in the
traditional East African dish of nyama choma (cooked meat)
dished over ugali (maize porridge), Zanzibar curries and
more of the ever-present fish. For drinking, a must do Zanzibar
experience is a sundowner on the rooftop terrace of
the newly-renovated Africa House Hotel. For a classy time,
have a cocktail at Blues on the waterfront, a bar so swish
its sister branch is in Camps Bay, Cape Town.
If you are looking
for some form of local entertainment, check the Old Fort
for schedules of traditional music performances. Try and see
Ngoma - local drumming and dancing or the Taarab - a singing
orchestra unique to the island, comprising a blend of Arab,
African and Indian influences. The Serena Inn has a frequent
'Swahili Night' with a Swahili buffet accompanied by Taarab
music. As a fairly conservative Muslim island, Zanzibar traditionally
has never been known for its nightlife, but this is gradually
changing to accommodate the needs of the younger generation
of Zanzibaris and the growing number of travellers visiting
the islands. There are now three nightclubs hidden amongst
the crumbly houses of Stone Town, with The Garage next to
the Fisherman Restaurant being the most popular. |
| There are several reasonably
priced internet cafes around Stone Town with fast connections,
which stay open late. Occasionally Stone Town gets a surge
of electricity and suffers from the odd power cut, particularly
during the rainy season. There’s a small telephone office
next to Stone Town’s post office but the local telephone
company, TTCL, is very hit and miss. Rather ask at an internet
cafe or a hotel if you can make an international phone
call. Expect calls to be expensive. Note, the Tanzanian postal
system is extremely unreliable – the chance of ever
seeing anything you posted out of Zanzibar is slim, and if you do, the packages are often opened and things
taken out. |
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