Stone Town
My Safari
Call a specialist to talk about Stone Town now.
Stone Town is effectively the capital of Zanzibar Island, and, unlike most African capital cities, is a place that definitely does repay a visit. When visiting Zanzibar, you may of course have little other than relaxation on a tropical beach in mind, but if you do get bored with this you will find that Stone Town, with its labyrinth of narrow alleys complete with palaces, mosques, and tiny shops, is an extraordinary place to explore. Most of the houses are more than 150 years old and were constructed from the island's coral stone by Arab and Indian merchants in the 19th century.
In choosing places where you might wish to stay, we have tended to focus on the smaller boutique hotels - often situated within historic buildings, giving a particularly nice feel - over the larger chain hotels. We have also included an out-of-town option, for those who might like to avoid the bustle of a town centre, whilst remaining within easy reach of same, with the added advantage of being able to relax beach-side.
Getting to Stone Town:
Zanzibar has only a very small airport, and therefore few international airlines fly here, being restricted to the size of aircraft that they can use - 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. From Zanzibar airport it’s then only a short 5km ride by taxi to Stone Town, costing just a few US$.
The alternative way of reaching Zanzibar is by ferry from Dar es Salaam. All the ferry companies have their offices in the port area of Dar, although you might need to shop around. The big old ferries are the cheapest but take the longest. The most convenient option is one of the modern hydrofoils with their comfortable seats, videos and snack bars. However even these do 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.
