Travel to Zanzibar

[Wiilo]

As i was reading new york times, i came across to this article, and i like to share with you. I love to visit Zanziber one day and i read about it all the time, enjoy reading it guys

 

 

December 11, 2005

 

Zanzibar: Of Sultans, Spices and White-Sand Beaches

 

By EDWARD WONG

 

FEW ferry rides in the world can conjure up the wealth of expectations that arise on the two-hour trip from the verdant Tanzanian coast to Zanzibar. The name alone has for centuries endowed this region with a promise of splendor.

 

Standing on the boat's deck, with the sun dipping low to the west, I watched as fishermen in catamarans paddled into small inlets. As we powered farther out to sea, the white sails of dhows began to appear on the horizon, a throwback to the days when the wooden ships regularly plied the trade routes between Africa and Arabia.

 

We docked in the port of Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar Island (part of what is commonly referred to as the Spice Islands) and a city of labyrinthine alleyways and faded Omani palaces that is redolent of the glories of the old Islamic empires, more Middle Eastern in its feel than African. Women in full-length black robes streamed down the gangplank. A monsoon shower had swept in, drenching the port and sending everyone scurrying for the nearest taxi.

 

Tourism in Zanzibar and other Muslim islands off the coast of East Africa is undergoing a resurgence, despite the war in Iraq and bombings in the Middle East that have frightened many Western travelers away from Islamic countries. Stone Town, the first stop for most travelers here, retains the atmospheric trappings of urban life in Muslim cities but hews to a much looser interpretation of Islam than many places in the Middle East. So while calls to prayer regularly resound through the streets, bars and restaurants serve alcohol with little restraint.

 

Other fanciful indulgences abound: luxury hotels fashioned from the former manors of wealthy merchants, a native cuisine that brazenly drenches seafood in aromatic spices, and white-sand beaches just a few hours' drive from the city.

 

The best way to see Stone Town is just to walk and, preferably, to get lost while doing so. My friend Tini and I hit the streets the morning after checking into the Tembo House Hotel, a former merchant's home right on the waterfront, and instantly found ourselves swept into the decaying opulence of the city. From the narrow passageways we ducked into the inner courtyards of old manors, pastel paint peeling from the walls.

 

What lends Stone Town its charm are the remnants of empire, all piled atop one another and inflected by the native Swahili culture. The Persians were among the first foreigners to settle here alongside the indigenous people. The island was colonized by the Portuguese starting in 1503, and brought under the control of Oman in 1698. The sultan of Oman eventually moved the seat of his kingdom to Zanzibar, which resulted in an artistic renaissance in Stone Town, with Arabic influence becoming much more overt in the designs of manors and palaces. In the late 19th century, the British Empire annexed the island, only to have it gain independence decades later, before coming under the rule of the government of mainland Tanzania.

 

The shadow of the Arabian peninsula, just across the Indian Ocean, falls everywhere in Stone Town. We made our way through the twisting streets, marveling at the thick wooden double doors with their arabesque carved lintels and large brass studs. One narrow alleyway led to another, with branches veering off in all directions and plenty of dead ends. There were groups of men in white robes and skullcaps playing pool in small cafes, and cramped shops selling everything from spices to television sets to long rolls of multihued cloth. It had the same feel as Cairo or Damascus or Lahore - the urban design of Zanzibar is the same as the one imprinted all over the Islamic world.

 

Some of the most baroque edifices lie along the waterfront, including the former palace of the Omani sultans, which overlooks the harbor, and a towering old mansion called the House of Wonders, which has a museum of Swahili culture on the ground floor. There are surprising finds everywhere, like the pink Art Nouveau exterior of the Ciné Afrique, a shuttered movie theater in the north of the old town, along a street running east of the port.

 

One stroll took us to an Anglican church that stood on the site where slaves who had been brought in from the mainland were sold. Nearby was a small museum dedicated to the memory of the slave trade - two musty cells in a dungeon evoke the cramped quarters in which manacled Africans were once imprisoned, after they had been marched to the coast from the continent's deep interior and dumped on ships.

 

At night, locals gather at Forodhani Gardens, a strip of park on the waterfront right outside the House of Wonders. Before sunset, cooks begin setting up grills and tables along the water and laying out skewers of raw seafood. You can stroll along the stalls and pick different delicacies that are then grilled in front of you by lamplight, and wash it all down with mugs of fresh sugar-cane juice.

 

One popular attraction is a "spice tour," which virtually all the travel agencies in Stone Town run. Our guide, Fuad, drove us past the former home of the British explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone and into the gentle hills outside town, where sprawling plantations have been set up to grow and harvest cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, peppercorn and other spices. Stopping at one plantation filled with lush tropical plants, we rubbed some cloves between our fingers and sniffed it.

 

THIS is Zanzibar's cash crop," Fuad said. "But the Tanzanian government pays farmers so little for it that people often try smuggling it into Kenya." With that, he drove us to another plantation, where we ended the tour by devouring kingfish cooked in a rich coconut curry.

 

It is along the coast, though, that Zanzibar is at its most vivid. One day we took a minivan up to the beach at Kendwa, a small fishing village on the northwest shore of the island that is free of the crowds at the more popular backpacker resort of Nungwi. There was absolutely nothing to do there but laze around, eat seafood, read books and go swimming in the turquoise waters.

 

The beach had three or four small lodges with simple bungalows right next to each other, and the one where we stayed, Kendwa Rocks, had a reputation for having wild full-moon parties.

 

On our last night in Kendwa, we watched the blazing red orb of the sun sink into the ocean. The wind picked up and sped the dhows through the waters, their white sails puncturing the twilight calm.

 

Getting There

 

American citizens traveling to Tanzania and Zanzibar require a visa. It can be obtained for $50 from the Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania, 2139 R Street, Washington, D.C. 20008; 202-939-6125; www.tanzaniaembassy-us.org.

 

Several ferries run each day from Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, to the port by Stone Town. All the ferry companies have their offices in Dar es Salaam, and you need to shop around to find the best option (representatives can be found at the port). Azam Marine is one of the largest, and charges about $35; the trip generally takes two hours or less.

 

Air Tanzania, www.airtanzania.com, and Precision Air, www.precisionairtz.com, have frequent scheduled flights between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. ZanAir, www.zanair.com, and Coastal Aviation, www.coastal.cc/zanzibar.htm, are charter operators offering regular flights; their schedules are sometimes subject to passenger volume. Flights take about 20 minutes and cost about $60.

 

Where to Stay

 

These hotels and restaurants are in Stone Town, Zanzibar's capital.

 

Tembo House Hotel, Forodhani Street, (255) 24 2233005; www.tembohotel.com. Well-appointed lodging on the waterfront, in what used to be the home of a wealthy merchant. The rooms are spacious, and decorated with Zanzibari and Oriental furniture, ornaments and antiques, with wooden balconies overlooking a courtyard pool. Double rooms start at 94,500 Tanzanian shillings, or $105, at about 1,220 shillings to the dollar, year round.

 

The 15-room Africa House, Shangani, (255) 777 432340; www.theafricahouse-zanzibar.com. Converted from a gentleman's club founded during the era of British colonial rule, this hotel is rich in atmosphere. The terrace is a popular gathering spot for predinner drinks with a view of the sunset over the Indian Ocean. Doubles start at $65 in low season (April through June), $125 in peak season.

 

The Zanzibar Serena Inn, (255) 242 233587, www.serenahotels.com/zanzibar/inn/home.htm. Part of the upscale Serena chain found throughout East Africa and South Asia, this hotel is near Africa House and is known for its pampering. Doubles from $195 in low season; from $365 in high season.

 

Where to Eat

 

The Tower Top Restaurant on the roof of the Emerson and Green Hotel, 236 Hurumzi Street, www.emerson-green.com, (255) 747 423266, has stunning views over the cityscape of Stone Town and the Indian Ocean. Seating is Arabian style, on pillows at low tables. Dinner costs $25, without drinks.

 

At Forodhani Gardens, the open-air night market on the waterfront by the House of Wonders, you point to raw skewers of seafood, which cost about $1 each, and the cooks grill your dinner in front of you.

 

Tembo Hotel and Africa House both offer respectable upscale restaurants. Africa House has a panoramic terrace perfect for drinks at sunset.

[STOIC]

Nothing can match up to Zanzibar coast.It offers one of the best beaches in the whole of African continent.This place dates back to the Sultanites,the Omani Arabs and the Portugues.Insha-Allah this is a place i will love to visit right after graduation.I can't wait to feel the smooth beaches and the dazling sun of Zanzibar with my radio tuned to "Majiiraa ya dunia"

[MR ORGILAQE]

ooh memories memories.I remember when i was last there.....it was everything they said plus more...nothing can fully describe it.the smells is what they forgot...smell of spices all over the island,nothings beats that each morning when you wake up.They also forgot the people,ever so nice,ever so easy going.Yep Zanzibar is the place for me allright

[Nomen nescio]

its so beautiful, i'm so there.