The dates are not known for certain but as early as the 1st century AD, Zanzibar & other coastal settlements in East Africa had established trade links with its northern neighbours of the Indian Ocean.

Over a period of Zanzibar's political history it has had strong links to the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Sub-Continent, and the British Empire, both North & South America (particularly Brazil) where the largest export commodity was the slave trade, to Germany, Portugal & even France.

Contrary to some scholars, who allege coercion as being the norm of the time, Arabic travelers of those days had no political ambitions.

They were living in harmony, many of them inter-married with their hosts hence consolidating the bonds even further. The arrival of Islam in the 8th century only served to strengthen the relationship & drew East Africa much closer to Arabia.

While the contacts with Arabia continued unabated for many centuries after the first arrival of Arabic settlers, things changed to a great extent upon the arrival of Persians (from what is now called Iran) by the 10th century.

The Persians, who started with Hassan bin Ali Sultan with his six sons as mentioned in the Kilwa chronicles or with Darhash bin Shah from the Pemba chronicles, settled in coastal areas & formed the Zenj Empire.

They immediately established centers of control in Kilwa & Zanzibar, the latter emerging as a powerhouse of political rule in East Africa.

Much of the build-up of social institutions & political organizations happened during this period where local ruler’s exerted control of some settlements along the coast. The process led to the formation of independent Muslim sultanates in Zanzibar & Kilwa with mixed Persian, Arab & African populations.

The period between the 15th & 17th centuries was dominated by the invasion of Portuguese, who defeated local rulers & took control of almost all the coast of East Africa.

The Persians first conquered Oman, followed by a falling of other coastal settlements one by one. Their rule revived strong resistance & discontent among the natives & the Omanis finally succeeded in evicting the Portuguese from these lands.

It is claimed that local rulers in East Africa sought Omani assistance in their fight against the Portuguese & it paid off towards the end of the 17th century. This freedom was however short-lived as the Omani´s annexed Zanzibar & many coastal towns to their empire that was ruled from Muscat.

By the 18th century, Zanzibar & Pemba were subjects of the Sultans of Muscat & Oman.

This was also a period where marauding pirates based in Zanzibar & Pemba, plundering the spice laden vessels headed to the Arabian Gulf & European ports with their rich cargoes bound for the aristocrats & royalty of the era.

Until the British navy turned up mid-way through the 18th century, pirates pretty much reigned supreme & any trading vessels, especially those plying the waters of the Zanzibar Channel, quite literally ran the gauntlet escaping seizure & a date with death for the ships complement of sailors.

The latter part of the 18th century was an era where Europeans were looking for colonies throughout the world & East Africa was not an exception.

Upon his death the Sultan of Oman had controlled a large empire but his successors did not have a legal claim to the lands they controlled commercially, nor did they have the power to keep the Germans & British from annexing Zanzibar & Pemba when the European nations began dividing up Africa later in the century.

But realizing & acknowledging the extent of Sultan's control, the Germans & later British colonial agents decided to give him a special status on his territories. The partition of Africa following the Berlin Conference of 1884 offered the Sultan a claim to the islands of Zanzibar & Pemba & a coastal strip of 13km on the mainland of East Africa.
The domination of Germans coupled with the abolition of what had been a highly lucrative slave trade weakened the Sultan's empire & bit by bit he lost more land. He came to an agreement to sell his possession on the mainland & by the end of 19th century very little remained in his control.

The Germans, who were first in colonizing Tanzania, agreed with the British to exchange Zanzibar with Heligoland & though the Sultan was still ruling, it became a de facto British colony.

Zanzibar was thus ruled by two colonial masters at the same time & at that time included not only the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Latham, but theoretically also the coastal strip of Kenya.

Mombasa & the coastal strip were handed to the new independent government of Kenya as late as 1963.

Nowadays Zanzibar is characterized by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs, warm clear blue waters & idyllic islands, excellent reefs for snorkeling & diving, fantastic deep sea fishing & water sports activities.

It has a number of key historical landmarks of interest to visitors;

The historic Stone Town with its narrow winding streets, vivid markets & colourful bazaars makes for an interesting cultural visit.

"Stone Town" is built on a triangular peninsula of land, consisting predominantly of Arab architecture, with a blend Indian & some European.

The most impressive architectural structures are the large Arab houses usually two to three levels high, generally quadrangular in plan, having a central courtyard & a flat roof, surmounted by a low crenellated parapet.

At the turn of the century the flat roofs where covered with hipped roofs of corrugated iron sheets. The gap formed between the two roofs provided the building with insulation against the midday heat.
These buildings have evenly spaced windows with an elaborately carved door, decorated with massive brass bosses.

Towards the nineteenth century, European influences such as glorious old wooden doors with huge iron bolts, balconies, loggias & verandas appeared.

Another feature which is common to many houses is a "Baraza".

This is a low stone bench built along the walls of houses facing narrow streets, serves as important social foci for the old Zanzibari folk, in particular the men.

They sit on these barazas & have discussions on the day to day events of the islands, the world around them (many Zanzibar residents are interested in politics. Don't be at all surprised if they know more about what’s going on in your part of the world than you do!).

The barazas also serve as raised sidewalks when the streets get flooded after heavy rains as the existing drainage systems in the Stone Town cannot handle the heavy Masika rains.

The most visible element of Zanzibar's cultural heritage is represented in some of the outstanding architectural & historical landmarks of the Stone Town.

These include the Portuguese Fort (also known as "Old fort"), the House of Wonders (Beit-el-ajaib), the Palace Museum (formerly known as the Sultan's Palace), the Ithnaasheri Dispensary, Balnara Mosque, Bharmal building, the High Court, the Peace Memorial Museum, the Roman Catholic Cathedral & the Anglican Cathedral, to name but a few.

The High Court, the Peace Memorial Museum, Bharmal Building & Stone Town's unique market, reflect British Colonial taste blended with Arabic architecture.

The intricately carved balconies of the Ithnaasheri dispensary reflect Colonial India's architecture while the Roman Catholic Cathedral reflects European Architecture.

This is on of the few stone buildings that Seyyid Said found in 1829, on his arrival on Zanzibar.

It stands on the site occupied circa 1710 by a ruined Portuguese church and residential quarters which were converted by the Arabs into a primitive fort for the town garrison.

The fort was unsuccessfully attacked by Mazrui Arabs from Mombasa in 1754.

Up & until 1928 it was the depot for the Bububu railway, Zanzibar's first railway now no longer in existence.

The Fort has a quadrilateral plan with circular towers at its corners & interconnecting defense walls. The original fortified entrance gate facing the sea was replaced in 1949.

The beautifully carved Arab door, at the main entrance, was formerly in a house belonging to Sultan Seyyid Khaled bin Mohammed. It has two small subsidiary doors, cut into the two larger door sections, for the use of children.

The building stands on grounds of the former slave market closed down in 1873 & has the shape of a Basilica with a blend of vernacular Gothic & Arabic styles.

Its construction was supervised by Bishop Edward Steere (1874-1882).

The building's material comprised of reinforced concrete mixed with crusted coral stone. The roof of the building was not completed until 1879.

The external walls are covered by crenellations & recesses ending in tri-foil arches & the clock on the tower were a gift from Sultan Seyyid Barghash (1880).

The building was designed as a central cupola structure by the British architect J.H. Sinclair.

It was built from funds provided by the Government & by various communities in commemoration of the soldiers who fought in the First World War.

This building is referred to as the "House of Wonders" because of its grand scale & lavish architecture. It was one of the first buildings on the island to have electric lights.

Beit-el-Ajaib was built by Sultan Seyyid Barghash(1870-1888) for ceremonial purposes.

It was bombarded by a British fleet in 1896 during the brief usurpation of the Sultan's throne by Seyyid Khalid.

Fortunately, the building suffered minor damages although the free standing light house at the top of the building was severely damaged & was later replaced by a clock tower.

Both Seyyid Hamud (1896-1902) & Seyyid Ali bin Hamud (1902-1911) resided in the House of Wonders, before it accommodated the Government offices in 1911.

In 1976, it was converted into an Ideological College of Politics for the members of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (the ruling party then and now).

The broad galleries surrounding all four sides of the building were constructed from reinforced concrete slabs supported by cast iron columns. The internal roofed courtyard is surrounded by galleries reached by an impressive marble stairway.

At the entrance stood two fine Portuguese bronze guns made during the sixteenth century. The guns were captured from the Portuguese by the Persians assisted by the British Navy during the fall of Ormuz in 1622.

They were probably recaptured sometime in the period 1807-1856 from the Persians by the Omani Arabs & brought to Zanzibar by Seyyid Said. The larger gun had the Portuguese Royal Arms, the cipher and standard of King John III & an outline ´planisphere´ of the Portuguese world.

This palace consists of coral rag walls and traditional "Boriti" (mangrove shoots) supported floors, reinforced by concrete slabs and steel beams.

It was first occupied by Sultan Khalifa in 1911 when ascended to the throne. The palace also served as accommodation for the Royal family & the Sultan's harem.

After the 1964 Revolution, it was used by Government for Cabinet meetings of the Revolutionary Council.
Commonly known as the "Spice Island", Zanzibar is famous for an array of exotic spices such as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom & pepper.

The local markets offer all sorts of fruits, vegetables, linen & coloured cloth, spices & local artisan products. Bargain for everything!

Zanzibar has a tropical climate with an average temperature of about 32C & an annual rainfall of about 135cm, mostly in a short three month period.

The temperature hits a high in the mid-twenties Celsius in the cool season (June-August) during the south west monsoons (Kusi), which continue to blow over the islands until November.

During the hot season (December-March) when the northern monsoons (Kaskazi) blow over the island it becomes very humid with tropical thunderstorm downpours being frequent.

The Tanzanian Shilling is the official currency used in Zanzibar, so when we depart the Serengeti if you have any change left over, keep it as it’ll certainly come in handy here.

US Dollars & other foreign currency may be exchanged at a Bureau de Change or a bank for Tanzanian Shillings.

Remember we have a US30 Dollar per person departure tax payable in cash, before boarding prior to our flying out heading back to Nairobi.

Ideally for a duration of no less than 4 nights we recommend you stay at the renowned Breezes Beach Club & Spa resort, located on the Indian Ocean side of Zanzibar, approx 38km from the International airport.

Breezes Beach Club Resort is clearly marked on the map here.

This beautiful resort is situated along a pristine, untouched beach stretching as far as the eye can see. The hotel has a unique charm & has earned a deserved reputation for its great attention to detail, quality of service & tasteful décor.

Guests are offered a wide variety of facilities without compromising the personalized & relaxed atmosphere, which has become synonymous with the name 'Breezes'.

Your stay is on a breakfast & dinner inclusive basis, in an deluxe ocean facing double room.

All the rooms are spacious & beautifully decorated in relaxed elegance. They are identical in terms of size & décor. All the rooms have full air-conditioning with en suite bathrooms, a refrigerator & a personal safe box.

The Frangipani Spa at the resort is designed to stimulate your senses & to create a complete relaxation of body & mind.

Here as you wish you can enjoy a variety of spa treatments & therapies by expert therapists in a beautiful setting.

Just note that spa treatment reservations are required to be made.

After the safari experiences we will have had, this may well be ideal relief & rejuvenation of body & mind.

They also encourage guests to laze in & around the crystal pool:; take a stroll for miles on a white, sandy beach; dine in candlelight overlooking the ocean, savour the taste of exotic spices, discover the meaning of relaxation & enjoy an excellent variety of recreational & dining facilities.

• By all means wear loose fitting, but non-transparent clothing
• Do not wear swim suits or other revealing clothing in the villages or Stone Town.
• Topless or nude sunbathing is prohibited anywhere on Zanzibar or Pemba unless on private property.
• Public display of affection such as kissing is not customary to Zanzibar residents & might be considered offensive.
• Always ask permission before taking photos of local people, some people might ask you for some money to take their photo.
• Do not take photos at sensitive government offices e.g, the State House, Military bases, etc., always check with your guide.
• Public consumption of alcohol is not permissible except on hotel & resort grounds, in bars & some restaurants.
• Please show some respect when visiting a church while a mass is being celebrated and refrain from talking and walking around the building until the service is over.
• Mosques are sacred places. Generally, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter.
• Photographing the interior of a mosque from the doorway is prohibited during prayers.
• During the holy month of Ramadhan, the local Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset & visitors should refrain from eating, drinking & smoking in public during daylight hours.
• It is illegal to buy or remove any turtle or coral products
• When using any form of transport, agree on a price with the owner before setting off. Pay on arrival or at the end of the trip. Tips are appreciated at your discretion.
• Ask to see the ID of anyone who offers you tourist services.
• Keep your valuables in a hotel safe & be careful of your electronic equipment & jewelry while touring.
• It is advisable to avoid walking alone & ideally it is better you travel in groups in the Stone Town (especially at nights!)
• Beware of traffic in the Stone town, even some of the narrowest streets are in fact public roads.
• Even though you are no longer ´on safari´ there are still mosquitoes here, so the best prevention against Malaria is to avoid being bitten. Cover up after sunset & sleep under a mosquito net. The use of a mosquito repellent is also helpful.

So then, who’s not looking forward to Zanzibar? We think it is the ideal, relaxing way to finish up any East African Safari.