Zanzibar (swahili: Unguja) consists of Zanzibar and Pemba as well as a number of islands around. Zanzibar has 680000 inhabitants and covers an area of 2.332 km2. The island is situated 6 degrees south of the equator and 35 km far from the mainland.
Climate:
All around the year you have a mild climate with temperatures around 33.5 °C with a minimum of 20.9 °C.
Highest temperatures are in February and March, lowest in July and August. The rainy season is from
march to the end of June with short rainfalls in November as well.
History:
Already in the 10th century the island was ruled by Arabic. In 1503 the Portuguese landed there. There
influence was alive till 1652 when the sultans of Oman came in to move there residence from Muscat to here in
order to control the merchandising on the east coast of south Africa. At the end of the 19 th century the island
came under control of the colonialism of the Germans. 1891 Zanzibar became British. In 1963 Zanzibar declared to be independent.
After the sultan was displaced in 1964 Zanzibar united with Tanganyika to the republic of Tanzania.
The beach between Donqwe and Jambiani
This endless sandy beach, about 13 miles long, is backed by thousands of coconut palm trees.
It is commonly referred to as simply as The East Coast. It is quite far and part of the road
from town is in a very bad shape, but this area is slowly becoming the favorite holiday
destination for many local residents - at least for the wealthiest of them - as well as for
foreign tourists who may overnight in several very good hotels or in many small but very nice
guest houses. Also in the past wealthy Arabs longed for a cottage here. Prove is the same name
given to the village of Jambiani: in Kiswahili jambia is the short curved dagger that was worn
at the belt by every Arab man. The coastline is interrupted by several large villages of very
cordial fishermen who, unluckily, cannot always take the risks of the open sea. The last here
can be very rough and dangerous, and sometimes it happens that some of them don't make it back.
Snake Island.
Nobody knows or remembers why and when this name was given to this
islet, for there aren't any snake at all. There is nothing much to visit, considering also
its small size, but at sunrise or sunset it is quite common to spot a flying cloud of
fruit-bats. They spend the night on the mainland, eating delicious fruits.
Grave Island
locally called Chapwani, was donated in 1880 to the British Navy by
the then Sultan Barghash. Here rest the sailors who fell during the fight against slavery
and the men killed aboard of the light cruiser H.M.S. Pegasus, which was destroyed on
September 1914 by the German cruiser Königsberg, right in these waters. Here also rests
Col. Hamerton, the first sultanate's British Consul, who died in 1857.
The sandbanks facinq Zanzibar Town
They are just a few minutes off Zanzibar Town, by motor boat, and it is definitely worth a
visit to at least one of them. They are a peculiar feature, emerging at low tides only,
allowing about three hours for a walk on their white sands. But watch out, for there is no
shade, of course. In this area there are more than twelve banks and most of them are made
of corals. About half of them have a nice sandy beach on top, but the most interesting are
three: Fange, Murogo and Nyange. Out of these three, the first is the most popular. Fange
is the dosest from Town and in fact it is reached in no more than twenty minutes by boat.
Walking over its candid sands, which are made of crushed coral is an exciting experience,
and you can frequently find nice Shells left by the previous high tide. Murogo and Nyange
offer the same characteristics but are both further away.
The 1000 dolphins bay at Kizimkazi
Menai Bay has become increasingly famous for its dolphins. So popular that it has
been nicknamed "the 1000 dolphins bay". These friendly creatures are so accustomed
to human presence that it is frequently possible to swim right in the middle of a
numerous school. Several local fishermen organize daily excursions starting from the
beautiful Kizimkazi beach. One of the most ancient mosques in east Africa, Kizimkazi
Mosque, can be found slightly northwards, near a small village. Inside, just behind
the mihrab, an ancient Kufic inscription informs that: "Sheikh Said Amran, may God
grant him long life and destroy his enemies, ordered the building oft his mosque,
on the day of Sunday, in the month of dhul Kaadi in the year 500 AH". The date
coincides with 1107 AD. Today the only original sections are the foundations and
the wall where the ancient inscription is, for the mosque was restored in 1770,
when substantial modifications were made.
The beaches west of Ras Nungwi
They definitely have the reputation of being the most beautiful of Unguja. The sea
has marvellous colours and is almost always very calm (it is quite rough only from
mid December to March, when the impetuous kuzi, the north-east monsoon, blows). In
addition, there is always deep water even at low tide. Quite a remarkable fact,
considering that in Zanzibar the gap between low and high tide can reach more than
15 feet. A couple of excellent Diving Centres offer spectacular snorkeling or diving,
not so afar away, or in the splendid waters of Mnemba Atoll or, even better, at the
hammerhead shark's Leven Bank. Right on the beach are several small but nice guest
houses, amongst them a mention definitely goes to Amaan Bungalows and Paradise Beach
Guest House. Big hotels doesn't exist here, for investors considered this area as too
far from Zanzibar Town and, as a determining factor, that there wasn't enough soft water.
Mnemba Atoll
For the sake of accuracy, Mnemba is not an atoll but simply a towering formation of
corals, on whose western edge emerges the homonymous islet. he surrounding reef, 13
miles in circumference, is a partially Protected Area which is considered a real
paradise by scuba divers and snorkelers. There are more than 15 different and fascinating
diving-spots, reached by all of the best Diving Centres of Unguja. Underwater visibility
is almost always good. An incredible variety of living corals and a copious assortment
of tropical fish can be observed, and their dimensions proportionally increase
according to the depth. Apart from the very frequent encounters with dolphins,
between December and April can happen to meet enormous but inoffensive whale
sharks and, at the end of August/September and in January again, one can watch
the humpback whales migration.
The beach at Kiwenqwa
It is considered as one of the nicest beaches on the Island, both for dimensions and colours
of its sea: all of the tones of blue are there between December and June, and emerald greens
from July to November. The reef, about half a mile offshore, is interrupted by the natural
pass of Kiwengwa, the only East Coast's absolutely safe passage to the ocean. The external
waters here have the reputation of being particularly abundant in fish. Behind the shore,
between the local villages of Cairo and Kiwengwa, several nice hotels had been built.
The Archipelago's only horse-riding centre is also there. The activities of the local
villagers are entirely connected to tourism, including those of many children who spend
the whole day trying to get something out of tourists.
This can appear folkloristic, but represents a serious problem for Kiwengwa's children,
as many of them play truant at school: in a few days they can earn more money than their
fathers in a month.
The small isles facing Stone Town
A pleasant day can be spent visiting by boat some of these small but interesting islets:
the most popular excursion includes the visit to Bawe, Prison and Grave islands, and
requires about two hours of navigation. It is worth snorkelling around Baa, for the
variety of its corals and colourful tropical] fish. Prison Island, locally known as
Changuu, hosts a few peacocks and several giant tortoises, the last probably were
imported from the Mascarene Archipelago around 1750. Initially owned by a rich Arab
slaver, the island was used for holding unruly slaves. After the official abolition
of slavery, it was bought by the British who built a prison in 1893, but the building
was exclusively used as a quarantine Station. There is a small trail that circles the
Island and reaches a natural lagoon. Snorkeling is excellent and there is a small
sandy beach, only at high tide.
