Zanzibar one week

Hi there,
Stone Town has a completely different feel to any other city on the island. It is a definite must see even for a day. There are a few touristic sights like the museums and the Sultan's palace etc. You can walk around Stone Town yourself and look at the sights with the help of a map but there are also guides hanging around who will gladly show you around for some money. Bargaining with them is an option but act uninterested at first. The guides should have some sort of official paperwork from the city that say they are allowed to act as guides. Price for me was about $8USD.
Nungwi is a great place to stay and a lot of the good dive sites are off Nungwi area. Most of the decent accommodation are the 5 star hotels but some of the backpackers aren't so bad either. Bear in mind that if you want some decent food, the 5 star hotel restaurants are pretty good at the price but the hotels seem to be closed to non-staying guests. I accessed a couple of the hotels from the beach bars - they are open to the beach.

Hey Ddss did you copy this from my post on Fodor's forum?
; )

Hi,

Zanzibar can be a really fun place to explore. If you are interested in snorkelling I can seriously suggest that you do a day trip (or if you are feeling adventurous and have the budget) to Chumbe Island coral park. It's a day trip from Stone Town which you can arrange directly with them from their website. Mnemba Atoll is generally where everyone heads to go and do some snorkelling, and its very lovely mind you, but that reef has been slowly destroyed over the ten years I have been diving on it,plus if you do not go out early enough you are going to be sharing the water with a whole lot of other tourists all swimming and diving in clumps en-masse. Chumbe has probably the most pristine reef around the island so it's a good example of what the coral would have looked like and often you will be the only ones one it. Nakupende beach is also a great trip from stone town. Street food in stone town is lovely, as is the shopping (doreen mashika and upendo means love are my two favourites ) don't just go for the mass produced articles, look out for some wonderful handcrafted clothes , especially around the fort area in the alleyways.Make time to get lost ins tone town's alleys, have a basic map but it's perfectly safe to have a good wander around, while taking the obvious tourist precautions that you would in any town. Get some food at the Post if you have time (great for tapas snacks) Also, and I know it's cheesy, but do go on a spice tour- it will give you a great insight into what the island is all about. Please remember to cover up appropriately though. Zanzibar is a majority muslim island and they do have signs up in appropriate areas asking you to not walk around in bikinis or without a shirt on. I often see tourists who simply don't care and disregard these things and it's not that hard to just put on a pair of shorts (not those tiny, tight ones where you can see your butt cheeks) and a sleeved t-shirt. It's not your home and not your culture and a little respect for that goes a long way, you will also find that you can connect with people in a more meaningful way if you respect their culture by dressing appropriately when it's required. Matemwe beach is a great choice, hit the beach at low tide so you can take advantage of the fact that you can walk on it for miles. Nungwi is a party section , bring ear plus if you are staying in a backpacker and watch the tides here, because you can get stuck and then have to trek through the villages to get back to your lodging or wait it out.........

have fun!!

I would second a lot of what's said above. I think Matemwe and the Atoll, you'll have a greater opportunity to get a real feel for the area and culture, apart from what I felt was the "touristy, party" feel of Nungwi. It's simply a personal preference though. The atoll has snorkeling and scuba diving options that are great. You can rent a bike and bike around town or grab a meal at a local shop in town. It's less touristy and more of a relaxed feel.

I enjoyed simply wandering through StoneTown with a LP guide and a map, sans a guide. You can learn a lot on your own. Make sure to wander through the spice markets and visit a couple of the historical sites, you can visit an old bathhouse or some old churches that are rich with history. If that's an interest for you. Go to the night market even just to grab a coffee and people watch.

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