Stone Town is the historical centre of Zanzibar City, the capital of the Zanzibar archipelago.
As a primary trading post on the spice, silk and slave trade routes for over a millennium, Stone Town has been a unique meeting place, blending African, Indian, Arabian and European cultures. It isone of the few remaining ancient towns in Africa.It’s beauty, and historical value has earned it a well-deserved place on the UNESCO world heritage list.
Not only is this city visually beautiful, with old colonial buildings and exquisitely carved Zanzibari doorways, but your senses will be overwhelmed with the scent of the sea and spice and the calls to prayer echoing from the minarets.For history buffs and culture addicts, Stone Town offers plenty of activities for 2-4 days of exploration.
How to get to Stone town ?
There are direct flights to Zanzibar city offered by Condor, Jetfly, Ethiopian Airways, Kenyan Airways, Oman Air, Qatar Airlines, Arkia Israeli Airlines, KLM, FlyDubai, Meridian, Fasyjet, Mango and Turkish Airlines.
Alternatively, you can take a 20-minute flight from Dar es Salaam to the airport in Zanzibar. A ferry operates from the harbour in the centre of Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar City. It runs four times a day, and prices are usually half the plane ticket cost (around $35). The ferry takes approximately 2 hrs.
Zanzibar ferry terminal is located within walking distance of Stone Town. If you only have a few bags, you could walk to your hotel in Stone Town.
A taxi from the ferry port to the hotel should only cost roughly $5. Due to the one-way systems and narrow roads of Stone Town, if you take a taxi, they may not be able to take you and your luggage directly to the front door of the hotel.
When to go to Stone town ?
The best time to visit Stone Town, Zanzibar is during July – August and December to February. These are the dry seasons, so the weather is warm and there is less chance of rain ruining planned excursions.
These seasons link perfectly with Tanzania if you are looking to combine your trip with a Safari or Trek.
Like Tanzania, Zanzibar has two rainy seasons, one short, the other long.
The long rainy season often sees monsoons from March to May, which means the beaches are crowd-free and hotels offer discount rates, but you will be sunbathing in torrential rain
If you can, aim to avoid being in Stone Town on a Friday. This is the holy day for Muslims and as such some restaurants, bars, activities and sights may well be closed during the day.
During Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, most restaurants and food shops will be closed during the day, and most bars and nightclubs may well be shut for the entire period too. At this time, it is best not to consume food or water in public, as this is considered socially insensitive. Further, modest dress for both men and women is particularly necessary at this time. If you are keen to avoid these measures, make sure you check the dates for Ramadan each year.