Stone Town Tour

OVERVIEW

Familiarize yourself with Zanzibar City's storied past during this scenic and informative walking tour of Stone Town, the oldest section of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Begin at the City Market, where you’ll observe the hustle and bustle of shoppers and vendors negotiating over the price of vibrant tropical fruit and aromatic ground spices. Proceed to the impressive Christ Church, an Anglican cathedral built in 1874 on the site of the Great Slave Market, which was once the hub of East Africa’s ignominious slave trade. During a guided tour, you’ll visit the underground chambers where slaves were held and learn that at the market’s peak up to an astonishing 60,000 human beings were sold each year. Travel to the House of Wonders National Museum, a former ceremonial palace in which the fascinating relics of the sultans and early explorers such as Dr. David Livingstone are displayed. Starting from the adjacent Old Fort, you’ll delve into Stone Town’s narrow streets, passing stately Saint Joseph’s Cathedral and several of Zanzibar’s renowned ornately carved doors, alluring highlights of this entrancingly multifaceted destination.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Take in landmarks of Zanzibar City’s oldest quarter, Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Wander among a riot of colorful spices and tropical fruits at the lively City Market.
• Admire the 1874 Christ Church, an Anglican sanctuary built over a shuttered slave market.
• Tour underground chambers once used to hold slaves, which were sold in the tens of thousands each year.
• Stroll along evocative streets dotted with Stone Town’s distinctive elaborately carved wooden doors.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Dress appropriately for a religious venue; shoulders and knees must be covered.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.