What to do in Stone Town, Zanzibar

Stone Town is the Capital City of Zanzibar and when planning our recent trip there, we knew we wanted to spend some time exploring and soaking up this amazing place.  We managed to pack in quite a lot during our overnight stay so I hope our experiences help you to decide what to do in Stone Town when you visit.

Top Tips for Stone Town

Being a Muslim country, the dress is very modest from the locals and if you want to enter any religious sites then you need to cover up.  However the town itself is very used to tourists so when walking around, shorts and a T-Shirt are perfectly acceptable.   Conservative dress and behaviour (refraining from too much alcohol) are appreciated. Alcohol is not part of the Muslim culture so many of the local cafes and restaurants do not serve it.  However, there are plenty of restaurants and bars where alcohol is available and many of the more expensive hotels offer it as well.

We felt very safe in Stone Town, the locals are friendly and will approach you to buy things from them but if you are polite and tell them you’re not interested then they will respect that.

Everywhere in Stone Town accepts US dollars or Tanzanian shillings but most places actually prefer you to pay in dollars.  Take cash as many places other than the larger hotels and restaurants do not have card machines.

Where to stay in Stone Town, Zanzibar

We had booked ourselves into the Tembo House Hotel in the centre of town for a couple of reasons.  It was an old-style building, right on the beach with its own pool as well.  (We weren’t sure how hot and sticky it would be in Zanzibar when we booked so we thought the pool would be a necessity.  Turns out we didn’t even use it!) It just seemed a little more authentic than some of the other places we had looked at.

We were upgraded to the most amazing room, the Tembo Suite.  It had a beautiful Swahili four-poster bed and the bathroom was a traditional hammam.  And the best bit – we had the most amazing sea and beach views from our own private balcony!

Anther place that comes highly recommended to stay at while in Zanzibar is Park Hyatt Zanzibar – All the opulence you would expect from a Hyatt Hotel but in the most stunning location, right on the beach.  A 5-star resort that is truly one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.  It has an infinity pool and the most stunning veranda that you can have breakfast and dinner on.  If we’d had more time I would have loved to have eaten dinner in the restaurant here one evening.

If you want somewhere right in the centre of town you can stay at the Zanzibar Coffee House.  One of the most famous places in Zanzibar to get a traditional coffee, it also has rooms to rent out.  The rooms are very traditional but still very high quality and you’ll get a more authentic feel than if you stay in one of the larger hotel chain brands.  Plus the coffee is really good!

There are also plenty of hostels and guest houses if you’re looking for something cheaper or a bit different.  Find them all here!

Top tip: When searching for places to stay try searching Zanzibar City instead of Stone Town.  I realised this too late but most of the hotels describe themselves as being in Zanzibar City rather than Stone Town so you’ll have a lot more options to choose from!

Where to eat and drink in Stone Town

Stone Town has a variety of amazing restaurants and bars, some more touristy and opulent than others and some, where you can eat with the locals.  Here are some of the places we tried.  Unfortunately, only being there for a day we didn’t get to experience enough of the restaurants but let me know in the comments if you have ones you would recommend.

For coffee and cake, the only place to go is the Zanzibar Coffee House.  They serve the best coffee around and there’s a whole menu of different coffees and different styles to choose from.  I had the iced americano and it was the perfect drink to cool you down in the hot sun.  The cakes and local sweets all looked pretty good too!

For cocktails, you must visit the amazing Sunset Bar at the Africa House.  We arrived at 6pm to make sure we were there to see the sunset.  It was such a stunning location, right on the beach and everyone was out taking a sunset walk along the sand or playing in the water.  It truly was the most relaxing moment sitting there, sipping on my Pimms watching the incredible sunset.  They usually have a DJ playing chilled music and you can eat there too if you want.  You can’t book though so get there in plenty of time if you want a table for the sunset!

For dinner, we picked the 6 Degrees South Grill & Wine Bar.  We’d stumbled upon this place earlier in the day and it had amazing views out to the sea from the ground floor.  We then found out it had a top floor restaurant so we booked, mainly for the rooftop views it promised. However, to be honest, by the time we ate it was dark anyway but we also booked as it offered traditional Zanzibarian food.  The service was slow but the food was delicious.  They served proper Zanzibar curries, coconut-crusted lobster and spicy chicken all washed down with some delicious South African wine!

The Emerson Tea House always comes up as the number one place to have dinner when in Stone Town.  We tried to book months in advance but they still had no reservation for the night that we were there so get in there early if you want to visit.  You can see why! They serve lunch and dinner on the most beautiful terrace with views over the whole of Stone Town to the sea.  The meal is a 3-course set menu of traditional Zanzibar foods but get there early to have a cocktail and watch the sunset.

if you are looking for a more authentic experience then you could try the Forodhani Night Market.  Set in the Forodhani Gardens, during the day the area is a peaceful park.  The vendors start setting up in the afternoon and from about 6 pm onwards they are ready to serve you (and the locals) traditional delicacies.  Take your pick from fresh seafood, skewers, curries and of course the infamous Zanzibar pizza!  Make sure you look at how the food is being prepared though as some of the cooks don’t have the highest health and hygiene standards!

Top tip: Alcohol is not permitted anywhere in the park – so don’t bring a beer or accept one from one of the locals who will try and sell you one for $10!!  You’ll get in trouble!

What to do in Stone Town

A Stone Town Tour

Once we’d checked in we were met at the front desk by our guide for the next few hours.  When we researched what to do in Stone Town, a tour of the town by an experienced guide always came up as the number one thing to do.  We booked ours through ZanziTaxi and our guide met us at our hotel.  You can read all about our Historial Walking Tour of Stone town here.  It’s definitely worth doing and it gave us such an insight into the history and way of life in Zanzibar.  It also helped us to get to know the town so we felt more comfortable walking around it on our own for the rest of the trip!  It’s a complete maze!

Take a sunset walk along the seafront

We were so shocked to see the beach and seafront completely packed late in the evening.  Away from the midday heat, this is when the locals come out to take a stroll or even a dip in the ocean.  The whole place is a bustling sea of people and a hive of activity.  Local kids play ball or work on their acrobatic skills, families go for walks and everyone is out enjoying the amazing atmosphere.

Explore the alleyways and stop by Jaw’s Corner

Jaw’s Corner was one of the stops on our Historical Tour of Stone Town.  It’s a small square which really gives you a glimpse into everyday life in Stone Town.  The men gather here to play cards or Bao (A Zanzibarian board game) or just to sip coffee.

Shop for souvenirs and spices

You can’t move more than a few inches in Stone Town without a vendor trying to sell you something.  It can get a bit annoying but if you’re firm and polite with your refusal then they tend to leave you alone.  Small shops line all the alleyways selling tourist treasures, from paintings to traditional clothing to sculptures and jewellery.  You can also head to the Darajani market to hone your haggling skills.  Here you can barter for spices amongst the locals or just take in the sights and sounds of this incredibly vibrant market.

Day Trips from Stone Town

Snorkel at Chumbe Island

Chumbe Island is a 45 minute boat trip off the coast of Stone Town and is an incredible place.  It is a protected eco-resort that works so hard to sustain the reefs surrounding it and the plant life within it.  

Booking is essential as only a maximum of 14 visitors are allowed on the island at any one time.  If you do the day trip, you’ll experience a walk through the dense forest on the island with a guide pointing out all of the flora and fauna.  You then get an incredible lunch full of traditional foods and flavours cooked by the island chef followed by a 1 hour snorkelling trip and a bit of time to relax afterwards.

The reef sanctuary at Chumbe Island is the best coral reef in the whole of Zanzibar so it is perfect for snorkelling.  It houses over 200 species of both coral and fish, and if you’re lucky you might even see a black-tipped reef shark!  You can also stay overnight on Chumbe Island, which is what we did – but that amazing experience deserves a blog post all of its own! Do it – you won’t regret it!

Trip to Prison Island

Prison Island is about a 30-minute boat ride from the coast of Stone Town.  Most tours leave at around 9am and the trip lasts about half the day.  Once there, you can explore the island where you can visit the giant tortoises (gifted by the Seychelles) and even feed them!  The island used to house rebellious slaves from the main island but subsequently became a quarantine for yellow fever patients.

You can snorkel the surrounding reefs before heading back to Stone Town for the afternoon.

Visit a Spice Plantation

Zanzibar isn’t called the Spice Island for no reason.  Whilst there you can take a trip to a spice plantation, and see how the spices (one of Zanzibar’s most famous exports) are grown.  If you want to see what the spices look like in their raw form before they’re cooked and dried then this trip is a must.  See cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon etc growing in its natural habitat.  You can see all the local fruits and vegetables too.  A must-see for any aspiring chefs or foodies.

Visit Jozani National Park to see the Colobus Monkeys

About 45 minutes outside of Stone Town is the protected Jozani National Park.  You can head into the tropical jungle and see the red colobus monkeys, indigenous to Zanzibar and not found anywhere else in the world.  The monkeys are quite used to humans and you can get pretty close to them (we were actually lucky enough to see one in our hotel!).   There are plenty of opportunities to take photos too and you get to explore the jungle and mangroves for a while as well.

Safari Blue

A day out on a traditional Zanzibar fishing boat called a dhow.  This trip includes two snorkel stops, an amazing seafood lunch on your own private beach, a trip to a deserted sandbank (your own private island), a chance to see the hugest Baobab trees you will ever see and time to relax and explore the surroundings as well.  We were even lucky enough to spot some dolphins on the return journey!  One of the best day trips we did during our time in Zanzibar.

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