Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania offers a spectacular volcanic crater teeming with diverse wildlife, dramatic landscapes and rich Maasai culture, making it one of Africa's most rewarding and accessible safari destinations for travellers seeking unforgettable encounters with nature.
Tanzania: Stone Town, Zanzibar
Tanzania: Stone Town, Zanzibar
With the sea lapping at it on two sides, we found Stone Town to be exotic, exciting and absolutely steeped in history, the sort of place where you trip over the past at every other corner. We’d heard a lot about it before we went, and we’re pleased to say it didn’t disappoint one bit.
We watched the heavily laden dhows sailing in and out of the harbour, their sails bulging in the wind just as they’d have done for the merchants of centuries gone by, while the tall, crumbling old buildings threw long shadows over the labyrinthine streets below and the smell of cloves, cinnamon and pepper drifted through the alleys on the warm air. Stone Town sits on the sheltered west coast of Zanzibar, the famous tropical “spice island” lying off the coast of mainland Tanzania, and it is, by any measure, a textbook example of a Swahili coastal trading centre, the sort of place built up over generations on the long-standing business of swapping goods between the African interior and the merchants of Arabia and Asia. We learned that the settlement has existed in some form for at least 1,000 years, which is a sobering thought when you’re standing there with an ice cream wondering where to get your bearings, and it remains a properly vibrant place to this day, never mind its age. Architecturally, it’s a proper melting pot, pulling together influences from Arabia, Persia, India and Europe, all jumbled together in a way that somehow works rather beautifully. We were also reminded, rather soberly, that Zanzibar played a grim and significant role in the slave trade, particularly through the 18th century, when enslaved people were shipped out in huge numbers to work the plantations springing up across the Indian Ocean islands. Most of what you actually see walking round Stone Town today, mind you, is rather more recent than all that, dating largely from the second half of the 19th century, after the Sultan of Oman upped sticks and moved his entire sultanate from Muscat over to Zanzibar in 1840, a fairly significant relocation by anybody’s standards.
We gave ourselves two full days in Zanzibar to properly explore Stone Town, and even that felt like we’d only scratched the surface.
🛣️ The Streets of Stone Town
The narrow streets of old Stone Town form a proper maze, and we can tell you from first-hand experience that it is remarkably easy to lose your bearings within about thirty seconds of setting off, even with a phone in your hand. We lost count of the number of times we ended up back where we’d started, usually outside the same shop selling the same brightly coloured kangas. There are dozens upon dozens of small shops and businesses crammed into the place, punctuated by hotels, restaurants and the occasional mosque poking its minaret up above the rooftops. Many of the buildings date back to the 18th century, and if we’re honest, quite a few of them look like they could do with a fair bit of TLC, with crumbling plaster and ironwork rusting away in the salty air, but rather than spoiling things, all that gentle decay only adds to the character of the place. During the day and into the early evening, these streets become a proper bustling throng of humanity, locals and tourists alike weaving past handcarts, mopeds and the odd wandering goat, and we found ourselves just standing still for minutes at a time, drinking in the atmosphere of it all.
🚪 Carved Wooden Doors
As you wander through the labyrinth of Stone Town’s winding alleyways and streets, you will keep coming across these absolutely beautiful carved wooden doors, many of which are well over a hundred years old and have clearly seen empires come and go. There are reckoned to be around 560 of these doors still standing in Zanzibar City, and the great majority of them are concentrated right here in Stone Town. We learned that these were never just doors in the ordinary sense; they were proper symbols of religion and social status, a way of broadcasting who you were and where you’d come from before anybody even stepped over the threshold.
You’ll find doors associated with Indian, Arab and Swahili traditions, and because Stone Town has historically been divided up into distinct ethnic districts, doors belonging to the same tradition tend to crop up in clusters rather than being scattered about at random.
The traditional Indian doors, sometimes called Gujarati doors, are typically split into smaller panelled sections and come fitted with foldable shutters, a style that was apparently very common along the old bazaar streets of Zanzibar where shopkeepers needed to open up and shut down quickly. There’s another variety of Indian door, too, studded with heavy brass and topped with an arched frame, every bit as grand as the doors you’d see fronting the palaces back on the subcontinent. The Arab doors, by contrast, are generally rectangular, with intricately carved frames that often run to a carved frieze bearing Arabic inscriptions or symbols, frequently lines lifted straight from the Quran. That frieze is usually worked into rosette patterns and might also carry the name of whoever lived behind the door, a sort of carved calling card. Then you’ve got the Swahili doors, which are a good deal more modest in their decoration, lacking the fancy flourishes of their Arab and Indian neighbours, but still carrying intriguing carvings if you look closely enough. They’re rectangular in shape much like the Arab doors, but you won’t find any Arabic script worked into them.
⛓️ The Old Slave Market
Stone Town was, rather grimly, host to one of the world’s last open slave markets, presided over by Arab traders right up until the British finally shut the whole operation down in 1873. It stood as one of the oldest slave markets anywhere in the world, and learning about it on the ground was a sobering counterpoint to the beauty of the carved doors and the bustling bazaars. The enslaved people were shipped in by dhow from the mainland, packed in so tightly that many fell desperately ill on the crossing and either died where they lay or were simply thrown overboard to drown, a detail that’s hard to read and harder still to stand and think about while you’re actually there.
Beneath what was once St Monica’s guesthouse, dozens of enslaved men, women and children were held prisoner for days on end in cramped, airless cellars, with no proper food and no toilets to speak of. So what stands on that very site today? The Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ, as it happens. The spot marking the old whipping tree is set into the floor near the altar, a white marble circle ringed with red, meant to symbolise the blood that was spilled there.
Right next door to the Cathedral there’s a small museum that tells the story of the slave trade in Zanzibar. The exhibits themselves are mostly display panels rather than anything flashy, but we found the history genuinely fascinating, and it doesn’t shy away from drawing the line through to slavery as a global problem that, shamefully, persists right up to the present day. Yes, slavery is still very much with us, even now, which rather puts a damper on the day but is exactly the sort of thing a museum like this should be telling people.
⛪ Cathedral Church of Christ
The Cathedral Church of Christ itself went up in 1879, built directly on the grounds of that former slave market, a deliberate and rather pointed choice of location.
There’s a lovely bit of local legend attached to the building, too. Apparently, former slaves who needed work were taken on to help with the cathedral’s construction, and somewhere along the way they made one rather memorable mistake. The man in charge of the works, Bishop Edward Steere, was called away on business for a spell, and when he returned he discovered that twelve of the pillars had been put up entirely upside down. Rather than have the whole lot torn out and redone, he decided to simply leave them be, and so, to this day, upside down they remain, a small accidental monument to human error that nobody’s bothered to correct in nearly a century and a half.
Steere himself was a popular figure locally, and in 1885 he wrote A Handbook of the Swahili Language: As Spoken at Zanzibar, which we gather was something of a standard reference for years afterwards. He eventually died of a heart attack in a nearby building, and he’s buried behind the altar of the very cathedral he helped to build.
There’s also a quiet tribute inside to Dr David Livingstone, the great Scottish explorer, who stayed in Zanzibar before setting off on what turned out to be his final expedition into the African interior. Rather touchingly, some wood taken from the tree in Zambia beneath which his heart was buried after his death has been fashioned into a cross that now hangs inside the cathedral, linking the building to one of the great names of African exploration.
🏰 The Old Fort
The Old Fort is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Stone Town, originally put up by the Portuguese back in the 17th century before being substantially rebuilt by the Omanis in the 18th century. It’s free to wander round, and cultural festivals and other happenings are regularly staged in its inner courtyards, so there’s a decent chance you’ll stumble upon some sort of event going on when you visit, as we did.
The site itself was first put to use by the Portuguese, who arrived on the islands back in the 1500s, hunting for a foothold on the spice and trade routes. Precious little remains of that original Portuguese structure today, though the ruins do include evidence of an old church tucked away within the walls. The fort got its current shape when the Omanis arrived to see off the Portuguese and defend Zanzibar for themselves, which happened in the late 1600s, and the Omanis went on to completely rebuild the fortification from the ground up. Later still, during the days of the Sultanate and on into the period of British rule, a short railway line ran from Stone Town out to the village of Bububu, and the Old Fort itself served as the terminal for that line. The little train rattled along its tracks from 1905 right through until 1930, when it was finally shut down, leaving the fort to settle back into its quieter role as a public space.
🎤 Freddie Mercury Museum
Right in the heart of Stone Town, not far from the Old Fort, stands the house where Freddie Mercury, the legendary lead singer of Queen, spent his early years before the family left for England. We’re absolutely massive fans of Freddie and of Queen more generally, so there was simply no question of us giving this one a miss; we had to go and see the house, which today has been turned into a proper museum dedicated to the man.
It’s the first ever museum anywhere dedicated to the world legend that is Freddie Mercury, and it sits in the Shangani district right in the heart of Zanzibar’s Stone Town. It was officially opened on Sunday the 24th of November 2019, the date chosen quite deliberately to mark the 28th anniversary of his much-mourned passing back in 1991.
The museum operates with the official backing of Queen Productions Ltd in the United Kingdom, who have loaned over exclusive photographs of Freddie taken at different stages of his life, from childhood right through to global stardom. The whole project sets out to give a properly detailed account of the birth town of Farrokh Bulsara, as he was named at birth, tracing his roots in the Zoroastrian faith, his childhood and upbringing right here in Zanzibar, his subsequent schooling at Panchgani in India, and then the long, extraordinary journey that turned him into one of the greatest stars the music world has ever produced.
🌅 The Sunsets
Zanzibar boasts some genuinely wonderful beaches, but you won’t find any of them in Stone Town itself, which is where we spent the whole of our time on the spice island, given over as we were to the history and the architecture rather than the sand. So instead of beach time, we had to make do with watching the sunsets each evening, and we can honestly report that they turned out to be utterly incredible in their own right, more than making up for the lack of a beach towel.
Planning your visit to Stone Town
📍 Location
Stone Town sits on the western coast of Unguja, Zanzibar’s main island, in the Indian Ocean off mainland Tanzania. Also known as Mji Mkongwe, it’s the historic heart of Zanzibar City and seat of its semi-autonomous government — a dense maze of coral-stone buildings, carved doors, mosques and bazaars, most within easy walking distance of each other. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
✈️ Getting there
Most visitors fly into Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, around fifteen minutes from the old town. Taxis wait outside (agree the fare first, as none use meters), or your hotel can arrange a transfer.
🚢 Arriving by ferry
From the mainland, the fast ferry from Dar es Salaam takes around two hours, with several sailings daily. Book a day or two ahead and keep your passport handy, as documents are sometimes checked. The terminal sits right in the old town, so many guesthouses are an easy walk away; taxis also wait outside the port gates.
🚶 Getting around
Stone Town is a walking town — its lanes are too narrow for cars in most places, so you’ll share the streets with pedestrians, bicycles and the odd motorbike. A map app helps, as it’s easy to lose your bearings.
For trips further afield:
- Taxis – flexible, with fares agreed upfront
- Dala-dalas – cheap shared minibuses linking Stone Town to the rest of the island, departing near Darajani Market
- Private transfers or shuttles – pre-booked, with set times and guaranteed seats
- Bicycles or scooters – good for wider roads, best avoided after dark
A hire car is rarely needed if you’re staying within Stone Town itself.
The Best Time to Visit Tanzania
☀️ Long Dry Season (June to October)
This is widely considered the main dry season and the best time for game viewing in Tanzania, also offering the best chance to see the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. Afternoon temperatures usually sit between 20°C and 30°C, with most days bringing fine, clear skies and sunny weather. Nights, especially at altitude, turn distinctly chilly. August and September are particularly good for catching the Mara River wildebeest crossings in the northern Serengeti. It’s also the most popular time to climb Kilimanjaro, with stable, dry conditions making for safer trekking. The trade-off is cost and crowds, as this is high season across most parks.
What to pack: lightweight, neutral-coloured clothing for daytime layered with a warm fleece or jumper for cold mornings and evenings, a packable waterproof jacket just in case, sturdy walking boots, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, high-factor sun cream, binoculars, a head torch, and a daypack for game drives.
🌦️ Short Rains (November to December)
The short rains arrive in November and December and are often unpredictable, but they have far less impact on a safari than the long rains, since rain tends to fall in short, heavy bursts during the afternoon rather than all day. This is a lovely, lush, and noticeably quieter time to travel, with the return of migratory birds making it a strong choice for birdwatchers. Temperatures stay warm, generally in the high twenties during the day, dipping into the mid-teens overnight, with humidity creeping up but rarely becoming uncomfortable.
What to pack: breathable, quick-drying clothing, a compact umbrella or lightweight rain jacket, waterproof footwear or boots that can cope with mud, a light cardigan for cooler evenings, insect repellent, a dry bag or waterproof cover for cameras and electronics, and binoculars for birdwatching.
🌤️ Short Dry Season (January to February)
A brief dry spell falls between the two rainy seasons, particularly across northern and coastal areas, making this an underrated window for travel. It’s especially prized by wildlife enthusiasts, as this is the most reliable time to witness wildebeest calving on the southern Serengeti plains, which in turn draws large numbers of predators. Days are generally warm and dry, though brief showers can still occur, and Zanzibar’s beaches are at their best.
What to pack: light, breathable clothing, swimwear and beach cover-ups if combining with Zanzibar, sun cream and a hat, a light rain shell just in case, comfortable walking shoes, and a camera with a good zoom for calving-season action.
🌧️ Long Rains (March to May)
This is the wettest and quietest stretch of the year. April is typically the wettest month, bringing high humidity, while May remains very rainy, with afternoon downpours common. Many lodges in the southern and western parks close during this period, and travel can be disrupted in low-lying areas. On the upside, this is when landscapes turn richly green, prices drop substantially, and crowds all but disappear, while birdwatching remains excellent as migratory species linger in the region.
What to pack: fully waterproof outerwear and footwear, quick-drying layers, a daypack with a rain cover, a strong insect repellent, plastic bags or dry sacks to protect electronics and documents, and a flexible itinerary in mind given possible road or lodge closures.
Overall Best Time to Visit
Taking everything together, June to October stands out as the overall best time to visit Tanzania for most travellers. This long dry season delivers the most reliable weather, the clearest skies, the easiest wildlife viewing as animals concentrate around dwindling water sources, and the best conditions for both Kilimanjaro climbs and Zanzibar beach time. The trade-off is that it’s also peak season, meaning higher prices and busier parks. For those seeking better value, fewer crowds, and who don’t mind a chance of rain, the short dry season of January and February offers an excellent alternative, particularly for witnessing the wildebeest calving. Ultimately, the right season depends on individual priorities, whether that’s guaranteed sunshine, lower costs, lush scenery, or a specific wildlife spectacle, but for a first-time visit with the broadest appeal, the dry season from June to October remains the gold standard.
Visiting Tanzania in January – February
There is a chance of rain, the temperature is getting higher and the humidity is building. It’s still a good time to go as rates are lower and safari is excellent. At this time of year the migration herds are in the southeast of the Serengeti for calving season, so the Ndutu Plains are busy but it is amazing to see so many animals in one place.
Events & Festivals- Green Season (November to March): Tanzania’s Green Season offers superb birdwatching opportunities, with migratory birds arriving in their thousands.
- Green Season (November to March): Tanzania’s Green Season offers superb birdwatching opportunities, with migratory birds arriving in their thousands.
- Green Season (November to March): Tanzania’s Green Season offers superb birdwatching opportunities, with migratory birds arriving in their thousands.
- The best chance to observe herds of animals in their hundreds as they cross Tanzania’s rivers on their epic journey across the continent is as part of the Great Migration in Africa.
- The best chance to observe herds of animals in their hundreds as they cross Tanzania’s rivers on their epic journey across the continent is as part of the Great Migration in Africa.
- The best chance to observe herds of animals in their hundreds as they cross Tanzania’s rivers on their epic journey across the continent is as part of the Great Migration in Africa.
- Green Season (November to March): Tanzania’s Green Season offers superb birdwatching opportunities, with migratory birds arriving in their thousands.
- Green Season (November to March): Tanzania’s Green Season offers superb birdwatching opportunities, with migratory birds arriving in their thousands.
Visiting Tanzania in February – February
Migration is still occurring in Ndutu. The weather is hot and humid with a chance of rain.
Events & Festivals
Visiting Tanzania in March
Migrating herds are starting to leave Ndutu, heading west toward Grumeti. This is truly low season, before the heavy rains but with humidity building. Great rates can be taken advantage of at this time of year.
Visiting Tanzania in April – May
This is a period of heavy rain, so we would advise against travelling at this time.
Visiting Tanzania in June
This is the green season, bringing lush grasses and bush that can make spotting game more difficult. However, this is still a wonderful time to travel — particularly for bird watchers as parks are full of migratory birds; especially in the south. Migration should be in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti heading north.
Visiting Tanzania in July
This is the start of the peak season. The Migration is in the north of the Serengeti moving toward Kenya, and elephant start to gather in Tarangire. The land is getting drier and spotting game is becoming easier. Temperatures are in the high 20°Cs to early 30°Cs and the humidity is low.
Visiting Tanzania in August
Peak season. Migration is still in the north. As the land becomes more parched, the animals’ behaviour becomes more predictable. The dense bush in Ruaha is drying out so game spotting here becomes much easier.
Visiting Visiting Tanzania in September
Peak season. The end of the migration is still in the north, with herds on both sides of the Kenya and Tanzania borders and high numbers of elephant in Tarangire. The northern circuit can be very busy, but it is less busy in the south, so for those who want to avoid crowds it’s best to visit the southern parks.
Visiting Visiting September in October
Peak season. The migration is now in Kenya, but the game viewing in central Serengeti is still very good. Southern parks are particularly rewarding at this time of year.
Visiting Visiting Tanzania in November
Short rains. This is a great time to take advantage of low season rates and is still a popular time to travel. The rains tend to be overnight, but there is a risk of rain during the day as well. Migrating herds are starting to travel south from Kenya, so crossings can be seen in the north of the Serengeti.
Visiting Visiting Tanzania in December
There is a chance of rain, but this is generally overnight. Temperatures and humidity start to build. Safari is good, with migrating herds in the north travelling south to Ndutu. The festive season can be very busy and needs to be planned well in advance to ensure availability.
Where to stay
1. Shoki Shoki House
Shoki Shoki House sits in the heart of Stone Town’s old quarter, where coral-stone walls and carved Zanzibari doors tell a story older than the hotel itself. This restored townhouse keeps things intimate, with a small number of rooms wrapped around a courtyard that catches the breeze and the chatter of the street outside. Inside, the décor leans into local craftsmanship — wooden furniture, brass fittings, and fabrics that nod to the island’s Swahili and Omani influences. It’s the kind of place where you wake up to the call to prayer drifting over rooftops and step straight into the maze of alleys, spice stalls, and seafront cafés that make Stone Town one of East Africa’s most atmospheric old towns.
2. Park Hyatt Zanzibar
Set along the Stone Town waterfront, Park Hyatt Zanzibar pairs five-star polish with serious historical pedigree, occupying a 19th-century merchant’s mansion that’s been reimagined without losing its soul. High ceilings, carved woodwork, and Swahili-Arabian architectural details carry through every public space, while the rooms add a contemporary layer of comfort — think marble bathrooms, soaking tubs, and private balconies facing the Indian Ocean. There’s a rooftop pool for sunset views over the harbor, a spa drawing on local ingredients like spices and coconut, and a restaurant scene built around fresh seafood. It’s the most refined base in Stone Town for travelers who want heritage architecture matched with genuine luxury-hotel service.
3. Kholle House
Kholle House occupies a 19th-century palace once linked to the Omani sultanate, and that royal backstory shapes everything about the place. Stonetown’s narrow lanes lead to a grand entrance, high arched doorways, and a central courtyard where breakfast is served beneath tropical greenery. The renovation has been careful rather than flashy — original architectural bones preserved, antique furnishings layered in, and a rooftop terrace added for ocean views and evening drinks. Rooms feel personal rather than corporate, each one different in shape and character, echoing the building’s past as a private residence. For travelers drawn to Zanzibar’s layered history, Kholle House offers a stay that feels like inhabiting a chapter of it rather than just visiting one.
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