Day 1: Stone Town – Zanzibar Island

Our 4-day Zanzibar Holiday Package begins at the international airport near Zanzibar City. When you arrive at the airport your driver is there to welcome you to Zanzibar Island and transfer you to your hotel in Stone Town.

At your seaside hotel, you have some time to settle in and freshen up before your guide collects you for a walking tour of Stone Town.

It is as if time stood still in this fascinating old quarter of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The eclectic architecture is a testament to the various cultures– African, Arabic, Indian, and European–that have occupied this exotic island. Wander through winding alleys and admire the ornately carved and studded wooden doors, archways, and weathered shutters. Primarily a Muslim country there are numerous mosques in Stone Town as well as two cathedrals to serve the Christians who arrived with the British.

Visit the Old Fort, built by Omani Arabs after the Portuguese were expelled. It has served as a prison, garrison and today is a drawcard for tourists with its cultural center, market, restaurants, and amphitheater. The old slave market is the site today of the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ, a building that houses many tributes to the city’s heinous past, one of which is an altar built over the spot where the whipping post stood. All newly captured Africans were tied to the tree here and whipped to test their mettle. Slave trade was a thriving industry in the 18th and 19th centuries until shut down by the British in 1873. The guide has many stories to tell, some amusing but many that tell the tale of the hardship experienced on this island.

Stone Town has a bustling market and many gift shops that have souvenirs and handicrafts on sale. The colorful market is filled with the aroma of the spices that give this island its Spice Island moniker. After a busy day, your guide will escort you back to your historic hotel next to the ocean. Enjoy sundowners and dinner on the hotel terrace or step out again to dine at one of Stone Town’s restaurants.

• Accommodation: Tembo House Hotel in Stone Town (or similar)
• Includes: Airport transfer & walking tour of Stone Town

Day 2: Spice Tour & Beach Resort – Zanzibar Island

On day two of this cheap Zanzibar Holiday Package, we leave Stone Town behind. Your guide collects you after breakfast at the hotel and transfers you north to your Zanzibar beach resort. Along the way, you stop to enjoy an aromatic Zanzibar Spice Tour on a plantation.

Introduced by the Omani Arabs in the 19th century at a time when spices were a valuable commodity worldwide, spices became Zanzibar’s primary income source after the demise of the slave trade. Spices play an important role in the lives of the Zanzibaris for their use in their cuisine, as a cure for many ailments, and for the dyes and henna that are used for decoration at festivals and weddings. When you see spices such as cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, and turmeric root growing in the plantations, it’s easy to understand why Zanzibar is known as The Spice Island.

Taste some of the unusual fruits that are grown here, such as jack fruit, custard apple, rambutan, and carambola. Henna bush, lipstick tree, and lemongrass are some of the plants grown here. After the heady aromas of the spice plantation, it’s time to continue north to the beach resort.

On your Zanzibar beach holiday, you stay at the Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa (or similar). This lush and well-equipped beach resort is located in Pwani Mchangani, on the northeastern shores of the main island.

Arriving at the resort, it is time to kick off your shoes and head to the beach or take a dip in the large swimming pool and enjoy cocktails at the poolside bar. After dinner and a laid-back evening, retreat to your comfortable chalet and fall asleep to the sounds of the Indian Ocean.

• Accommodation: Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa (or similar)
• Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
• Includes: Transfer to Ocean Paradise Resort & Island Spice Tour

Day 3: Zanzibar Beach Resort

Today is yours to enjoy the beach paradise of Zanzibar Island!

Waterbabies will be spoilt for choice, with numerous watersports and ocean activities available. If watersports are your thing, the beach resort has a professional PADI accredited dive center on-site to organize and oversee scuba diving and/or snorkeling trips. With some of the best diving in the world and a company that knows the best locations, your scuba diving adventure is in good hands. The qualified divers can also provide tuition to new divers and beginners.

Other watersports include kayaking, snorkeling, windsurfing, and sailing, or you may choose to take a dolphin tour or a boat trip.

On dry land, there is a fitness center, beach volleyball, billiards, and table tennis. If that’s all too energetic for you, visit the spa or chill by the pool, soaking up some rays. If you are keen to see more of Zanzibar Island book a tour with the hotel concierge. You can also take a stroll around the resort which is set in a 6.5-hectare garden of lush tropical vegetation with a waterfall and abundant birdlife.

Relax in the evening, toast the sunset with a sundowner, and dine to the sounds of the resident, resort band. Fall asleep under your mosquito net to the gentle soundtrack of the waves.

• Accommodation: Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa (or similar)
• Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4: Beach Resort to Airport – Zanzibar Island

Wake up bright and early this morning for a last swim in the sea or a final stroll on the sandy beach.

All too soon this short Zanzibar Holiday Package comes to an end. Your driver will collect you from the beach resort after breakfast for your transfer back to the airport.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Includes: Transfer to the airport

Zanzibar Holiday Accommodation

Tembo House Hotel – Stone Town

The historic Tembo House Hotel is located on the beachfront in the old Stone Town part of Zanzibar City.

This lovingly-restored hotel is in a prime location close to the historical sites, attractions, and restaurants of Stone Town. The building itself housed the American Consulate for five decades in the early 19th century, before becoming the trading offices of Cowasjee Dinshaw & Partners, one of the largest trading companies in the Indian Ocean. Celebrities that have stayed in the building include Mahatma Gandhi and Freddie Mercury.

The hotel’s charming restaurant spills out onto spacious seaside terraces, serving local and international cuisine. Tembo Hotel also has an inviting courtyard featuring a swimming pool with deck chairs and shaded lounge areas. The hotel is decorated in an eclectic style with a distinctive Zanzibari character. The interiors feature ornate antiques and carved wooden furniture with bright splashes of color and influences from diverse cultures.

The rooms are all en-suite and most have a balcony with views of the ocean or pool. Each room has a small lounge area with a TV and is air-conditioned. The en-suite bathrooms have a shower and a traditional hammam bath. The rooms are furnished with interesting antique pieces and ornaments, including Swahili beds (carved wooden four-poster beds).

Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa – North Zanzibar

The Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa is located on the northeastern shores of Zanzibar Island, in Pwani Mchangani. The resort is set in a large, tropical garden with coconut palms, water features, and a large swimming pool. This upmarket beach resort overlooks the turquoise Indian Ocean, close to Mapenzi and Kiwengwa beaches.

With individual, typical African style round chalets and a roof thatched with makuti (coconut palm) your superior room is surprisingly sophisticated. Get lost in a king-size bed under your mosquito net, enjoy the facilities of an en-suite bathroom with shower, stay cool with the ceiling fan or air-conditioning and enjoy other facilities typical of a hotel, such as TV, coffee machine, laundry, and room service. Each room has a terrace, ideal for a sundowner as you watch the world go by.

Stay cool in what is one of the largest swimming pools in Zanzibar and relax with a drink from the pool bar. The resort offers a choice of restaurants that serve international and authentic Zanzibar cuisine and, of course, superb seafood. Indulge in a spa session after a busy day, prepare for the evening with a relaxing massage, facial or try the jacuzzi, steam room, or sauna. For the energetic, there is a fitness center, beach volleyball, billiards, table tennis, and a variety of watersports, including diving, windsurfing kayaking, or take a dolphin tour. (NB some activities are at extra cost).

Both accommodation establishments offer free wi-fi access and all beds are fitted with mosquito nets to ensure peaceful nights of sleep.

Optional Extras and Excursions