Zanzibar's Stone Town

Waking up at Zanzibar Coffee House hotel, I ironically don’t have any access to coffee until 7:30 a.m. I give sleeping in my best shot.

At 5:20 a.m., I hear a low hum drifting through my window. It was the call to prayer. Somewhere in my sleepy, half-awake state, I remembered that Zanzibar is 98% Muslim.

Thanks to Billy Joel, I’ve been familiar with Zanzibar for most of my life.  But he is singing about a bar – with an exotic name.  In 2017, when I planned this itinerary, the beautiful island of Zanzibar, with its turquoise water, was exactly the exotic destination I was dreaming of. 

I was surprised to notice that Zanzibar has a more sophisticated feel than the Arusha area. Considering its history, it makes sense – it’s had centuries of international influence. For generations it has been a trading port connected to the wider world. Traders and settlers from Oman, Persia (Iran), India, Portugal, and Britain all left their mark here.

Today, those influences are most visible in Stone Town, the historic heart of Zanzibar City. Its narrow alleyways twist between centuries-old buildings, carved wooden doors, mosques, markets, and former merchant houses.

Representing wealth, status, and cultural identity, the ornate carved wooden doors throughout Stone Town are one of the things the city is most famous for.

Our activity this morning is a private “Stone Town Walking Tour with Hassan,” currently the #1 Stone Town tour on Tripadvisor. He started out with a sincere thank you. The tour guide business is very competitive, and he was genuinely appreciative that we had chosen him.

Something I notice immediately, and ask him about, is the high population of cats here. He answers with, “This is always my client question.” Hassan explains that cats enjoy a special place in Muslim culture.

They love cats.

The cats are friendlier than any cat I’ve met since my beloved college cat, Odie. “Pspspsps,” I tried to get one’s attention. It is the universal cat call, but in this case I could’ve made any sound. Rather than ignore me or simply look in my direction, he jumped right up and came over. I was smitten. Immediately I mentally began making room in my suitcase.

Hassan began our tour by summarizing the last 1,000 years of Zanzibar’s history. It is a lot. Between his accent, his pace, and the sheer volume of information he was throwing at us, I had to concentrate just to keep up. It wasn’t in our high school World History books – though that was my least favorite subject (sorry Mr. Combs), so regardless, I was hearing it for the first time.

A rooftop view of Stone Town: rusted metal roofs, narrow alleyways, and layers of history.

It occurs to me that Zanzibar feels like a country of its own. Everything from the architecture to the call to prayer to the island's history gives it an identity of its own, separate from the mainland.

Hassan explains that they have their own president and parliament but remain in the shadow of Tanzania. Listening to him, I get the impression that they feel they have little influence over their own future. Not because they don't want independence, but because they don't have the power to fight for it—a theme that seems to echo throughout their history.

Typically guides are proud and boastful of their country, so Hassan’s honesty surprises me. Hassan often starts his personal insights with, "Let me tell you the truth." It meant he was about to give his view of what it really feels like to live here, despite outward appearances. It humanizes the tour and starts to trigger compassion inside me.

As we get to the Anglican Church in the center of town, my emotions spike. It is the historic site of the slave market, where it was once perfectly legal and acceptable to sell people. How does a society ever get past that? How do they find forgiveness in their hearts?

I wasn't expecting to feel like this. I've known about slavery my entire life, like every other American. But what I didn’t know was that Tanzania – and its people - were going to capture my heart.

But standing here feels different. This is no longer a faraway place on a map.

Now it has faces.

…It's the children waving to me from the road.

…It's the staff singing us goodbye at dinner.

…It's Daniel apologizing for being five minutes late with my coffee, busy trying to protect us from a buffalo.

…It's the relationships we’ve made with our guides: Fabian and Hassan.

…It’s Edward.

How could anyone look at human beings like these—not as beautiful, kind, welcoming, genuine people — but as a way to prosper.

I can’t fathom someone trying to betray them. Maybe that's why I can't stop thinking about it.

Our tour eventually came to an end, but the warmth of the people didn't.

We headed to popular Lukmaan for a traditional lunch. First, however, we needed to distract our thoughts with a beer—which isn't always the easiest thing to find in a predominantly Muslim community. Papa from Lukmaan happily walked us to a nearby watering hole.

Lukmaan has its own herd of cats. “Do not feed them,” Greg said, attempting to sway my natural instincts. He is always so unsympathetic toward poor, starving babies.

However, I recognized the look in the cat's eyes. We understood each other. "Let's pretend we didn't hear that."

The local food at Lukmaan is so good. I just couldn’t stop eating it. Our meal was definitely a contender for the best food we’ve had on the trip.

After lunch, Sele, our driver from the airport, was waiting to take us to our little piece of paradise: Poa Poa Bungalows in Kiwengwa Beach. Checking in, they tell us, “You have the best room.” In May, they completed the remodel and the new patio door leads straight onto the beach. “If you have a problem come to us and everything will be fine.”

I think we are going to like it here!

Logistics:

• As Zanzibar is primarily Muslim, it is respectful to keep your arms and legs covered when away from the beach.
• Zanzibar has mandatory travel insurance. You must purchase the Zanzibar policy even if you already have travel insurance from home. The cost was $44 per adult during our visit.
• Hassan said to make sure you use official guides. They can be tracked. If you hire an unofficial guide and something goes wrong, the police will still help you—but you may be fined for using an unlicensed guide.
• Hassan advised us not to wander outside the tourist areas of Stone Town. “It is not safe unless you have been here a while.”
• Indicating I wanted to do some souvenir shopping, Hassan's advice was simple: don't buy everything in one store. If a merchant thinks you're spending freely, suddenly the prices start drifting upward. It was evident immediately as I tried to negotiate a lower price per item for buying in bulk.
• We’ve noticed that Stone Town, while perfectly willing to accept dollars, prefers schilling. Lukmaan said we could go outside to convert into schilling, or they can use their higher exchange rate instead.
• Most tourists stay at Nungwi Beach, the classic postcard beach. It is more sheltered and generally considered better for swimming than Zanzibar's east coast.
• I chose to stay at Poa Poa Bungalows in Kiwengwa Beach because of its reasonable price for a beachfront bungalow: only $397 for 2 nights. I booked it on Capital One using a travel credit.