Holidays in the Indian Ocean on the exotic’ spice island’

The Zanzibar archipelago, 60 miles off Africa’s east coast, is a gem in the Indian Ocean. Few titles conjure up such a beautiful image as Zanzibar’s major “spice island.” Stone Town, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a fascinating maze of small streets, while on the east coast, unspoiled beaches and reef-protected warm waters await visitors as traditional wooden dhows float by. Pemba, a small sister island to the main island, offers get-away-from-it-all retreats.

Zanzibar is the ideal location for a tropical island beach vacation in Tanzania. While the island’s picture-perfect beaches are the main draw, there’s a lot more to this island than meets the eye.

Zanzibar conjures up visions of white sand beaches, waving palm trees, and blue waters – the ideal island getaway. It can be all of these things and more. The beaches of Zanzibar are ideal for a languid beach vacation when all you want to do is rest and replenish your batteries, but it also offers easily accessible outlying islands with world-class diving. We’d say Zanzibar offers it all, especially the busy world heritage site of Stone Town, with its colorful back-street marketplaces, excellent local cuisine, and spice excursions.

It’s easily accessible from Dar es Salaam and, if desired, can be combined with a Tanzania safari or visited as a stand-alone location.