Stone Town

About Stone Town

Stone Town is the old quarter of Zanzibar City, on the west coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Swahili it is called Mji Mkongwe, the old town. The listed area covers just 96 hectares of narrow lanes, coral-stone houses, mosques, churches and markets, shaped by centuries of Swahili, Arab, Indian and European trade. Most of our guests spend a day or two here after a safari, on the way to the beaches. UNESCO inscribed the town in 2000. About 16,000 people live in it, and the old buildings need constant care: roughly 80% of its 1,709 historic buildings are recorded as being in poor condition. That is part of the town's character, and part of why restoration matters so much here. The best way to see it is on foot with a local guide, because the lanes are a maze. The Old Fort, built by the Omanis in 1699, now has a cultural centre in its courtyard and hosts the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Nearby is the House of Wonders, built in 1883; a large part of it collapsed during restoration work in December 2020. The Old Dispensary, built between 1887 and 1894 by a wealthy Indian trader, was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The most moving stop is the Anglican Cathedral, which was built on the site of the island's largest slave market. Its altar stands where the market's whipping post used to be. A visit here gives real weight to the history behind the town's wealth. Look out for the carved wooden doors as you walk. The doors with rounded tops follow an Indian style, while the rectangular ones are Omani. Freddie Mercury, the singer with Queen, was born in Stone Town. In the evening, head to Forodhani Gardens on the seafront, also restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, where a seafood market sets up every night. Changuu, better known as Prison Island, lies 5.6 km offshore. It was bought to build a prison that never held a single prisoner, became a quarantine station instead, and is now home to Aldabra giant tortoises, first sent from the Seychelles in 1919. Getting here is easy. Zanzibar's international airport is about 5 km south of Zanzibar City, so you can be in your hotel soon after landing. One or two nights is about right, enough for a guided walk, an evening at Forodhani and a boat trip, before moving on to the beach. Our 4 Days Zanzibar Kendwa Beach Holidays and Stone Town Tour pairs a Stone Town tour with beach days at Kendwa, and the 13 Days Tanzania Bush to Beach Safari ends on the island with a Stone Town tour after the northern parks. For somewhere to stay, Park Hyatt Zanzibar sits on the beachfront in Shangani, built around Mambo Msiige, a historic Swahili mansion, with 67 rooms and suites, many facing the sea.