Amazing Areas to Visit on the Beautiful Island of Zanzibar

By Tom V Powell

Zanzibar is an archipelago on the east coast of Africa. Its main neighbouring island is Pemba, but there are also many smaller islands such as Mnemba and Uzi which are surrounded by the Indian Ocean.

Although Zanzibar is not a huge island, it has many different types of villages which all have totally different atmospheres, surroundings and scenery from each other.

The contents of this article should give you a brief introduction to a three very different areas of the island and some ideas for things to see and do there.

Stone Town

Zanzibar city, also known as Stone Town is the ancient town that is made up of long, winding, thin alley ways, mosques, bazaars and magnificently carved large wooden, brass studded doors. During your stay in Stone Town you may wish to take a look at some of the amazing architecture available such as the house of wonders, the peoples palace and the market building.

Stone town has many markets bustling with life and energy which are great for general and food shopping. The Darajani market sells things such as meats, spices, vegetables, jewelery and fabric. For freshly caught fish visit the fish market, where you will see all kinds of fresh catches such as squid, octopus, king prawns, red snapper, barracuda, tuna and swordfish.

There are many restaurants to eat at in Stone Town, including Indian and Italian places as well as traditional food venues. However, for a great dining experience I recommend visiting the Forodhani gardens food market in the evening and eating there. You will see stalls set up selling all kinds of fish, meat and vegetables as well as some local delicacies such as the Zanzibar pizza and sugar cane juice to wash it down with.

Paje

The small seaside village of Paje is a quiet place, where my main tip is to chill out and relax on the beach. You can also watch seaweed being harvested as the tide goes out, locals use stakes to trap the seaweed which is then dried out and exported.

Nungwi

Nungwi is quite simply a haven for beach lovers. Weather you enjoy sunbathing, swimming, snorkelling, diving or fishing - Nungwi has it all. You can even do a spot of water sports such a sea kayaking or wind surfing and end the day with a sunset cruise on a traditional local dhow boat. There are also a few natural aquariums in this area where you can see marine life such as baby sea turtles being cared for.

On my visit to Nungwi I found the huge selection of Zanzibar hotels located on the beach front overwhelming and I felt spoilt for choice as there was so many different types of luxurious, boutique like accommodation available to me.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_V_Powell

© 2010 EzineArticles.com - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.