Zanzibar Archipelago

Discover the islands and our holidays

Zanzibar is one of the best known and most picturesque seaside resorts in East Africa, by which we usually refer to the entire Zanzibar Archipelago, located in Tanzania. The archipelago consists of some forty smaller islands and two main islands, two other beautiful seaside resorts in the area: Unguja, the largest and most populated often referred to simply as Zanzibar or Zanzibar Island, and Pemba.

TheZanzibar Archipelago, along with Mafia Island, is part of the spice islands because these very islands were central to the Spice Route.

The turquoise waters that lap the island lend themselves to snorkeling and diving, for the beautiful corals and wrecks found offshore.In the public gardens by the sea are two of the city’s most significant buildings; the Arab fort,and the Palace of Wonders or Bit-el Ajab.

Where is Zanzibar located?

Zanzibar, and the archipelago of the same name, is located on the front coast of Tanzania, immersed in the blue Indian Ocean, about 20 kilometers from the African coast. Unguja Island, or Zanzibar, is one of the southernmost islands in the archipelago.

What are the islands of the Zanzibar archipelago?

The two main islands, those distinctly larger in size, are Unguja Island and Pemba.

The former, given its size, is commonly identified as Zanzibar, although this is actually the name of the entire Archipelago. Unguja is a hilly island located at the height of Bagamoyo, a town in Tanzania. This island is highly frequented by tourists, especially in the eastern part distinguished by the white beaches and the coral reef in front, one of the most beautiful places for those who like to Sub, and not only.

Pemba Island, on the other hand, also known as Green Island, or Al Kuh Dra, is located about 50 km above Unduja, and is about half the size of Zanzibar Island. Pemba is one of the jewels of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by the coral reef, which is home to 300 species of fish and corals. You can watch as sea turtles lay their eggs on Mnemba’s beach from December to March. Chumbe is also a real jewel located on a bed of coral fossils, and is one of the most beautiful destinations on the island.

The size of Zanzibar is about 2,600 km², far larger than the area of Pemba, which measures 1,500 km² instead.

The islands of the archipelago were originally submerged by rainforest, yet today the soil has been almost completely deforested to make way for fragrant spice and fruit plantations.

What to see

If you want to go on an ‘excursion, you can easily reach a tiny island opposite the city, known as Prison island, where slaves were once imprisoned before being deported outside Africa, which is now instead a shelter for giant land tortoises. North of Stone Town are the island’s most beautiful and famous beaches, and 5 kilometers from the capital are the ruins of Mtoni Palace built in 1820 by a wealthy Arab trader, the first to introduce carnation cultivation, which became a source of wealth for the island.

Tutta la zona intorno è occupata da una lussureggiante vegetazione ed è il luogo da dove partono i tour e i safari. La zona a sud della città è denominata Mwanakwerekwe, ovvero “carica il bambino sulle spalle”, perché un tempo era spesso allagata dalla pioggia torrenziale. Sempre a sud troviamo l’orto botanico e il sito archeologico di Unguja ukuu, che oggi è solo un piccolo villaggio ma un tempo era un insediamento delle dimensioni di 16 ettari, in cui furono ritrovati reperti risalenti al 300 d.c. Sempre a sud dell’isola troviamo la Jozani Forest, una bellissima foresta tropicale di 2.495 ettari.

Diving in Zanzibar is mainly done in the northern area around the tip of Ras Nungwi and in the fantastic marine parks on the islands of Mnemba and Chumbe.