THE BEST Sights and Attractions in Zanzibar

🏛️ Sights and Attractions in Zanzibar

• House of Wonders — The House of Wonders or Palace of Wonders is a landmark building in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is the largest and tallest building of Stone Town and occupies a prominent place facing the Forodhani Gardens on the old town's seafront in Mizingani Road. It is located between the Old Fort and the Palace Museum. It is one of six palaces built by Barghash bin Said, second Sultan of Zanzibar, and it is said to be located on the site of the 17th-century palace of Zanzibari queen Fatuma. The House of Wonders housed the Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast.
• Darajani Market — The Darajani Market is the main bazaar in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is also known as Estella Market and informally as Marikiti Kuu. The market is located in Darajani Road, in the surroundings of the Anglican Cathedral of Christ.
• Menai Bay — Menai Bay is a bay in Mkinga District of Mjini Magharibi Region of Tanzania. The bay is geographically part of the Zanzibar Archipelago.
• Hamamni Persian Baths — The Hamamni Persian Baths is located in a historical building of Stone Town, Zanzibar. The name Hamamni is also used to refer to the neighbourhood where the building is located.
• Kizimkazi — officially Kizimkazi Mkunguni, but also known as Kizimkazi Mtendeni - is a fishing village on the southern coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania, and was once a walled city. It is situated three miles southeast of the Kizimkazi Mosque. In recent years, Kizimkazi has become a ma
• Stone Town — A UNESCO World Heritage labyrinth of narrow alleys, coral-stone buildings, and carved Zanzibari doors reflecting centuries of Swahili, Arab, Indian, and European influence. The historic heart of Zanzibar City.
• Old Fort — A 17th-century Omani stone fortress built on the site of an earlier Portuguese church. The internal courtyard is now a cultural centre with shops and live performances.
• Old Dispensary — A beautifully restored 1890s building with ornate balconies and Indian-influenced architecture, originally a charity hospital. Now houses a museum and cultural centre.
• Sultan's Palace — Beit el-Sahel, the former royal residence of the Sultans of Zanzibar, now a museum displaying royal furnishings and historical exhibits.
• Christ Church Cathedral — An Anglican cathedral built in 1879 on the site of Zanzibar’s last slave market. A powerful memorial to the island’s role in the East African slave trade.
• Freddie Mercury Museum — A small museum in the former family home of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who was born in Stone Town in 1946. Displays photos and memorabilia.
• Forodhani Gardens — A waterfront park between the Old Fort and the palace that transforms into a lively night market after sunset, serving Zanzibar pizza, grilled seafood, and sugarcane juice.
• Prison Island — Changuu Island, a short boat ride from Stone Town, home to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises and the ruins of a 19th-century quarantine prison.
• Jozani Forest — Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, Zanzibar’s only national park, protecting rare red colobus monkeys, ancient mahogany trees, and a mangrove boardwalk.
• Spice Plantations — Working spice farms where guides show how cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg grow — the reason Zanzibar is called the Spice Island.
• Mangapwani Slave Caves — A natural cave used to secretly hold enslaved people after the official abolition of the slave trade in 1873. A sobering historical site on the northwest coast.