Zanzibar: Stone Town's Carved Doors, Spice Farms, and the Most Turquoise Water in East Africa

Stone Town is the reason Zanzibar is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and the most essential cultural experience on the island — a labyrinthine city of coral stone buildings and narrow lanes that has been continuously inhabited since at least the 10th century. The carved wooden doors are Stone Town's most iconic element — the style of carving (Indian doors have rectangular frames, Arab doors have semicircular arches), the density of brass studs (originally to prevent war elephants from battering them down), and the intricacy of the geometric and floral carving were a direct expression of the owner's wealth and status. Approximately 560 carved doors survive in Stone Town. The Slave Market and Anglican Cathedral (built on the site of the former slave market by Anglican missionaries in 1876 — the altar stands exactly where the whipping post stood, the basement holds the original holding chambers) is the most historically significant and most sobering site.

Spice tours in the island's interior (typically departing Stone Town for 3 to 4 hours, visiting working spice farms — approximately US$25 to 40 including transport and guide) are the most specific Zanzibari cultural experience available on land. Cloves, vanilla, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and lemongrass grow on small family farms throughout the central highlands. Guides demonstrate identification and preparation of each spice. Zanzibar was the world's largest clove producer throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries — cloves remain the island's primary cash crop.

Nungwi Beach (the northwestern tip of the island — approximately 60 kilometers and 1.5 hours from Stone Town by road) is consistently rated the finest beach in Zanzibar — a wide crescent of powder-white sand with calm turquoise water, no tidal retreat issues (unlike the east coast beaches where low tide exposes coral flats and makes swimming impossible for hours), and the largest concentration of upscale beach resorts on the island. Kendwa Beach (adjacent to Nungwi, slightly quieter) is the alternative. The Full Moon Party at Kendwa Rocks (monthly, the most social beach event in Zanzibar) attracts the island's international backpacker and traveler community.

Zanzibari cuisine is the most specifically Indian Ocean fusion food culture on the East African coast — shaped by Arab, Persian, Indian, and African culinary traditions accumulated over 1,000 years of trade, built on the island's extraordinary spice wealth and the Indian Ocean's marine abundance. The most specifically Zanzibari dishes: urojo (Zanzibar mix — a tangy coconut milk and tamarind soup served with various fritters and garnishes, the most complex and most specifically Zanzibari single dish), pilau (spiced rice cooked in meat broth — the most ceremonially important Swahili rice dish), and the fresh seafood grilled over coconut charcoal that defines the island's most atmospheric eating.

Forodhani Gardens Night Market (on the Stone Town waterfront, open every evening from approximately 6pm — approximately 30 food stalls, the most social outdoor food space in East Africa) is the essential Stone Town evening. The most celebrated stalls: Zanzibar pizza (a unique street food — a thin unleavened dough folded around spiced meat, egg, and cheese and fried on a flat griddle), whole grilled lobster (approximately US$15 to 25 depending on size), grilled octopus and kingfish, and fresh sugar cane juice pressed to order. The market is best visited on a weekday evening when it is less overwhelmed with organized tour groups.

The Emerson Spice rooftop restaurant (Stone Town — the most atmospheric dining in the historic district, no menu, traditional Swahili cooking served by candlelight on a rooftop terrace above the Stone Town lanes) and The Rock Restaurant (between Michanvi Pingwe and Paje — built on a rock in the ocean, accessible by boat at high tide or on foot at low tide, the most photographed restaurant in Zanzibar) are the most celebrated dining experiences.