Once a bustling trading center and an important port on the spice route, Zanzibar Island is today a tranquil, coastal location where you can spend long hours on your idyllic Indian Ocean vacation in Africa, strolling along the beaches with soft, delicate white sands sinking below your feet. The gentle waves from crystal clear waters are seemingly subdued by the unending miles of seashore that embraces its marine ecology. Looking out over the vast ocean and the shimmering turquoise waters dotted with white, triangular sails of the picturesque traditional fishing dhows will take your breath away.
Enjoy the spectacular sun rises from the east of the island or revel in the golden colors of the stunning sunsets on the west coast. The lush tropical vegetation creates a vibrant, verdant contrast to the purity of the sands even as colorful Zanzibari birds like yellow-collared lovebird create flitting rainbows among them. Zanzibar is not simply a single island, but an archipelago of islands that comprise of Unguja or Zanzibar, Pemba Island on the north and surrounding isles like Mnemba, Chapwani, Chumbe, Bawe, Changuu and more.
As you will learn on your coastal tour with AfricanMecca, there are also a host of smaller islands that lie along the coast, each more scenic than the other. Some of these islands are actually ancient coral beds that nature has covered with dense vegetation while avian and marine life have moved in to make them their home. On the northern tip of Zanzibar, lies the Nungwi Beach that is accessible with a long, winding drive through its charming, laid-back village.
On the northwest is Kendwa Beach, a favored hip strip for partygoers on a full moon. Should you beach holiday at one of the resorts in this section of the island in Zanzibar, you are likely to spot monkeys frolicking in the trees. Matemwe Beach lies to the northeast of the island. Explore a little off the coast and you will encounter the tiny atoll island of Mnemba.
The marine park at the atoll is a wondrous haven for marine life, visited by snorkelers and scuba divers around the world. Indeed, an Eden on earth, the island also hosts the diminutive suni antelope along with migratory birds, nesting turtles and butterflies.
