Zanzibar Holidays Take You to the Most Interesting Places

A semi-autonomous Tanzanian region, Zanzibar comprises two large islands and many smaller islands. The main island in the archipelago is also called Zanzibar, but it is formally known as 'Unguja'. Besides tourism, a major industry in this part of the world is spice production. This archipelagic region produces some quality spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, and cinnamon. As a result, Zanzibar came to be known as 'Spice Islands' over the years. Although the island of Unguja is home to the region's international airport, many tourists prefer to land in Dar es Salaam and then travel to Zanzibar by taking a ferry.

The period between June and October is the best time to enjoy your Zanzibar holidays. During this time of the year, the climate is cool and dry, making it comfortable for you to go sightseeing or indulge in some exciting activities outdoors. Another popular time for visiting this island destination is from December to February when the weather is hot and dry. It is advisable not to visit the archipelago during its two rainy seasons. The first one occurs between mid-March and late May, while the second is in November.

While enjoying your holidays in this island destination, you'll get the chance to visit Jozani Forest. It is home to the endangered Zanzibar red colobus monkeys and is one of the places on the archipelago with lush green surroundings. Your time spent in this forest would allow you to enjoy a pleasant walk on its nature trails and watch the red colobus monkeys in action. It would be great if you visit this forest early in the morning as it gets many tourists later in the day. After your tour of Jozani forest, you can also visit the Mangrove forest located nearby.

You'll also be delighted to visit the Seaweed Centre located in a village called Paje on the island of Unguja. It is a local social initiative to enable women of Paje to harvest seaweed and make a range of products from it, such as scrubs, organic soaps, and essential oils. A visit to the Seaweed Centre would be a welcome break from your busy sightseeing schedules. Visitors to this centre can take a full tour for witnessing the daily tasks performed by the seaweed farmers. If you're not in the mood to take this tour, relaxing at the shop with a glass of sweet seaweed smoothie would be a wonderful option.

If you have some time to spare after visiting the Seaweed Centre, you can head to the Paje Beach. It is a backpacker hotspot and has some good cafes, bars, burger joints, and kite surfing companies. The turquoise waters touching this beach and a relaxed atmosphere would make your time at this beach truly memorable. You can choose to take a pleasant stroll on the beach while in Paje. Those interested in learning kite-surfing can take some lessons in this activity from any of the local training schools. If you're experienced enough, you can rent the equipment and get into the waters for some fantastic adventures.

I'm Amanda, and I work as a content strategist for Home and Away Holidays, which provides affordable holidays to the world's most exotic destinations.