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The island of
Zanzibar, the ornate and mysterious jewel in
the Indian Ocean, was once the eastern
gateway to Africa, lying some 22 miles off
the Tanzanian coast. Over the
centuries traders, adventurers, plunderers
and explorers have all been enticed to these
shores. Once the centre of the slave
and ivory trade, Zanzibar welcomed into its
harbour ships loaded with food from India
and the Far East, as well as from Europe and
America. An Indian bazaar still
operates in the island today, as well as one
of the world's largest clove markets. |
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The
Omanis who used the monsoon winds to sail from Oman, once ruled the
island and left behind white-washed architectural delights, among then
the Sultan's Palace, the Arab Fort and Bait el Ajaib (House of Wonders)
which is Zanzibar's tallest building.
But it
was the Shirazi Persians who came and settled on the coast and face rise
to a coastal community known as Swahili (derived from the Arab word
Swahil meaning coast). |
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The island is
characterised by beautiful sandy beaches
with fringing coral reefs and abundant
marine life offering some of the best diving
in the world. It also has the magic of
historical Stone Town, an UNESCO heritage
site and the island's capital, a wonderful
mix of African and Arabic culture with
fascinating markets in narrow winding
streets where the aroma of spices fills the
air. The old slave quarters; the spice
plantations; the Iozani Forest with its
monkeys, bush-pigs, small antelope and,
rumour has it, the elusive leopard; together
with Prison Island, home to the giant
tortoises, are all places to see.
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Scuba Diving
Zanzibar is reputed to have some of the best
diving in the world, and the coral reef
structures that surround Unguja and Pemba
ensure that the marine life is abundant.
Good visibility (20 - 60 metres) and a
year-round average water temperature of 27˚C
ensure that you enjoy your Zanzibar diving
experience. Diving here isn't
restricted to beginners. Experienced
scuba divers can enjoy exciting wall dives,
night dives and drift dives. In deeper
waters, lush coral gardens often stretch as
far as the eye can see and large gamefish
hunt together with large Napoleonic wrasse,
graceful manta rays and sharks.
Shallow waters are the playground of
tropical fish, including a wide variety of
Indo-Pacific marine fauna. |
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Prices on request
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Local Information |
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Time Difference |
Local Currency |
Local Language |
Average flying time |
Weather |
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GMT / UTC + 3 |
Tanzanian Shilling |
Swahili |
6 hours |
Click here for
details |
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