Spice up your holiday in Zanzibar

Not long ago the name Zanzibar would conjure up the heady aroma of spices that centuries ago earned Unguja and Pemba the name of the Spice Islands.

The spice plantations may have taken a back seat economically and are no longer the mainstay of the island, but they are still the most common feature on the island.

Tourism is in big time. Lately, Zanzibar has become a byword for a dream getaway, home to an international film festival, the Zanzibar Film Festival; the Sauti za Busara international music festival; the exclusive Zanzibar Serena Inn and of course the enchanting Stone Town, and the endless sandy beaches among other historical attractions.

February saw the influx of music lovers to the island for the seventh edition of the Sauti za Busara music festival.

According to festival organisers, the festival brings with it a 400 per cent increase in tourist arrivals in the month of February alone. This is modern Zanzibar at its best.

To some, Zanzibar is still simply the island 40km off the coast of East Africa, that conjures up mystery, intrigue and a fascinating history going back centuries to the time of the ancient Greeks, when a guide book (The Peryphis of the Erythraen Sea) described the island in detail, referring to its lush vegetation and attractive population.

Since then the island has received visitors and absorbed the customs of a dozen lands resulting in a heady mix of Africa and Arabia with influences from Europe, China and Portugal thrown in.

Step ashore at the quaint harbour or even at the modest airport and you know straight off that you are heading for an experience that appeals to all the senses.

Life here is not so much set by the clock as by the rhythm of the tides and monsoons that used to bear fleets of dhows to and from the Arabian Gulf — and a lot of the romance still remains.

But with the modernisation and commercialisation of almost every aspect of life on the island, there is another side to the island that is not all peace and tranquility as you are as likely to get mown down by someone riding a noisy piki-piki recklessly around the corners of the narrow alleyways as by a wandering cow.

And your first encounter with an inhabitant of Stone Town will probably be with a tout selling anything from a room in his family’s “hotel” to a tour of the island.

The city centre is a beehive of activity, with travellers, merchants, tourists and locals going about their business under the sweltering heat.

Nevertheless, the good far outweighs the bad and you will take home fond memories of this charming island. The people are friendly and easygoing, typical islanders.

Being only a few kilometres off the coast of Tanzania and Kenya, getting there is a simple matter as several airlines fly in from various hubs around East Africa including Nairobi.

An alternative is to find your way to Dar es Salaam from where you can embark on a leisurely ferry trip across the Zanzibar Channel that takes a couple of hours. Or you can save time and ride the hydrofoil that does the trip much faster.