Stone Town Guided Tour from Zanzibar

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The Darajani Market (or Bazaar) is the main bazaar in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is also known as Estella Market (after Countess Estella, sister of Lloyd Mathews, Prime Minister of Zanzibar) and informally as Marikiti Kuu (in swahili, "main market")The market is located in Darajani Road, in the surroundings of the Anglican Cathedral of Christ. The main structure of the market was built in 1904 by Bomanjee Maneckjee, for Sultan Ali bin Hamud.It was later extended and restored. Darajani Bazaar is mainly a food market (seafood, meat, fruits, grains, spices), but there are also shops selling a number of different goods, from consumer electronics to clothing.

   15 min

2. Explore the high brown walls and various entrances of The Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe), a landmark building of the Old Town and a popular tourist destination. Featuring crenelated stone battlements with upright merlons, embrasures, and entrances with pointed arches, the fort with its inner courtyard has been converted into a cultural center dotted with curio shops. Built by the Omanis as a defense against the Portuguese in the 17th century, this remains the oldest standing structure in the Stone Town. Buy some tingatinga paintings and traditional handicrafts from the shops, or watch a performance in the fort's open-air amphitheater.

   10 minAdmission included

3. A coral stone Canterbury-style Church of Christ, Old Slave Market/Anglican Cathedral has been built on the site of the old slave market from when Zanzibar was a huge slaving center under the British-supported Muscat and Oman Sultanate. Next to the church, you can enter slave chambers in the cellars of the old Anglican Mission House, that's now a hostel. Built in 1873-1883, the cathedral's altar is believed to stand at the place of the old whipping post. Boasting a cross made out of the tree under which the heart of David Livingston was buried in 1873, this active cathedral features a huge rectangular bell tower with a clock. In the churchyard, view a concrete sculpture of slaves exiting a holding cell from underground made by a Swedish sculptor

   10 minAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 72 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 8 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Zanzibar City

• Its from-price is 33% below the median of the 760 experiences we list in Zanzibar City.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 179 of 760.

About Zanzibar City

Zanzibar City is the main town of Zanzibar island, and its old Stone Town of carved doors and narrow lanes carries Swahili, Arab and Indian history.

Stone Town is the old heart of Zanzibar City, a maze of narrow lanes, coral-stone houses and carved wooden doors, shaped by centuries of Arab, Indian, Persian and European traders. The House of Wonders, the Old Fort and the Sultan's Palace face the seafront, and Forodhani Gardens fills with food stalls at dusk. The Anglican cathedral stands on the site of a former slave market, with a sobering memorial nearby.

Top-ranked sights in Zanzibar City: Nakupenda Beach.

See all 760 experiences in Zanzibar City