Spice world: Zanzibar

Z stands for Zanzibar! The very name conjures up exotic images of sultans, spices and slaves. And when you get there, the reality does not disappoint. To spend a day in Zanzibar Town, known as Stone Town, is to be plunged into a time warp. Wandering through the narrow streets I felt as though I was in the heart of some ancient Arab town. Ninety-seven per cent of the population are Muslims, although there are also Hindus, Christians and a small group of Parsees. The muezzin's call to prayer echoes across the rooftops five times a day.

Houses in Stone Town are built of coral rocks, cemented together with a mixture of lime, clay and sand. Mangrove poles are used as beams to support roofs and ceilings. You can spend hours studying the intricate carvings and bosses of the great wooden doors that guard the central courtyards from prying eyes. If your energies flag in the heat, you can sit down on a baraza, a low stone bench built on either side of the street. Sometimes, when the streets flood during a tropical downpour, people use the barazas as
elevated pavements, stepping from one to another to keep their feet dry.

Stone Town is unique in East Africa. When the Omanis ousted the Portuguese at the end of the 17th century, Zanzibar became the hub of the Omani commercial empire and the principal staging point for the vast number of slaves the Omanis
controlled. During my tour, I visited the horrendous dungeons in Stone Town where newly
captured slaves were kept before being auctioned in the slave market. When the British, taking over from the Omanis in the late 19th century, put an end to the practice of slavery, they built an Anglican church on the site of the slave market. In front of the altar, there is a mark to indicate that this is where the whipping post stood. Next to the pulpit hangs a cross made from the wood of the mahogany tree in what is now northern Zambia where Dr David Livingstone died. Livingstone not only departed from here on his great mission to end slavery, he came back here, too. His two faithful servants brought his body back from Zambia to the island. In due course, the great missionary's remains (minus his heart, which was buried in Africa) were shipped back to England for a funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Zanzibar manages to combine art and culture, history and religion with some of the most perfect beaches of the Indian Ocean. After a week of game drives in the Serengeti, heading for Zanzibar's coral strands for a few days' relaxation on the way home is, quite frankly, a
no-brainer. I stayed four nights at the Baraza Resort & Spa hotel, ideally located on Bwejuu beach, frequently voted one of the most beautiful in the world and a prime destination for honeymoon couples. With its fine white sand and sparkling blue water, it is one of the most
romantic settings imaginable. You can lounge by the pool, swim in the sea or snorkel about the coral reefs.

One morning I went diving with dolphins. We set out in a small boat from the fishing village of Kizimkazi, near the southernmost tip of the island, and chugged patiently out to sea for around an hour, only to find ourselves suddenly surrounded by 20 or 30 dolphins. The trick, when swimming with dolphins, is to try to anticipate the direction they are heading in before slipping into the water to join them. I mistimed the manoeuvre a couple of times, splashing down into the water beside the boat after the school had already passed us. But on the third occasion, the dolphins changed tack and headed toward me. Somehow, I managed to get my snorkel and flippers together and ducked underwater just in time to observe the school swimming in my direction, at speed, before it split left and right to dive under the boat. An altogether exhilarating experience.

On our return to shore, we anchored off the coral reef and I spent a magical hour gazing down through the crystal-clear water at waving seagrass, coral mounds and a mass of brightly coloured fish that looked as though they had come out of a tropical aquarium. Zanzibar may not have the biological diversity of, say, Madagascar, with its variegated population of lemurs and other mammals, but if you are interested in primates, as I am, a visit to the Jozani Forest Reserve is truly rewarding. The reserve is located in the central east region of Zanzibar island and is home to the rare red colobus monkey, which is native to Zanzibar. These monkeys are full of character, and roam freely. Jozani has an excellent nature trail and the guides are both well trained and informative. The reserve runs right down to the sea, ending in a mangrove forest (a duckboard walkway helps visitors negotiate the swamps). The disappearance of mangrove forests around the world is one of the great environmental challenges of our time and Zanzibar's efforts to conserve its remaining wilderness is one of this wonderful island's many unsung stories.

WHERE TO STAY
Kuoni offers five nights on an all-inclusive basis at the Baraza Resort & Spa hotel in a two-bedroom garden villa, including flights with Kenya Airways from Heathrow, plus private transfers and use of an airport lounge in the UK. Prices from £2,276 per person, based on two sharing (01306 747 008; kuoni.co.uk).

WHAT TO READ
Cadogan Guides' Tanzania & Zanzibar. This excellent guide includes detailed travel advice, plus lists of safari lodges, hotels and tented camps; restaurants, bars and cafés; maps; stunning colour photography; a safari-planner and wildlife guide, and information on island hideaways.

MUST VISIT
In Stone Town, a visit to the House of Wonders museum, formerly the Sultan of Oman's palace, is interesting. Tours to the unspoilt north coast always end up at Ras Nungwi, a sleepy fishing village on the northern tip of Zanzibar island. It is the dhow-building capital of Zanzibar, so you will be able to see the traditional methods of dhow construction in action. This area of Zanzibar has some fantastic beaches and coral reefs, which are ideal for diving and snorkelling. The local villagers have built a turtle sanctuary where injured turtles and other marine animals are nursed back to health before being released into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

DON'T MISS
Once the site of a jail for unruly slaves, Changuu island lies just off Stone Town. It is fringed with a beautiful coral reef, ideal for snorkelling, and has a lovely white-sand beach.
It is also home to a family of giant tortoises, imported from the Seychelles in 1919, and has a small restaurant serving freshly caught fish.