Zanzibar is mainly low-lying,
and despite having the famous Kilimanjaro next door, our highest point is just
120 metres above sea level. However, what we do have – in spades – are plenty
of jawdropping sandy beaches with coral reefs of incredible marine diversity! And
while the coast is undeniably beautiful, you might want to consider leaving the
sun loungers on the beach for a day or two and exploring the island’s beautiful
interior, where few sun-blinded tourists tread. Rent a bicycle and go cycling into
the bush, or visit us in our guesthouse.
Our weather is probably the
best in the entire world – we kid you not! For someone coming from the northern
hemisphere it can be a bit confusing, but in summer (December-March) the trade wind
comes from the north-east, bringing hot temperatures (30 degrees Celsius and
higher) and sun all day long. After the monsoon season (April-May), the winter
(June-October) sees the trade wind from the south-east and slightly cooler
temperatures, but it’s still like a nice hot summer in Europe (about 26-27 degrees).
There is another short rainy season in November, but don’t let the rain put you
off – even during the main rainy season you still get plenty of sunshine. Plus
the rainy seasons are great if you want the island to yourself, as other
tourists tend to stay away.
We have to admit that we
don’t have the wide variety of animals that you can see in the national parks
on the mainland (thank God, there is not that much space to run from a lion or
elephant on Zanzibar). However, there are a couple of animals around that you
might be interested in seeing: the Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey (Procolobus
kirkii) is unique to Zanzibar and one of Africa’s rarest primates. Apparently
there are only 1,500 left, but no worries, you can see them at Jozani Forest.
Sometimes the odd one comes for a visit to Jambiani. Once in a while, they pee
on someone’s head, so watch out above – but if it happens to you, don’t worry,
it is good luck!
Turtles and tortoises hang
out on Zanzibar as well – you can visit the turtles in pools at Nungwi or
Jozani Forest, and giant, ancient Seychelles tortoises live on Prison Island,
which you can visit from Stone Town. Sometimes you can feed them salad –
although they tend to look at you like they might prefer a juicy steak.
There is also the Zanzibar
leopard, but it might be extinct. We don’t know whether it is still there.
Maybe. We will try and find it for you if you want to see it. Imagine if you
were the first person to see one since 1997!
Apart from that, there are
no large wild animals in Zanzibar – we have bush pigs, small antelopes, the odd
mongoose and a lot of butterflies. What we do have a lot on the beach are crabs
and the odd sea urchin (careful, do not step on one of those little menaces...
if you do, we will bring you a papaya). Of course, the ocean is teeming with
exotic marine life – divers can swim with rays, turtles, sharks and more, but
just snorkelling the range of creatures that you can see is breathtaking. It is
another world, far from your daily worries – let us take you there.
