Zanzibar Regions Guide - excursions

Jozani Chwaka Bay Conservation Area
The largest conservation area in Zanzibar and the only remaining natural mangrove forest on the island, the Jozani Chwaka Bay Conservation Area is renowned for its hairy ape residents, the Red Columbus Monkey. Endemic to Zanzibar, visitors come from far and wide to view the highly endangered Red Columbus Monkey, now numbering only 1500. Due to large-scale cultivation, firewood collection, harvesting building materials and charcoal and lime making, Zanzibar's forests have been largely depleted, making the Jozani Chwaka Bay conservation area a significant natural landscape. Nature lovers can walk through the 100 different towering tree species and marvel at the rich variety of birdlife and other small wildlife that inhabit the cool woodland area.

Maruhubi and Mtoni Palace Ruins
If you are looking for a place to escape the bustle of Stone Town for a few hours, head north to the peaceful Maruhubi and Mtoni Palace ruins. Sultan Said bin Sultan first built Mtoni between 1828 and 1834 after he left Muscat and made Zanzibar his throne and it was also the childhood home of Princess Salme. The decadent Maruhubi Palace was built later in the 1880s by Sultan Barghash, as a harem for his 99 concubines and wife. The structure was mainly wooden and one of the most beautiful of its time, but was gutted by a fire in 1889 and left in ruins. The rolling lawns, bathhouses and water lily ponds are reminiscent of the life of affluence enjoyed by the palace residents over a century ago. To view a well-preserved Hammam from the 1850s continue north to the Kidichi Persian Baths, constructed by Sultan Seyyid Said for his Persian wife.

Mangapwani Caves
After the abolition of slavery in 1897, the industry literally went underground and the Mangapwani Caves stand testament to this with a natural cave and a man-made cavern on site used for the incarceration of slaves. The slaves were kept here until they were secretly transported to cargo ships and delivered to slave markets across Europe and the Indian subcontinent. The first is a large natural cave with a freshwater pool and the man-made cavern is a dank, dark cell with few air vents protruding above ground. After 50 slaves were forced inside, poles were fitted into gouges above their heads and planks were laid down so that another 50 men could be crammed in on top. To gain some insight into the unspeakable living conditions of slaves in the 1800s in east Africa, it's best to make a turn at Mangapwani.