Stone Town is the old quarter of Zanzibar City, on the west coast of the island a little over an hour’s drive south of Kendwa. For centuries it was one of the great trading ports of the Indian Ocean — in spices, ivory and, infamously, enslaved people — and in the 19th century the Sultans of Oman ruled their empire from here.
The result is a townscape unlike anywhere else in East Africa: coral-stone houses with carved teak doors, Indian balconies, Omani palaces, mosques, a cathedral built on the site of the slave market. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 2000. It is hot, crumbling in places and confusing to navigate, and it is the one excursion from Kendwa you should not skip.
Top things to do at Stone Town
Walk the old town with a guide
The lanes are a maze and the history is not signposted. A guide turns a hot wander into a story: the Old Fort built by the Omanis, the House of Wonders (under long-term restoration after a partial collapse in 2020), the house where Freddie Mercury spent his early childhood. A private walking tour costs little.
Face the slave-trade history
The Anglican cathedral stands on the site of the last open slave market, closed in 1873. The exhibition and the memorial outside are sobering and essential.
Shop at Darajani, eat at Forodhani
Darajani is the working market — spices, fish, fruit. After dark, the seafront Forodhani Gardens fill with food stalls selling grilled seafood, sugar-cane juice and “Zanzibar pizza”.
Take the boat to Prison Island
Boats leave from the beach in front of the old town for Prison Island and its giant tortoises — usually combined with Stone Town in a single day.
How to get to Stone Town
- On a tour: the simplest way from Kendwa. Day tours combine Stone Town with a spice farm, Prison Island or Jozani and include the drive.
- By taxi: a little over an hour each way. Negotiate a return fare with waiting time.
- By dala-dala: route 116 from the main road above Kendwa to Darajani; cheap, slow and crowded.
Insider tips
- Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered for both men and women.
- Start early or stay late — midday in the lanes is very hot.
- If your flights allow, spend your first or last night here. The town is at its best in the evening, when the day-trippers have gone.
- Ignore “guides” who attach themselves to you in the street; book through a reviewed operator.
Best tours & tickets for Stone Town
These well-reviewed experiences are the simplest way to see Stone Town from a Kendwa base:
Day trip from $55 Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice Tour & Prison Island with Lunch
Three of the island’s essential sights in a single day, and by far the most-reviewed way to do them. A long day from Kendwa — Stone Town is over an hour’s drive — but it ticks off the history, the tortoises and the spices in one go.
- A guided walk through UNESCO-listed Stone Town
- Boat to Prison Island and its giant tortoises
- Spice farm visit with a Swahili lunch
Walking tour from $21 Zanzibar: 3-Hour Private Stone Town Walking Tour with Guide
If you are spending a night in Stone Town before or after Kendwa, this inexpensive private walk is the way to make sense of the maze. Consistently strong reviews.
- The slave-trade history of the old town, explained
- Old doors, markets and narrow lanes
- Private guide — your pace, your questions
Day trip from $42 Zanzibar: Prison Island, Nakupenda & Stone Town Tour with BBQ
A west-coast day that swaps the spice farm for a sandbank: boat to Prison Island, lunch and a swim on Nakupenda, then the old town on foot. Check the listing for transfer options from the north.
- Giant tortoises on Prison Island
- Barbecue lunch on the Nakupenda sandbank
- Guided walk in Stone Town to finish
