Last update:August 23, 2026 at 06:35
We had just arrived in Stone Town and wanted to get ourselves better oriented with the city by joining a walking tour. Ali was our guide, and there were 3 of us in the afternoon tour and we met up at the Forodhani Park. There were many cats in the park, Ali explained while some cats were abandoned by their owners in the park, fortunately some kind volunteers would come to the park every day to feed them. There were quite a few groups of young people practicing break dancing in the park gazebo. The park was also where the night market was located, and Ali said we would finish the tour conveniently around the time the food vendors got the stalls set up. Across from the park was the House of Wonder building under renovation, it's the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity and Ali said it was partially collapsed couple years ago. Then we walked into the alleys and saw many landmarks in the city, including the birthplace of Freddie Mercury and the Livingstone Beach Restaurant. The name Stone Town came from the use of local coral stone as the building material, and we checked out some of these coral stone walls. Then there's the famous Zanzibar wooden doors with designs that blend Swahili, Arab and Indian influences. We already learned so much about Zanzibar halfway into the tour. Then we came to the Jaws Corner, the popular Stone town square where locals would gather and chat over spiced coffee, and Ali pointed out during World Cup the place was jammed when people all came to watch the games on the open-air public TV. We saw some street vendors selling Ubyyu, the bright red round Zanzibar candy. It's made from seeds of baobab trees and coated in red shell made from sugar syrup. We tried some and it had every taste in it, sweet, savory, sour and spicy ! We also tried the Achari, sun-dried raw mango strips dyed in red using the same syrup. The taste was so interesting that we all bought some to bring back home. We then stopped by Lukmaan, an open air Swahili restaurant that Ali suggested was the best place to try some authentic Swahili cuisine. The owner was very kind and explained what the various dishes were. We continued onto the Cathedral Church of Christ, which had a big sign that indicated it was a former slave market site. From there we headed to a main street and saw the sign "THE DARAJANI SOUK", the biggest local public market of Stone town. The area was going through some major urban redesign and there were lots of road construction. We came to a fish market, and Ali asked if we were all OK with the smell of the seafood before taking us inside the market. Next was the spice corner, where in addition to spices for cooking, one could also find all kinds of spiced coffee and tea. We then walked past some fruit stalls and saw some monster size avocados only found in Zanzibar. There's a fruit stand at a street corner selling sliced fruits, and Ali bought us some cucumber samples and put on some Zanzibar spices. It tasted very refreshing. We then walked to a building with the sign Hamamni Baths, and Ali explained it's actually a historical landmark and was no longer used for bathing. And soon we got back to the Forodhani Park, the food market had already become very lively with lots of locals and tourists enjoying the grilled seafood, skewers and all kinds of amazing Zanzibar street food. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and were so happy that Ali was available the next day to take us for another tour to the Prison Island. All three of us in the tour signed up ! And that was another great tour.
Amazing guide! Super knowledgeable and answered all of our questions in detail.
Nassor was great! He gave us super-interesting history-geek stuff (we love Historty) and was so friendly and accommodating. It's no surprise he comes recommended. We highly recommend the tour!
Mohammed was amazing! He was so knowledgeable, professional and fun- would highly recommend a tour with him.
Mohammed took us on a wonderful tour around Stone Town, highlighting the history, explaining local legends, giving us insider tips and suggestions, and offering a generally satisfying tour. He was able to answer all of our questions and adapted the tour to the participants so that it would be more engaging. I definitely recommend his tour!
El tour con Ali ha sido buenísimo. Repetiría encantado!
Our tour with Nassor was excellent! He was very informative and engaging. Our group of four thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Stone Town and the information he shared with us. I would highly recommend.
Our guide Nassor was a very educated and kind person. We enjoyed our evening tour very much!
¡El free tour ha sido genial! Muy interactivo, entretenido y, sobre todo, muy informativo. El guía ha conseguido que conociéramos la historia y los lugares de una forma amena y cercana. ¡Totalmente recomendable! ⭐️
He knew the answers to all our question and was very nice the tour was fun and we found out a lot of new things i would totally recommend!!!
He was incredibly informative and open to questions. He asked what we already knew so that he could educate us most effectively. He was also extremely professional and friendly.
Ali was fantastic. I was the only one on the tour and I was so lucky to have all his knowledge at hand. I cannot recommend him enough.
Nassor provided a fun and educational tour of Stone Town, explaining the unique history of the place and all its various influences. Couple hours well spent :)
MK was very knowledgeable about Stone town and was able to answer all our questions. He is clearly very passionate about his town! He pointed out all the interesting things I otherwise would have missed. Recommended!
Un tour piacevole attraverso i punti cruciali della città di Stone Town. Abra si è dimostrata una guida preparata, simpatica e aperta al dialogo. Consiglio per avere un’idea della storia della città
Nassar was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Stone Town and was able to answer all our questions.
We had a very well-conducted tour of Stone Town with Mohammed. Thankfully, we were just three people, but despite the small group, Mohammed made sure to give us his complete attention and took the time to walk us through the city in great detail. Walking through Stone Town with him gave us wonderful insights into its history, culture, architecture, and local life, making it a truly enjoyable and enriching experience. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive throughout the tour. He also shared some useful tips with us afterwards, which was highly appreciated. Overall, it was a great experience, and I would highly recommend Mohammed to anyone looking for a guided tour of Zanzibar.
Lovely friendly guide with great sense of humour. Highly recommend this tour.
Nassor is an amazing guide! He has so much knowledge and information and he conveys it in a way that makes it easy to relate to. Highly recommended!!
Abra guida formidabile di Zanzibar, parla perfettamente Italiano e conosce tutti i luoghi d'interesse. Molto consigliato!
Had a lovely time on my tour with Nassor. He is knowledgeable, patient and kind. I highly recommend selecting Nassor for any future tours and guidance. Asante 😊
Nassor was super knowledgeable and welcoming! Very educational experience
Nassor was a skilled tour guide. With his experience and knowledge of the town, he was able to show us all the interesting areas. The narration of the historical development of Stone Town was really interesting. Nonetheless, he's also a super nice and available guy. Suggested!
We enjoy the tour very much, Massor is a great guide!!
Very informative. Mohammed gave us a lot of information that we would never have known without the tour. We visited all the sites and learned a great deal. He has an excellent knowledge of the island's history and communicates very well.
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