Zanzibar Tanzania
Tanzania

9 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Emerald Waterways (1 Cruises)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (2 Cruises)

Viking Ocean Cruises (6 Cruises)

Dark wooden doors carved with scrolling vines and studded with brass spikes line every lane like so many works of art. In Zanzibar, you can read the history of a house on its door: Indian motifs, calligraphed verses, symbolic chains inherited from Omani merchants. Stone Town, the old heart of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reveals itself from your very first steps, just minutes from the dock.

Arriving at the Gates of the Labyrinth

Cruise ships dock at Malindi Port, right on the edge of the old town; the largest ones sometimes anchor offshore and bring passengers ashore by tender. Either way, the entrance to Stone Town is a 5- to 15-minute walk away. It's best to give up on a set itinerary right from the start: the narrow lanes look alike, cross and close in on one another, and getting lost is how you find what matters most. Carved balconies, schoolchildren in uniform, spiced-coffee vendors and the scent of cardamom make up the ever-changing backdrop of this Swahili city, where Africa, Arabia, Persia and India blended together for centuries.

From the Old Fort to the Memory of the Slave Trade

Facing the sea, the 17th-century Old Fort and the tall white silhouette of the House of Wonders frame Forodhani Gardens, where locals gather in the evening around the seafood grills. A few streets away, the Anglican cathedral stands on the very site of the former slave market; its altar is said to mark the spot where the auction post once stood, and the memorial of chained figures in the courtyard moves every visitor. This painful past is part of the island's story, and local guides share it with dignity and gravity. The mood lightens at Darajani Market, overflowing with fish, bananas and mountains of spices, or in front of the modest birthplace of Freddie Mercury, a child of Zanzibar who became a global voice.

The Spice Island Lives Up to Its Name

A few kilometres from the town centre, spice plantations open their trails to guided tours. You crush cinnamon leaves, scrape a turmeric root, and learn to spot climbing vanilla and clusters of pepper; cloves, above all, made the fortunes of the sultans and still perfume the drying sheds, so much so that the island was long one of the world's leading exporters of this one spice. These half-day spice tours are among the most informative shore excursions in the Indian Ocean, and the bags of spices you bring home will extend your port call in your kitchen for months.

The Giant Tortoises of Prison Island

From the beach at Stone Town, a boat ride of about 30 minutes takes you to Changuu Island, also known as Prison Island. The former quarantine building serves as the backdrop to a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, some of them more than a century old; you can watch them up close as they stretch their long necks beneath the frangipani trees. The clear waters around the islet are perfect for a swim or a few strokes above the coral before heading back.

Zanzibar Port Call at a Glance

SiteDistance from the dockGetting there
Stone TownLess than 1 kmOn foot
Spice plantationsAbout 15 kmShore excursion or taxi
Changuu Island (Prison Island)About 30 minutes by seaBoat

As the sun goes down, dhows with triangular sails glide past the waterfront, just like in the engravings of the early explorers. The Forodhani grills light up, the call to prayer mingles with the laughter of swimmers, and you understand why so many travellers hold a special place in their hearts for this port of call. Zanzibar doesn't just let itself be looked at: it settles into your memory for good, with its scent of cloves and its carved doors.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the port of Malindi, immediately alongside the old town. Larger ships sometimes anchor offshore and tender passengers in. Either way, the entrance to Stone Town is a five to fifteen minute walk.
The historic heart of Zanzibar City, a UNESCO World Heritage site: a Swahili town where Africa, Arabia, Persia and India mixed over centuries. Carved balconies, uniformed schoolchildren, spiced coffee sellers and the smell of cardamom make up its shifting backdrop.
Because you read a house’s history on its door. These dark wooden doors, carved with scrollwork and studded with brass points, carry Indian motifs, calligraphed verses and symbolic chains inherited from Omani merchants. Every lane holds several.
Better to give up on one. The lanes look alike, cross and close again: getting lost is how you find what matters. The quarter is compact and you always end up back at the waterfront, which limits the risk of truly going astray.
The seventeenth-century Old Fort and the tall white silhouette of the House of Wonders, which frame the Forodhani gardens. In the evening locals gather there around the seafood grills, and lateen-sailed dhows glide past the city exactly as in the explorers’ engravings.
It stands on the site of the former slave market. Its altar is said to mark the place of the whipping post, and the memorial of chained figures in the courtyard stops every visitor. Local guides pass on that painful history with dignified seriousness.
You crush cinnamon leaves, scratch a turmeric root, learn to spot climbing vanilla and clusters of pepper. Cloves above all made the sultans’ fortune and still perfume the drying sheds — the island was long one of the world’s leading exporters of that one spice. Allow a half-day, about fifteen kilometres from the centre.
Yes. Changuu Island, known as Prison Island, is about thirty minutes by boat from the Stone Town beach. The old quarantine building forms the backdrop to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises, some over a century old. The clear water around the islet suits swimming and snorkelling.
Stone Town on foot fills the half-day: the carved doors, the Old Fort, the House of Wonders, the Anglican cathedral, Darajani market and the birthplace of Freddie Mercury, a son of Zanzibar. Spice plantations or Prison Island mean giving up the old town.
Spices bought at the plantations or at Darajani market: cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla, pepper. They extend the call into your kitchen for months, and they are the souvenir truest to what the island actually is.