Zanzibar beyond the beach

Zanzibar is sold on its beaches, and they deserve it. But the island was the commercial centre of the western Indian Ocean for centuries, and Stone Town is the physical record of that — a dense maze of coral-stone buildings layered with Swahili, Omani, Indian and Persian influence.

Stone Town

Give it two nights rather than an afternoon. The town is best walked early, before the heat, and again at dusk. The carved doors are the obvious pleasure; the former slave market site is the necessary one, and it is not a comfortable visit.

The spice farms

Cliché, and genuinely worth it — cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and vanilla growing in a working farm, with the trade history that made the island wealthy attached to them.

Choosing a coast

• North (Nungwi, Kendwa) — swimmable at all tides, liveliest
• East (Paje, Jambiani) — dramatic tides, the centre of the kitesurfing scene
• South-east (Michamvi) — quietest, best for a genuine retreat

The tide on the east coast retreats several hundred metres. It is beautiful and it surprises people who booked expecting to swim at will — worth knowing before you choose.