IMAGES: GETTY; AKU/CHRISTOPHER WILTON-STEER


INDIAN OCEAN


ZANZIBAR


This year, Stone Town, the historic quarter of Zanzibar City, celebrates its 20th year as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As ever, a cultural tour is the perfect complement to any time spent lazing on Zanzibar’s shores


ylang-ylang


flowers Marilyn Monroe would’ve felt perfectly at home on the island of Nosy Be, in northwest Madagascar. It’s one of the world’s biggest producers of ylang-ylang, whose sweet, exotic fragrance adds a tropical frisson to Chanel No 5, Monroe’s favourite perfume. With glamorous resort hotels and direct flights from Rome and Milan with Neos, Nosy Be is popular with beach-loving Italians, and others are catching on, too. neosair.it


If, aſter a safari in Tanzania, the ocean is calling, a trip to the pale, palm-fringed beaches of Zanzibar is the answer. As a bonus, Stone Town, the historic capital of Unguja, the main island in the Zanzibar archipelago, is fascinating to explore. For much of the past two millennia, the sheltered bay on Unguja’s western shore was the Indian Ocean’s most treasured harbour. From as early as the first century, merchants from Yemen, Iran and west India were anchoring here to strike deals with the spice, ivory and slave traders based along the Swahili Coast. By the 10th century, Stone Town was beginning to take shape. With Portugal, Oman and Britain taking turns to preside over it between the 16th and 20th centuries, it absorbed influences from all three, as well as from Arabia and India. Present-day Stone Town is an intriguing


FROM LEFT: Ylang-ylang flowers growing on the cananga tree, Madagascar; Street vendors in front of a traditional Stone Town doorway selling papaya, oranges, bananas and jack fruit to passersby


106 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel


jumble of narrow streets and alleys, shaded from the tropical sun by coral stone mansions with heavy wooden doors. Many have vine leaves and flowers carved into their frame, an indication that the house was built for a spice merchant — there’s a good example at EMERSON ON HURUMZI, a boutique hotel. Other doors feature geometric patterns,


tradesmen’s symbols or passages from the Koran. Some are studded with brass spikes, an 18th-century fashion imported from India, where doors were heavily reinforced to withstand charging elephants. In 2020, Stone Town celebrates the 20th


anniversary of its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander the alleys on foot, and you’ll discover shops and galleries stuffed with African antiques, fabrics and tinga tingas, brightly coloured paintings that are distinctively Tanzanian. MEMORIES OF ZANZIBAR has a large selection, and you can sometimes watch local artists at work at the CULTURAL ARTS CENTRE. To take in the cityscape over cocktails and lunch, head to the rooſtop TEA HOUSE AT EMERSON SPICE. emersononhurumzi.com emersonspice.com memories-zanzibar.com HOW TO DO IT: Audley Travel typically offers a 12-day trip to Tanzania, with four nights on safari at Selous Game Reserve and five nights in Zanzibar, from £3,810 per person, sharing. Includes accommodation, flights from London and all domestic transport. For more information on Audley’s flexible bookings promise, visit audleytravel.com


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